'Based on a number of highly visible implementations and cases, the central driver of IT-enabled business performance in 2006 will be advanced analytics in an integrated information environment. We expect to see many more companies migrate to an enterprise data warehouse (EDW), which demonstrably provides uniquely correct and detailed answers to any question, any time, anywhere'.

This is the claim made by Scott Gnau and Ron Swift of Teradata, writing in DMReview. They argue that business intelligence based on advanced analytics will form the basis of competitive strategy for a growing number of companies. Supplying this intelligence will come to form the most important value add from IT. If this turns out to be so, then there are interesting implications for all those involved in ERP.

'The growth that the enterprise resource planning (ERP) world has experienced is over. ERP vendors will buy applications to fill those gaps in their capability roadmaps and look to consolidation. Yet this will only lead to further maturity in ERP'. Underlying this shift is a move towards competing on the basis of superior business processes. In other words, there is a direct link between an insistence on better analytics and BPM, Business Process Management.

For Scott Gnau and Ron Swift's analysis in full, follow the link here .

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