Business Intelligence Tutorial, Data Warehouse guide

Chicago's DePaul University has introduced a graduate degree program in predictive analytics, a fast-growing technology used in fields such as marketing, health care and urban planning.

"Predictive analytical skills are in high demand" in all areas of business, said Suzanne Fogel, chairwoman of DePaul's department of marketing. Predictive analytics use data-mining techniques to build models that make predictions about future behavior. For example, organizations use predictive analytics tools to analyze customer churn and the impact of social media on consumer buying habits, Fogel said.

For many years, corporations have wrestled with the challenge of data management. Some of the brightest minds in business and technology have dedicated their careers to creating “a single version of the truth” or “a 360-degree view of the business.” There are a plethora of acronyms to describe this challenge -- BI, EDW, MDM, EIM, ECM, BPM, BSO, OLAP, ETL, ELT, etc. Although we are far from winning the war on data, the fortunate of the Fortune 1000 have at least recognized that information management is an important, strategic, and valuable  investment. Today, a new and fearsome challenge arises -- Microsoft PowerPivot, a feature found in Microsoft Excel 2010.