SAS and Google Partner on BI Search Capabilities

Just about everyone above the age of 5 knows how to "Google" -- but in most organizations, only a handful of power users know how to quickly locate data from high-tech business intelligence software.

That's all about to change. Beginning this summer, Google and SAS will offer mutual customers the familiar Google search interface to connect business users directly to the SAS® Enterprise Intelligence Platform. Users of all skill levels will be able to search SAS and get real-time information, including data, analyses and reports, directly in Google search results pages.

Easy access to vital information
In the same way that SAS has expanded access to business intelligence (BI) by creating targeted user interfaces for its software that match the skill levels of individual users, SAS and Google will provide joint customers who activate the new Google OneBox for Enterprise feature of the Google Search Appliance with a familiar, secure way to search for real-time information delivered by SAS BI software.

Google OneBox for Enterprise uses the same technology that provides information on stock tickers or weather information on Google.com. Anyone who can perform a Google search can easily find the information they need, when they need it.

In addition, the combination of the Google Search Appliance with the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform will give users more information than ordinary keyword searches can provide. SAS' contextually relevant search capabilities with Google not only explore metadata, but also look at the business views (SAS Information Maps) that have been defined by SAS clients.

This means that search results will include data, analyses and reports that contain common information pertaining to the search phrase, giving users a broader and more relevant view of the search topic. A typical keyword search would return only reports that contained the keyword in the title, missing other key information pertaining to query. This information, typically untapped, is critical in supporting business decisions.

How it works: the IT perspective
Once a search term or phrase is entered, triggers (defined by the client) point to the SAS Metadata Server, included with many SAS®9 offerings. In order to link together information based on underlying related data, SAS' contextually relevant search capabilities also search the business views/data structure determined by the client.

Users throughout an organization can easily view data, analyses and reports without involving IT to help locate and distribute the information -- and can access only information that they are already authorized to view.

How it works: the business perspective
Google OneBox for Enterprise, combined with SAS' contextually relevant search capabilities, delivers relevant search results for business users in the same way it does for any visitor to the Google Web site looking for information about local news, weather or restaurants.

For example, when a SAS customer types a phrase such as "fourth quarter 2005 sales" into a Google-powered intranet search engine, it will return a snapshot of relevant information including reports, data and analyses along with links to other results -- top-selling products, top salespersons or top 10 customers for that time period, for example - data that would not be available through traditional keyword searches.

All search results are filtered through existing enterprise security protocols, delivering intelligence tailored to each user's individual access rights.

A big step in the right direction
"Google is excited to work with SAS to deliver business intelligence information and help employees spot trends right from their Google search box," says Dave Girouard, Vice President and General Manager of Google Enterprise. "We're aiming to make enterprise search as comprehensive and useful as Web search, and our partnership with SAS is a big step forward in that direction."

"SAS is committed to delivering the best business intelligence in the industry by enabling organizations to get access to relevant information when they need it," says Keith Collins, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of SAS. "The combination of SAS' business intelligence and Google's search expertise allows customers to quickly access and understand critical information by exposing associated data, analysis and reports to even more business users, broadening the value and impact of business intelligence and helping companies improve their own enterprise BI strategies."

This is the first of many technology initiatives that SAS and Google will spearhead to help organizations eliminate information silos by sharing relevant knowledge across business units.

New technology will use the familiar Google search interface to provide quick, easy access to SAS business intelligence.