Business intelligence for retail from IBM

The issues

Support advanced analytics

Build a comprehensive data warehouse solution that incorporates advanced analytics. Leverage a model customized for retailers. Take advantage of open systems to simplify enterprise-wide integration. The IBM Retail Business Intelligence Solution is designed to enable data mining across the retail organization—and to scale as your future needs require.

The benchmark

Leverage our information management skills

IBM holds more patents and has published more thought leadership on information management than any other data warehouse vendor. In addition, we have industry-leading information management products that millions of people rely on every day.

• The IBM Retail Business Intelligence Solution offers a flexible and powerful environment that can be scaled from implementation in a few select areas to enterprise-wide deployment as your needs and resources expand.
• Use of open industry standards means you can choose the Extraction, Transformation and Loading (ETL) tool and front-end reporting tool that's best for your individual business.
• The solution takes advantage of embedded IBM DB2® technology differentiators, such as cube generation and views, data mining and data management.

The components

Build a comprehensive data warehouse solution

The main building block of the IBM Retail Business Intelligence Solution is IBM DB2 Universal Database™ Data Warehouse Enterprise Edition. This powerful business intelligence platform includes:

• DB2
• Federated data access
• Data partitioning
• Integrated OLAP support via cube views
• Advanced data mining
• Enhanced ETL
• Workload management

Other building blocks of the solution can include:

• IBM Global Business Services, including data warehouse implementation and retail industry consulting.
• IBM systems and IBM TotalStorage® platforms for IBM AIX®.
• Business Intelligence ETO offerings from IBM Business Partners such as Informatica and Ascential Software (IBM and Ascential have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire Ascential).
• Business Intelligence tools from Business Partners such as Business Objects, Cognos, MicroStrategy and others.
• Retail-oriented applications from Business Partners such as Unica, Evant, Profit Logic, Demandtec and others.

The solution can be rapidly extended to work with:

• IBM WebSphere® Portal Extend for Multiplatforms - quickly build scalable and reliable portals that integrate with backend systems.
• WebSphere MQ - easily exchange information across different platforms, integrating new and existing business applications.
• IBM Workplace™ role-based frameworks, including:
  • Workplace for Retail Store Operations—provides the ability to monitor business metrics, manage in-store tasks, deploy in-store promotions and perform self-service employee HR tasks.
  • Workplace for Retail Merchandise Management—helps you purchase the right products at the right time, based on market demand.
  • Workplace for Retail Advertising, Marketing and Promotions—helps you improve promotions and campaigns.

The implementation

Deploy a flexible, powerful architecture

The IBM Retail Business Intelligence Solution model is built on the IBM Information Framework structure for a flexible and powerful environment. Implementation includes:

• Retail Data Warehouse Model—the core of the retail information management solution.
• Retail Business Solution Templates—predefined structures for deep analysis in specific business areas.
• Retail Services Data Model—create a single source for defining business meaning across models and databases.

Our solution is accompanied by M1 Model Management Tooling, which helps you make changes to the data model and map systems into the data warehouse.

The cost of ownership

Benefit from open industry standards

The IBM Retail Business Intelligence Solution is based on open industry standards to help keep your total cost of ownership low. In addition, the solution is designed to:

• Lower overhead costs related to upkeep of multiple applications by integrating data across the enterprise.
• Simplify the infrastructure with fewer data marts to manage—and reduce data movement requirements and costs.
• Scale as your business expands, allowing you to respond to competitive and collaborative demands in the future without the expense of rebuilding your architecture.

Next steps

Questions about this solution? Contact an IBM retail specialist.