Web Services Built Into PeopleSoft App UpdateWeb Services Built Into PeopleSoft App Update

PeopleSoft Inc. this week will debut a new release of its Enterprise Warehouse software with data-analysis capabilities for service-automation applications. Release 8.8 also will offer more business metrics and data-extraction tools, and the ability to use Web services to share analytical results.

Enterprise Warehouse is part of AppConnect, a suite of data, application, and portal-integration software the vendor unveiled at its user conference in August. Enterprise Warehouse includes models for analyzing data from financial, supply-chain management, workforce, and CRM apps. The new release adds data models for analyzing information from PeopleSoft's Enterprise Service Automation app for administering large-scale service projects.

PeopleSoft has a straightforward, coherent strategy with its data warehouse software, IDC analyst Dan Vesset says. "Whenever they come out with new analytical-app modules, it's very easy to add them on," he says. PeopleSoft has an edge over rivals SAP and Oracle in app-specific data warehouses, Vesset says.

The new release can import data from a wider variety of sources with 1,700 data-extraction "maps"--up from 1,100 in the previous release--for pulling data from legacy systems and apps from other vendors and loading it into Enterprise Warehouse. Release 8.8 also has 1,200 business-performance metrics, up from around 1,000 in the earlier version.

A new interface makes it easier to manage and maintain a warehouse based on the PeopleSoft software. And the results of data analysis can now be published to any application that supports Web services.

Enterprise Warehouse is due out this month. Pricing is based on a customer's revenue and other criteria.