Olga Gorchinskaya: In the market of BI the upward tendency of requirements to the hardware is noticeable

Olga Gorchinskaya: The general trend of demand for BI solutions almost did not change - the demand of these solutions continues to grow, there is an evolutionary development of this direction and further formation of the market. The main BI-of the platform presented at the Russian market, have the developed and quite close functionality so there is a wave of implementations and mastering of the tools offered by vendors. At the same time, there is a significant progress in how potential customers imagine the modern system of the business analysis. Already very few people are limited to implementation of the procedural static reporting, both the interactive analytics and information deshborda passed from discharge of the innovative technologies into discharge of standard tools of the analysis. In recent years interest and in the so-called predictive analytics connected using mathematical and statistical techniques and tools for deeper data analysis increases.

One their last technology trends is use for data analysis of calculations in RAM or in-memory analytics. This technology is especially useful to those companies where there are already systems of the business analysis, in storages considerable amount of data is saved up, and for their processing more productive solutions are required. In essence, moving of calculations to RAM also is fight for performance. Suppliers propose different solutions in this area, from potential customers there is an interest though mass demand for the present only in the future.

TAdviser: Whether functional requirements and productivities of the modern BI systems changed?

Olga Gorchinskaya: If to consider the market of BI systems in Russia from the moment of its formation and till today, and these are more than ten years, then during this time they very much changed. Earlier lion share of implementations fell on creation of the systems of the procedural reporting issued on certain templates and conforming to the standards or requirements of the external organizations admitted to the companies. Now the companies use possibilities of the interactive analysis more and more widely. It means that contents began to prevail on a form: it is important to hand over not so much the report in time how many really to understand the current situation, to see problems, to understand the reasons of their emergence and to find effective solutions.

TAdviser: Whether you consider fair a statement that possibilities of the analytical systems in our country are still realized in an incomplete measure? What could serve as growth point?

Olga Gorchinskaya: This absolutely veracious statement, and not only I so consider, and most of the specialists concerning the business analysis. Moreover, the situation develops in such a way that offers of vendors regarding some innovation tools and solutions often advance readiness of customers these technologies to implement and use. Unfortunately, the lack of skills of work with tools of the business analysis and understanding of their advantage and utilitarian appointment can lead to the fact that even after system implementation its functionality can be used no more the for 10% of its potentialities, and not everyone will work with it, the it would be useful. And it is really big problem: technologies already exist, but for their promotion it is necessary to connect methodology, training. Nevertheless, there are also positive examples. In my practice there were implementations of BI where users not only showed big activity and interest, but also were perfectly prepared, well understood tasks, methods of the analysis and the main thing - were ready to use modern tools. Fortunately, such examples become more and more. I believe that in the next two-three years we will see big progress in this area.

TAdviser: Did you already mention one of problems at implementation of BI systems and what other difficulties when implementing similar projects, and what ways of their overcoming can be connected with?

Olga Gorchinskaya: Frankly speaking, if the project is implemented by the experienced company, then technology difficulties are not enough. If it is speculative to separate the BI project into two big stages – data preparation and direct implementation of analytical tools, then their considerable part is the share of the first stage. Well prepared data are the base which is the cornerstone of functioning of a BI system, and not seen for end users at all, but because not less important. In reality data in the organizations almost always are uncoordinated, contradictory, false, incomplete and to increase their quality – a big problem.

TAdviser: Whether new requirements to IT infrastructure create modern BI solutions? What should be approach to its upgrade?

Olga Gorchinskaya: Modern BI solutions impose certain requirements to infrastructure level which are defined, first of all, by features of a reference platform of implementation. In general the upward tendency of requirements to the hardware is noticeable today. In a product line Oracle to this problem effective solution is found: in the last two years the vendor released the whole class of the new hardware and software systems which are specially intended for data analysis where the equipment is already configured and configured optimum for the software working at it. Treat such solutions mentioned above Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine Oracle Exadata Database Machine Big Data Appliance.

TAdviser: Recently speak about analytics of Big Data much. How, in your opinion, will develop with respect thereto classical BI? Or two of these directions develop in parallel?

Olga Gorchinskaya: These technologies develop in parallel because solve absolutely different problems.

Techniques of work with data affirmed as classical BI long ago, and generally they are directed to such tasks as efficiency analysis of organization activity in the most different directions, assessment of key indicators, the plan fact the analysis.

In analytics of Big Data everything is perfect in a different way: it is such break in new information space of unstructured data (video, images, data of social networks) with which we did not work earlier. Here not only specific objectives of business dictate need of carrying out this or that analysis, and data force to look for the new ideas of their use for important business challenges. Technologies of the analysis here too others - more they not computing, as in the business analysis, and search, supporting an intuitive research of data, but not work with accurately certain indicators. All this led to formation of the separate analytical direction – data discovery. Despite a variety of opportunities of use of Big Data, in this area the standard tasks already began to form: for example, in a telecom and banks data analysis of social networks, blogs, Internet resources is used for forecasting and management of outflow of clients. In banks and financial institutions the analysis of various external information sources, identification of templates of a customer behavior allows to prevent fraud and to manage credit risks. A standard task for banks, a telecom and retail, - targeting of offers on the basis of the analysis of a customer behavior and its preferences.

