Business intelligence and analytics have become something of a corporate obsession in recent years, as the severe economic downturn of 2007-2009 forced companies to look for cheaper ways to maximize their competitive advantage and do as much as they could with limited resources. BI, analytics and data mining were at the top of that list; companies were already collecting massive amounts of data, so why not explore it to see what obvious opportunities they were missing?

    Business intelligence and analytics are becoming an important part of all enterprise applications — witness Oracle's ambitious plans to add BI to all its applications and IBM's massive investment in analytics.

    Not surprisingly, BI and analytics articles were some of the most-read topics on eCRM Guide this year, as there are few richer sources of data than customer relationship management systems. These were the most-read business intelligence articles on eCRM Guide this year:

Open Source R Language Could Revolutionize Business Intelligence
   Based on the response to this story, developers aren't the only ones interested in the potential of the R language to change business intelligence and analytics. One of the most-read stories on eCRM Guide this year.

 The Top Ten Trends in Business Intelligence
   We covered all the bases in this one — and there's a lot going on in this critical market.

Open Source Business Intelligence: What Are Your Options?
   Actuate isn't the only company making waves in open source business intelligence.

Is Apple's iPad Changing CRM and Business Intelligence?
   Apple's iPad is becoming something of a killer app in the CRM and business intelligence markets.

Nine Business Analytics Predictions for 2011
   One of the most interesting predictions in this article was that companies that collect data might actually benefit from stronger data privacy regulations.

   Mobile Business Intelligence: The Next Big Thing
   Mobile business intelligence could be one of the fastest-growing markets over the next couple of years. And yes, Apple's iPad figures in here too.

Google Takes an Interest in Analytics
   One of the most interesting revelations to come out of Mountain View this year was the news that Google and the CIA are both investing in the same data mining startup.

PMML Makes Predictive Analytics and Data Mining Easier
   Another article aimed at developers that found a wider audience, this one on the PMML analytics language.

Oracle Marries Business Intelligence with CRM, ERP in New Fusion Apps
   Oracle had a number of business intelligence announcements this year, including the release of BI 11g, but it was the company's ambitious plans to add business intelligence to all its apps that garnered the most reader interest.

Business Intelligence Vendors Wrestle with Mergers, the Cloud and Open Source
   The business intelligence market is changing dramatically — and it's still a long way from realizing its ultimate vision.

Is PowerPivot the Future of Microsoft Business Intelligence?
   Lastly, a late addition to the list from earlier this week: Microsoft is up to some interesting things in business intelligence and analytics.

                                                                                                 Source from InternetNews