Cognos serves up full slate of analytical applications for JD Edwards WorldSoftware

Leading business intelligence company, Cognos, has announced that it has delivered the industry`s most comprehensive breadth of enterprise analytical applications for JD EdwardsWorldSoftware. Cognos e-Applications for JD Edwards WorldSoftware provide an enterprise-wide, out-of-the-box business performance measurement (BPM) solution for the thousands of JD Edwards` WorldSoftware customers worldwide.

The new e-Applications include analyses of General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Procurement. These applications, combined with previously announced Sales Analysis and Inventory Analysis, form a powerful and fully-integrated suite of BPM analytical applications for JD Edwards WorldSoftware.

Cognos e-Applications are designed to help managers and executives optimise business performance across the enterprise while decreasing costs and time to result, explains Peter Gerson, MD of Cognos SA. "Within each e-Application, Cognos provides extensive understanding and analysis of the business processes and answers to hundreds of critical business questions," he says. "The full breadth of these analytical applications comprises 30 areas of business analysis-answering more than 650 business questions using over 500 business metrics and key performance indicators."

Gerson points out that the market for analytical applications is red-hot. According to International Data Corporation, worldwide revenue in this market space is expected to accelerate at a compound annual growth rate of 28 percent, from $2 billion in 1999 to more than $6 billion in 2004.

"Cognos was one of the first business intelligence suppliers to recognise the emerging opportunity in the analytical applications market," says Bob Moran, research vice president and managing director, Decision Support Research, Aberdeen Group. "With its deep understanding of business best practices and the use of data dimensions, Cognos has built into its applications the ability for business intelligence to become intimate with business processes across an organisation`s key functional areas. With this announcement, Cognos has once again solidified its position as a true leader in the packaged analytical applications marketspace."

Laporte Water Technologies, the international specialty chemicals company, already uses the Cognos Sales Analysis e-Application for JD Edwards WorldSoftware to analyse mission-critical business factors such as customer and product profitability. Using the Cognos solution, Laporte has cut its report production times from two weeks to less than two hours. The company plans to deploy additional e-Applications into areas such as inventory and finance in the coming months.

"The Sales Analysis e-Application has helped us quickly and easily identify opportunities to increase profitability by restructuring product offerings and adjusting sales force compensation. It was a cash neutral investment in year zero," says Keith Lewis, vice president of business development with Laporte Water Technologies. "We expect the new e-Applications will significantly strengthen the management system in other critical areas across our business."

These e-Applications build on the strength of Cognos` market-leading business intelligence software by providing fast, actionable answers to hundreds of critical business questions. For example, using Cognos Accounts Payable Analysis, customers can quickly and easily get answers to questions regarding how many invoices were submitted per vendor, per period, what the average cost of a delayed payment is and how has that changed over time and how much time is taken between receiving the invoice and sending the purchase order.

"The sights of global businesses are now set squarely on the need to achieve greater operational effectiveness, sooner, in an increasingly challenging business environment. For this reason, companies like Laporte, are looking to analytical applications to help them meet their business objectives," says Alan Rottenberg, Cognos senior vice president, e-Business Intelligence Applications Unit. "Cognos e-Applications for JD Edwards WorldSoftware provide companies with the industry`s most complete suite of BPM analytical applications."

Availability Cognos Sales Analysis, Inventory Analysis, General Ledger Analysis and Accounts Receivable Analysis for JD Edwards WorldSoftware are now generally available. Cognos Accounts Payable Analysis for JD Edwards WorldSoftware will be available within 90 days and Cognos Procurement Analysis for JD Edwards WorldSoftware will be available in 120 days.