SAP has launched an "iTunes for business analytics", a
BusinessObjects-based reporting tool that the firm boasts is "so
easy that even a CEO can use it".
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, which stems from the company's
2007 purchase of BusinessObjects combines an in-memory database, a
custom-built search engine and a user interface that SAP is
pitching as being similar to the interface of Apple's iTunes
software.
The new offering is intended to enable business people to gain
access to analytical insights in real time and on the hoof. "This
is not just some reporting tool," said SAP CEO Leo Apotheker. "This
will fundamentally change the way that decisions are made in the
real world. Imagine executives being in the situation where they
can test hunches in a few clicks, as easy as doing a search on the
Web. We can cross the chasm from 'I think this is a good decision'
to 'I know this is a good decision'."
The attempt to piggy-back on the iTunes angle reflects
Apotheker's thesis that the arrival of what he calls "the digital
generation" in the workplace demands a new approach to enterprise
software overall. "The new generation expects enterprise software
to be fun," he said. "They want to consume enterprise software like
they consumer other tools on the internet. To use the hip
expression, that is cool!"
The other demand on the shape of enterprise software will be the
need for mobilisation and the ability to access and share business
data anywhere and any time. "How many business decisions will be
made in airport lounges?" asked Apotheker. "We are moving away from
the IT enabled organisation towards the digital enterprise."
