Business Intelligence: Finding Hidden Detail in Data Avalanche

Technology-savvy trucking companies are experienced at gathering all kinds of data — from fuel mileage to idle time to tire pressure — often with the aid of on-board computers and wireless communications. But what to do with those mounds of information once they are accumulated?

Making sense out of information is the job of “business intelligence,” a growing category of software functions. Until recently, BI may have been most closely associated with leading-edge industries such as online retailing, financial services and pharmaceuticals. As more companies do business over the Internet, however, BI can be expected to play an ever greater role in trucking.

Business intelligence software makes data "dimensional" – structured in what is sometimes called a data cube – to enable analysts, marketers, managers and executives alike to sift through mountains of material and glean otherwise hidden information. Aggregating data in various ways and viewing it from different angles may also reveal hidden trends and relationships. Those insights galvanize companies to promote efficiencies, cut costs and provide better service.

Such was the thrust behind a BI project now going on at Penske Logistics, part of the General Electric group of subsidiaries, with the implementation of a tool called WebIntelligence from Business Objects of San Jose, Calif.

For the full story, see the June 12 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.