Shortlist

SPSS Clementine 10
This workbench manages enterprise data-mining apps, automating processes in a secure, auditable environment. A new anomaly-detection algorithm streamlines analysis and scoring, uncovering unusual events that might be significant in fraud detection, revenue assurance, tax compliance and other applications. A new feature-selection capability identifies the most important data attributes for a given analysis, simplifying predictive modeling in customer relationship management and marketing applications. The upgrade also adds in-database caching and database write-back with indexing. SPSS www.spss.com/clementine

MatrixOne Library Central
As product development cycles get shorter, manufacturers must better manage and reuse global product data. Product lifecycle management (PLM) vendor MatrixOne says Library Central classifies and organizes data to accelerate development. The product's Enterprisewide Reuse Catalog lets development teams search a single application to find and compare reusable product content while tracking usage, royalties and contract obligations. A flexible taxonomy and hierarchy helps librarians classify product data without changing underlying database schema or modifying PLM systems. MatrixOne www.matrixone.com

Sterling Commerce Retail Solutions Suite
Sterling Commerce has introduced two products aimed at improving retail supply chain management. The Multi-Channel Store Operations packaged composite app handles inventory management in real time to improve inventory turns and reduce logistics costs. Sterling Commerce Item Synchronization offers data validation and cleansing to help retailers and partners keep global data in synch. Both are part of the Retail Solutions Suite, which combines Sterling's B2B communications network with Yantra supply chain execution. Sterling Commerce www.sterlingcommerce.com

Cognos 8 BI Data Modeler for IBM Lotus Domino
People have been querying and pulling data out of Domino for years using custom scripts, ETL processes and ODBC connections. IBM says Cognos is the first BI vendor to offer a metadata utility for the database. The Cognos 8 BI Data Modeler for Lotus Domino has a wizard-driven interface that lets users create indexed views to optimize performance, connect multiple sources and bringing real-time information to apps and reports. Users can select Notes data sources, tables and columns, and label and deploy them without making changes to existing apps. Cognos www.cognos.com

Host Analytics Host Budget
Performance management vendor Host Analytics has upgraded its Host Budget software to address two challenges. First, enhancements in the workforce management and project budgeting modules improve integration between the two, ensuring hiring plans reflect resource requirements and budgeted costs are reflected accurately. The upgrade lets you tap actual costs from the HR plan, and those plans will reflect "to be hired" headcount requirements. The second upgrade lets finance analyze budget models at a more granular level, enhancing top-down planning and the integration of bottom-up plans. Host Analytics www.hostanalytics.com