Group 1 Updates Data Integration Tool

Published: February 19, 2008

by Alex Woodie

Group 1 Software recently launched a new release of Sagent Data Flow, a product that provides extract, transform, and load (ETL) functionality, as well as some business intelligence features. With version 6.5, the Pitney-Bowes subsidiary has delivered a new graphical interface, in addition to other new features.

Sagent Data Flow is a suite of integration software that programmers and business analysts can use to access, integrate, and analyze data residing across a variety of applications, databases, or data file formats. The software is capable of performing tasks such as joining information from multiple data sources, transposing data sets, performing time-data manipulation or string manipulation, or performing lookups across all major databases and file types, i5/OS and mainframe systems, and major ERP systems.

At the center of the suite are the Data Load Server and Data Flow Servers, both of which are 64-bit enabled Windows applications, allowing them to utilize large amounts of memory in X64 servers. Surrounding these servers is a collection of Windows-based design tools, Web interfaces, job schedulers, and management consoles where analysts and programmers can work with the tool.

With version 6.5, Group 1 has overhauled the product's graphical interface with the addition of 35 new features. "The improved user interface simplifies the experience of working with the solution for even the most sporadic or novice business intelligence user," says Jay Bourland, Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software vice president and general manager of CDQ/CDI.

Bourland also highlighted the new 'linked subplans' feature in Data Flow version 6.5, which speeds development by enabling the reuse of pre-developed modules, and will appeal most to advanced developers.

Other notable enhancements include new automation features that allow the product to run in different environments without needing to permanently change any technical settings, and better documentation of changes to Data Flow plans, alleviating the burden from developers.

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