From November 2007

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Logical data model
PivotLink veers from labor intensive, conventional BI processes that require significant professional services involvement, says SeaTab marketing vice president Aaron Burnett.

“Instead of creating physical data structures, we create what’s called a logical data model,” which he describes as being “the rules for the road of interacting with the information.” PivotLink creates a host of foundational reports, “sort of jumping off places for end users of our BI solutions,” he says.

PivotLink deployment generally costs $100,000 to $250,000, with an average launch time of 30 days, Burnett says.

Each PivotLink end user can create its own specific analytical outcome and generate custom reports, calculations, scorecards and dashboards without the guidance of technical staff. “Retailers need end-user access and control and flexibility that aren’t provided by conventional BI solutions,” Burnett says. “You need operational flexibility as well. If their business operation changes, they need the ability to integrate that data into their BI application that isn’t punitive.”

The key to effective use of BI tools, he says, is having the opportunity to “drill down to the transaction level, rather than being restricted to category or vendor.” REI is novel in its use of the technology, Burnett says, because it looks beyond specific merchandising information – how well a category sells, or how a vendor’s product performs within a category – and overlays all sales information with store layout data.

“You know not only what sold and in what quantity and over what period of time,” he says, but also “where that product was placed on the floor in your store. That creates very actionable information if you are looking at market-basket analysis, for instance, and you want to determine how product placement on your store impacts what people buy and in what combinations.”

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