For example, Rich Pedott, vice president of sourcing, planning and allocation at Eastern Mountain Sports Inc. in Peterborough, N.H., said his company is testing a new system that promises to let customers access BI data from a dashboard.

"[The dashboard] provides you a very cheap way to do collaboration," Pedott said. "You are no longer requiring your supplier or your vendor community to make an investment in something like EDI. You can send them a [customized] dashboard that is relevant just to them. [Then] they can get insights and help drive your business."

Pedott, a conference attendee, declined to provide more details about the project, contending that it provides a competitive advantage in the retail industry.

IBI last week announced that it has integrated its WebFocus BI tools with subsidiary iWay Software Inc.'s middleware. That will allow users to embed analytics into user business processes using Web services, IBI officials said.

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