As the internet is used by companies to discern and target potential consumer trends, the desire to collect vast amounts of data has grown exponentially. Making sense and use of the data collected requires a system for collecting, storing and analyzing it.

If you’re old enough to remember, or have seen the original “Star Trek” series, you may recall that Captain Kirk and others could merely ask a computer a question, and the computer, after some blinking of lights and strange beeps, would deliver an answer either by voice or print-out. With Business Intelligence software, an employee at a desk with a computer merely needs to type in a query, and within a much shorter time and without the strange beeps, an answer is displayed.

Source: thestreet.com
Author: Terin Miller