Follow The Analytical PathFollow The Analytical Path

Spotfire Inc. continues its push into the business-intelligence mainstream with an upgrade to its DecisionSite analytical and visualization software. But some of the functions of DecisionSite 7.2 remain geared toward advanced users.

The software's new Analysis Builder tool guides users through the process of building an analytical application and specifying the data sources the app will tap. The software also records the steps taken while conducting the analysis, reducing the time needed to re-create the analysis for other users.

While Spotfire has competed against SAS Institute Inc. in scientific areas such as drug discovery, it will compete more directly with Business Objects, Cognos, and Informatica, which also offer guided analysis capabilities.

Spotfire's software for assembling analytical applications offers more flexibility than rivals' analytical apps for tasks such as sales analysis, Forrester Research analyst Nate Root says. "It gives power users a lot more credit for mental horsepower than other business-intelligence tools," he says.

Information links built into DecisionSite 7.2 make it easier to access data in databases, Excel and text files, and XML data sources. The software will be available in mid-June for $25,000 to $50,000.