Blogging about all things SAS

So IBM is buying SPSS to give it analytics capability and to allow it to better compete with Oracle and Microsoft.

Although I have never thought of Oracle or SAP providing true Analtytical capability, so I would say this gives IBM a one up.

Although Although, Oracle brought Thinking Machines ages ago which had a credible Data Mining capability/tool but then swallowed them up and delivered nothing that customers really used (well not in NZ anyway)

So will IBM leverage SPSS to provide a compelling message or lose it in its already massive product stack?

Also SAP/BO and SPSS were already partnering and playing nicely, so is this a first foray into the rumoured IBM buyout of SAP?

And as always where does this leave SAS, HP and Teradata?

So many questions and only time well tell I suppose.

But one thing that is a fact is the big boys are getting bigger, and there are fewer companies out on their own.

I am trying to remember the days of Mainframe Accounting Systems (McCormack & Dodge, CA Mastermind etc) and see if there is a parallel, but that was more death by new entrant (SAP, Peoplesoft, Oracle Apps etc)

So can you remember a time where massive vendor consolidation happened and the companies left out survived, let me know if you can.

Ps, I am undecided if I will add Sybase to my SAS/HP/Teradata mix as I cant see how they can survive in the BI market (Sybase IQ etc) but then they still have a credible Relational Database.

So my theory that Sun was going to merge with HP or SAP is shot now that Oracle have brought them (ok how about a shotgun marriage then

Then I noticed this blog SAP and Teradata Punch Back at Oracle announcing Teradata and SAP working closer together.

So will SAP buy Teradata?

And where does this leave SAS?

Are we moving towards 3 mega companies that provide Hardware, Software, and Services?

Does that mean Microsoft will need to buy Dell for hardware, and a somebody else for services.

What about HP (EDS) merging with Microsoft? It would give Microsoft Hardware and Services to add to their Opertaing Systems, Data base and BI tools. Which product would win out NeoView or Sql Server?

So many questions so few answers.

(well at least I can answer the NeoView vs Sql Server one

Following on from developing our MediaWiki plugin that dynamically exposes SAS Metadata within the Wiki, I have been researching whether we should build a Microsoft Sharepoint Web Part to enable customers to stream SAS Metadata dynamically within Sharepoint.

I came across this paper “Paper 390-2009: Henderson, David; Alexandre, Sean - Integrating SAS® Business Intelligence with Microsoft SharePoint” from SAS Forum 2009, that outlines how SAS provides integrations/web parts for BI Dashboards and Stored processes already.

Cool!

Well I have been saying that SAP, HP, SAS or Teradata have to merge for a while now, or they will get a hiding from the big boys of Oracle, IBM and Microsoft.

HP have brought EDS, they are still flogging Neoview and I am dropping them off my list of merger candidates for 2009.

So that leaves SAP/SAS/Teradata.

SAP have a partnership with SPSS, via BO so it would make sense for them to purchase SPSS to give them the embedded analytics pedegree they need.

SAS and Teradata are playing very nicely at the moment, given Teradata;s new inDB oferring with SAS. (There is talkof an Oracle version of this arriving soon, wonder how that will effect the relationship)

Oracle brought Thinking Machines (an analytical/data mining company) ages ago so they won’t be looking to buy SAS (but then who would think the would buy JDE, Peoplesoft and Siebel).

So a prediction for 2009, SAP will buy Teradata and then form a partnership with SAS, which will enable them to buy SAS in 2010/2011.

I posted earlier about a blog outlining presentations from a series of BI vendors.

One of the interesting posts was titled “IAP: Business Objects, an SAP company, but why SAP?” (right near the bottom), which mentions that Business Objects has an OEM agreement with SAS to provide analytics capability. I believe that is a typo and BO have actually partnered with SPSS.

The interesting thing is whether this is a first move before SAP purchases SPSS. It would certainly round out their BI stable and make them a credible end-to-end player.

Will be an interesting partnership to watch.

(0r was this an intentional typo and SAP is actually going to buy SAS? That would reduce a lot of mistakes in company recognition given the similarity in names