The Business Intelligence Blog

Embedded analytics are nothing new. Organizations have embedded BI functionality into applications and business processes for years. For example, Java and .NET developers often create reporting capabilities from scratch when building custom applications. Portals display charts and tables generated by reporting tools inside portal windows, or “portlets.” Microsoft Office applications maintain live links to reports stored on BI servers. Extranet applications integrate with BI engines that let online customers view and analyze personal accounts and activity. Online applications embed predictive models that score customer transactions in real time to detect fraud, cross-sell products, evaluate risk or assess credit worthiness.

However, most embedded analytics to date have barely scratched the surface of what is possible. Usually, the analytics are fairly primitive, displaying canned views of existing reports with little ability to drill down, publish views in other formats, or compare with other data. The more compelling analytically driven applications are implemented by leading-edge companies with deep pockets and legions of skilled developers who code, debug and test monolithic applications that are time-consuming to build and costly to modify.

Wayne Eckerson talks about Embedded analytics and the future of Business Intelligence in a well written article, Embedded Analytics: The Next Wave In Business Intelligence. A must read.