Wal-Mart is a major retailer and relies on extensive databases to help with the management control of the everyday business operations. Wal-Mart utilize a number of databases due to the vast amount of data which needs to be managed, one of the main areas of information management is the inventory management system. Wal-Mart gained as a competitor with its up-to date inventory management system, being the first retailer to computerized inventory management and develop an integrated system (EDI) which places orders directly with the suppliers when stocks reached a certain level. This is a strategy which has been emulated by many retailers, and inventory management is an important aspect of ongoing operations. In order to manage this Wal-Mart utilize an Oracle Database, the databases one which meets the needs of Wal-Mart blast operations and the development of new technology with the latest version of Oracle® Ware house Management software being compatible with the radio frequency in its inventory management.
2. Who is responsible for the database? How do managers get reports? What types of reports?
Rollin Ford is the CIO of Wal-Mart; He would be responsible for the databases. The way that the database is used is key to the operating efficiency within the company. The company uses an Oracle database with a networked infrastructure supplied by Cisco. The oracle database which is fully scalable and can cope with the large size operations dealt with by Wal-Mart and literally hundreds of suppliers and thousands of products is a relational database which can be queried in a number of ways in order to provide information for different types of reports. The system is inter linked with Wal-Mart own database developed in the 1990’s. Additional ways for data base administrators to get reports are the use of the RFID or Radio frequency identification system. This system tracks inventory levels. Headquarters is enabled to conduct much deeper analysis of trends across all data and identify trends. This is system is similar to bar codes, but it’s much more efficient.
3. Is OLAP used? Is a data warehouse used? Are data marts used? Explain.
OLAP in conjunction with data warehouse database is used for analytical reporting both historical and current data. OLAP is used for data warehouse database in Wal-Mart databases to analytical reporting for different stores and locations of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart uses data mart for building data warehouse for faster analytical reporting of the data. Wal-Mart uses different type’s reports for inventory control, Sales analysis, consumer analysis, trends items analysis and trends etc.
4. What types of data mining is used? Who is responsible? What software?
Wal-Mart uses predictive data mining techniques for its data ware houses database. In predictive data mining is used for different types of predictions of customer’s trends for managing its inventory and sales. Wal-Mart’s IT division managed by CIO Rollin Ford is responsible for data mining and data ware house. Wal-Mart has deployed NeoVista’s Decision Series(TM) suite of integrated data mining software into its legendary replenishment and decision support environment.
What are some hardware categories used in (or sold by) your company? What brands of computer? What types of computers?
As hardware categories Wal-Mart sell notebook, Desktops, camera, entertainment game such as Wii, X-box. Wal-Wart sells Dell, HP, and Sony Vio. Wal-Mart has Personal Computers and Laptop in store which is cheap compare to other retailers.
Who is responsible for the hardware and software?
Rollin Ford (CIO),his team and Database administrators are responsible for software and hardware.
What types of system software is used (sold)? Is Linux used?
Wal-Mart use Windows as their system software. Linux never used by Wal-Mart.
What types of application software is used (sold)? What brands?
Wal-Mart redesigns Walmart.com and starts using Web 2.0 and social networking tools. They have contracts with Oracle and Hewlett-Packard to use their price-optimization and Business Intelligence retail applications.
SAS GIVES YOU " THE POWER TO KNOW "
Summary of the Article
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Wal-Mart uses their products and solutions software to gain Business Intelligence. They also provide business intelligence to a variety of customers, in hopes of obtaining more customers.
Business Intelligence is collective information about your customers, your competitors, your business partners, your competitive environment, and your own internal operations that gives you the ability to make effective, important and often strategic business decisions.
A very interesting fact about BI is, because of lack of information, processes, and tools, through 2012, more than 35 percent of the top 5,000 global companies will regularly fail to make insightful decisions about significant changes in their business and markets.
One of the things this article points out is business intelligence software is becoming more mainstream, free open-source alternatives to some of the company’s products are increasingly popular. On the other end of the spectrum, the heavyweights of the software industry — Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and, especially, I.B.M. — are plunging in and investing billions of dollars.
A free programming language and set of software tools for statistical computing, called R, has become increasingly popular at universities and labs. The company shifted course earlier this year and modified its software so programs written with R work seamlessly with SAS technology. This will help them leap into cloud computing.
Cloud computing is Software as a Service. Software as a Service delivers an application or group of applications to multiple users while being hosted on a remote machine and run through a browser. Cloud Computing is the most sweeping change is the company’s move toward the Internet model of software delivery — as a service that customers tap into over the Web, much as Google and other Internet companies do. SAS has dipped its toe in, with some initial products. But a major expansion is planned, supported by a sprawling $70 million data center scheduled to begin operating next year.
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