tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23449272.post7721563865952662867..comments2023-10-28T00:57:50.895-07:00Comments on Business Intelligence for Business People: Don't live in the past, predict the futureUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23449272.post-16191704801206761082009-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:002009-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:00Jim, good point. Would I be right in assuming that...Jim, good point. Would I be right in assuming that since you're from Oracle, you are talking about Decisioneering's (now Oracle's) <A HREF="http://www.oracle.com/appserver/business-intelligence/crystalball/index.html" REL="nofollow">Crystal Ball product</A>? From what I read, it's an Excel add-on with business rules under the covers for forecasting and "uncertainty management".<BR/><BR/>How would you compare this to other forecasting and planning products?<BR/><BR/>TomTom Hudockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11917518437792605456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23449272.post-71335852536647874982009-02-10T12:46:00.000-08:002009-02-10T12:46:00.000-08:00This is a good description of what I call 'Quantit...This is a good description of what I call 'Quantitative Predictive Analytics'. When quality data is available, then this approach works. But what if the data does not exist? or is expensive or hard to get? <BR/><BR/>That's where Crystal Ball comes in. A good example is a new product launch. Because it is new, there is no data for product quality or the elasticity of demand. With Crystal Ball, you can optimize your decision, given the data you do have and the uncertainties that you face.<BR/><BR/>Qualitative Predictive Analytics is more the art rather than the science of PA. It puts more weight on the business logic that connect past data to future outcomes than on the data itself. I like to say, "Let the data guide you, not rule you". Sometimes the computer can make the decision, but more often than not a human will be making the decision.<BR/><BR/>Jim Franklin<BR/><BR/>Note: I am an Oracle employee and these opinions reflect my thinking and are not Oracle policy.Jim Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872172061815486328noreply@blogger.com