Monday 10 September 2012

NOTE: True Self-Service BI With Futrix

Over the last couple of weeks I've featured a couple of 3rd-party SAS-related products (Metacoda security plug-ins and Phil Holland's Ebook/apps). I've said how much I support 3rd-party products. So, I couldn't let this unintentional mini-series end without including the Daddy of them all: Futrix.

Futrix's ability to let its users drill up, down, and across without being constrained by cube definitions or data hierarchies is one of the key attractions of this SAS-based Business Intelligence (BI) tool that has been around since 1997. The ease with which novice users can pick up and use Futrix belies other vendors' claims to ease-of-use. Futrix is ease-of-use personified.

But don't think that ease-of-use equals limited-in-ability. Aside from the ability to drill anywhere (including jumping from one table or cube to another whilst preserving your drill-level), Futrix allows dynamic grouping (for creating categorisations on the fly) and user-defined formulas. The information can be presented in a mixture of tables, charts and dashboards.

Beneath the user interface there's a sophisticated set of administrative tools that include a full security model and the ability to allow Futrix to dynamically tune cubes and its own aggregations.

Product development is rapid, and influenced by customer feedback.

Take a look at the web site, take-up the offer of a free trial demonstration, and take your SAS-based data to a whole new audience!