INFORMATICA INTRODUCES FIRST REAL-TIME ENTERPRISE DATA INTEGRATION PLATFORM
New PowerCenterRT software incorporates innovative “zero latency” engine to capture and process real-time data for improved business responsiveness
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 10, 2002 - Reinforcing its leadership and innovation in the enterprise data integration market, Informatica Corporation (NASDAQ: INFA) today debuted Informatica PowerCenterRT, the first enterprise data integration software platform that enables companies to combine real-time data generated by transactional systems and messaging infrastructure with historical 'time-slice' information stored in enterprise data warehouses. Captured in Operational Data Stores (ODS), the unique composite of real-time and historical information becomes the underlying infrastructure for powering analytic applications and fueling emerging corporate initiatives such as Business Activity Monitoring (BAM). PowerCenterRT is Informatica's response to growing customer demand for next-generation data integration software that can easily process data both in real time and in batch mode, enabling users to get business-relevant information at the right time and empowering them to more effectively monitor and manage business performance.
Paired with the real-time alerting capabilities of the Informatica Analytics Delivery Platform and the packaged business metrics in Informatica Applications, PowerCenterRT allows information consumers to receive critical information in real time as events occur in their transactional systems. This helps allow critical decisions to be made instantly.
“PowerCenterRT introduces the critical ability to handle data integration on an event-driven basis,” said Diaz Nesamoney, president and COO of Informatica. “Event-driven data integration can increase enterprise responsiveness by delivering real-time data that offers a unique perspective on business operations. Business intelligence tools and analytic applications are then supplied with mission-critical data that helps empower companies to more effectively control and manage their business performance.”
PowerCenterRT: Powering the Operational Data Store
Data warehouses are typically refreshed on a weekly or even daily basis, populated with aggregated, changed data in order to keep historical, trend-related information current. But increasingly, companies are realizing that day-old data, while acceptable for many applications, needs to be integrated with the rich transactional data that streams across enterprise applications and drives business operations. To accomplish this goal, enterprises are building and deploying a unique kind of data warehouse, called an Operational Data Store, as part of their transactional architecture.
An ODS is an information repository that combines event-oriented transactional data with context-rich historical data, removing the latency inherent in batch-processing and allowing enterprise users to analyze business information in context as events occur. To operate effectively, an ODS must house composite real-time and historical data. In addition, rich metadata management capabilities are crucial so that common definitions, such as those needed for a customer or product “master,” can be maintained and shared with the rest of the enterprise. Such an ODS can be used both to feed a real-time data warehouse as well as for operational reporting supporting BAM.
“Inserting real-time data into an operational data store or real-time data warehouse requires that the data be trickle-fed continuously from the source system,” said Guy Creese, research director at Aberdeen Group. “This type of loading goes against the grain of batch oriented ETL tools or data integration products. Informatica PowerCenterRT overcomes these typical limitations by opening a virtual 'pipeline of data' between the source system and the ODS.”
Key Features of Informatica PowerCenterRT
Informatica PowerCenterRT sets the technology bar for real-time data integration by delivering the following unique new features:
- ZL (Zero Latency) Engine. The workhorse of PowerCenterRT is a robust 'zero latency' data integration engine that provides immediate processing of trickle-feed data, allowing real-time data flows to be integrated with historical information stored in enterprise data warehouses. The ZL Engine within PowerCenterRT functions bi-directionally, capturing transactional data from EAI message queues as well as delivering information from a data warehouse or ODS through EAI queues to other enterprise applications and systems. Unique characteristics of the ZL Engine include its ability to support “always-on, always-listening” sessions, accept real-time feeds of transactional data, process data with zero latency, notify systems in real time and be “transaction aware” throughout the data integration flow.
- Message Detection and Delivery. Informatica PowerCenterRT seamlessly integrates with message queues, such as TIBCO Rendezvous or IBM MQSeries, for steady-stream read capability into a real-time ODS or data warehouse. Informatica's integration with message queues is bi-directional, allowing for continuous real-time receiving as well as publishing of data back into these message queues. Message detection is enabled by continuous listener features which detect messages as they come in and feed this data directly into an Informatica real-time ODS or data warehouse. In addition to full integration with message queues, Informatica supports IDOCs - a message format of SAP used for real-time propagation of data across applications - enabling continuous listening for IDOCs and integration of IDOC data into the Informatica real-time ODS or data warehouse.
- Broad Connectivity. Informatica provides business adaptors to strategic enterprise application software packages - including SAP R/3, PeopleSoft and Siebel. Informatica's Software Development Kit (SDK) program enables partners and customers to rapidly build and deploy their own custom connectors to any application that has a publicly accessible interface. The Informatica SDK simplifies the development of custom connectors by providing a standard framework for development that allows custom connectors to be configured and administered in the same framework as the Informatica PowerConnect product line.
“As AAA Carolinas moves to increase customer satisfaction through personalization, real-time functionality takes on vital importance,” said Kevin Smith, manager of CRM strategies, AAA Carolinas. “AAA Carolinas relies on the Informatica Data Integration Platform to add value to our 1.4 million members' auto, travel and insurance services. Informatica PowerCenterRT can help us speed accurate information through our members' preferred channel -- whether it be email, phone or a branch visit.”
Pricing and Availability
Informatica PowerCenterRT is an extension of the flagship Informatica PowerCenter data integration software, and includes additional features that pertain to the emerging opportunity for real-time data integration architectures. Pricing begins at $200,000. The product will be generally available in the third quarter of 2002.
Informatica Corporation (NASDAQ: INFA) is the leading provider of business analytics software that helps Global 2000 companies monitor and manage the performance of key business operations across the enterprise. Informatica's business analytics products span the entire “build to buy” spectrum, enabling customers to buy packaged analytic applications or build their own best-of-breed data warehousing solutions -- whichever approach best suits their requirements and resources. More than 1,500 customers worldwide are using Informatica's data integration software to build and manage data warehouses. And, more than 30 leading technology innovators, including Motorola, ConAgra, Brunswick, Brocade, Hewlett-Packard and GE, are using Informatica's packaged analytic applications to successfully monitor and optimize business performance. For more information, call 1.650.385.5000 (1.800.970.1179 in the U.S.), or visit the Informatica Web site
http://www.informatica.com/