TAdviser: Did you mention growth of interest in in-memory analytics, you could not tell about it in more detail? Whether the SWAGGER has projects where technologies of calculations are already involved in RAM?

Olga Gorchinskaya: Yes, we see growth of interest of customers in calculations in RAM though so far it on initial stage.

The strategic vendor with which the FORS - Oracle corporation works offers one of the most advanced solutions in the field of in-memory analytics - the hardware and software system Oracle Exalytics providing ultrahigh performance level of calculations.

In spite of the fact that performance of the applied analytical systems depends on their opportunities and features, in general its growth based on Exalytics is tens of times. In Exalytics different scenarios of in-memory-analytics are supported. – from simple placement in RAM of all data to difficult technologies which allow to define on the basis of statistics of real work of users what data are most demanded and to place them in RAM - thus, the intellectual technology saves computing resources. These opportunities are especially important for the interactive analysis and independent requests. At us in the company two machines Exalytics are purchased, we actively master these technologies and we offer customers and partners of service in testing of this complex for the existing and new applications.

For a number of the companies we already executed such testing, and the word "testing" in this case assumes very serious procedures: data migration of the customer on our platform, setup, load and computing tests.

In-memory technologies in relation to the business analysis in the future definitely will be more and more demanded. What will be more the companies where BI systems penetrate all structure, but not separate departments as it most often now happens, that requirements to performance of such systems will be higher.

TAdviser: Tell, please, in more detail about services which are offered by FORS in the field of analytics today.

Olga Gorchinskaya: The FORS is one of "pioneers" of a business intelligence in Russia, our command implemented the first projects 15-17 years ago, for example, the FORS was executed the Russia's first project with use of OLAP technologies. Within FORS there are three divisions which are engaged directly BI. The first of them, and the biggest on number, conducts project activities for development and deployment of the analytical systems on the Oracle Business Intelligence platform. The second division develops the EPM direction – planning and budgeting on the Oracle Hyperion platform. The third division is engaged in mastering and implementation of new technologies, implements research and demonstration projects for real customers, and it is very important for us too.

As for an industry section, the greatest number of implementations are the share of a public sector and banks. Recently we began to cooperate with telecommunication, transport companies and retailers actively. The list of the industries for projects on the analytical systems is not too wide as it is very difficult to implement BI systems without industrial examination, and here we prefer to move deep into.

TAdviser: Whether requirements of state structures and customers of the commercial sector differ?

Olga Gorchinskaya: Certainly, such distinctions are. In a public sector other tasks of a part of BI, there are more different restrictions on security, more time is spent on promotion of the project, in general everything occurs more slowly. Besides, a certain person driver in the organization without whom it is impossible to make anything at all is necessary.

In commercial structures, as a rule, tasks in the field of the business analysis are more standardized – it is in many respects connected with standardization business of processes, implementation of ERP and CRM systems. In this sector the extensive experience of use of the analytical systems is accumulated, general requirements, settings, solutions were created. Therefore it is quite logical to pass from development to implementation of the preconfigured analytical applications, such as financial analytics, analytics of a marketing activity, analysis of deliveries, etc. now. Vendors propose similar solutions, Oracle has one of the most complete lines of such applications. But here what interesting trend can be noted. In spite of the fact that ready analytical applications have obvious advantages – in them the best world practices of the business analysis in this or that area, the standardized technologies and the fulfilled methodologies are used that saves time and reduces risks, customers nevertheless prefer development "from scratch" for the requirements, but not full-scale implementation of ready-made solutions.

Of course, implementation of the ready application - rather difficult and labor-intensive process, but in the strategic plan it gives much more notable effect. Examples of the organizations where such approach is implemented, a little, but they are. From positive examples it is possible to call Vimm Bill Dunn company where for the ERP system ready analytical applications were implemented.

TAdviser: What other significant projects were implemented by FORS lately?

Olga Gorchinskaya: It is possible to mention the large project for Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation which was remembered by very vigorous and active position of an internal implementation team. Within this project, including, tools of predictive analytics were involved. The significant project goes in Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation where long time experimental work was carried out, and need of its further development appeared now. Among other examples in the field of a public sector - the data warehouse for Federal Service for Financial Monitoring of the Russian Federation, the business analysis in Department of housing and communal services of Moscow, very interesting and technology difficult project on creation of the data warehouse and the system of the business analysis in Agency for housing mortgage lending (AHML).

From commercial structures it is possible to select recently completed project in Rosevrobank where possibilities of an analytical system are used as much as possible, users are very well prepared and not only use the implemented opportunities, but also develop a system. From other large projects – development of data warehouses and the system of the business analysis in the companies "Kapital-Strakhovaniye" "Armadillo – Business sending" OAO "Medicine".