In the November and December 1999 issues of BIA, which focused on enterprise information portals (EIPs), I briefly discussed how medical and surgical supplies distributor Owens & Minor had extended its data warehouse via an extranet to provide its partners with Web access to its dat

Informatica has announced a new line of analytical applications based on its data warehouse extraction, transformation, loading (ETL), and repository technology (PowerMart, PowerCenter, etc.) and the analytical products acquired when it bought Influence Software in December 1999.

Supply chain management (SCM) is a hot topic. While stories of exploding retail sales over the Internet have dominated the news, it is becoming clear that the real action is not in selling books, music, or toys to consumers. Business-to-consumer sales are just the tip of the iceberg.

Supply chain management (SCM) is a hot topic. While stories of exploding retail sales over the Internet have dominated the news, it is becoming clear that the real action is not in selling books, music, or toys to consumers. Business-to-consumer sales are just the tip of the iceberg.

Supply chain management (SCM) is a hot topic. While stories of exploding retail sales over the Internet have dominated the news, it is becoming clear that the real action is not in selling books, music, or toys to consumers. Business-to-consumer sales are just the tip of the iceberg.

"Castles, gardens, gold, and jewels Contentment signify, for fools Like Princess Nell, but those Who cultivate their wit Like King Coyote and his crows Compile their power bit by bit And hide it places no one knows."

"Castles, gardens, gold, and jewels Contentment signify, for fools Like Princess Nell, but those Who cultivate their wit Like King Coyote and his crows Compile their power bit by bit And hide it places no one knows."

"Castles, gardens, gold, and jewels Contentment signify, for fools Like Princess Nell, but those Who cultivate their wit Like King Coyote and his crows Compile their power bit by bit And hide it places no one knows."

"Castles, gardens, gold, and jewels Contentment signify, for fools Like Princess Nell, but those Who cultivate their wit Like King Coyote and his crows Compile their power bit by bit And hide it places no one knows."

The role of metrics in driving business success has been discussed at length, but what happens when the company shifts into overdrive and begins moving at Internet speed? What happens to the business when the information highway takes an unexpected turn and uncertainty becomes more evident with every curve? In our rapidly changing world, familiar instruments are challenged to measure things beyond their range.

Frustration, challenge, and opportunity -- all three words aptly describe the role of the enterprise's IT department in any supply chain management (SCM) endeavor. As companies seek ways to cut operating costs and become more competitive, the impact of an effective IT strategy in supply chain management becomes increasingly critical.

Frustration, challenge, and opportunity -- all three words aptly describe the role of the enterprise's IT department in any supply chain management (SCM) endeavor. As companies seek ways to cut operating costs and become more competitive, the impact of an effective IT strategy in supply chain management becomes increasingly critical.

Frustration, challenge, and opportunity -- all three words aptly describe the role of the enterprise's IT department in any supply chain management (SCM) endeavor. As companies seek ways to cut operating costs and become more competitive, the impact of an effective IT strategy in supply chain management becomes increasingly critical.

© 2000 by TSG, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2000 by TSG, Inc. All rights reserved.

As we cast a glance at the hoards of Internet start-ups filled with 26-year-olds queuing at the doors of venture capital firms, we might wonder if past experience has any value in these crazy times, especially if gained in the prehistoric days of computing (pre-Web). Perhaps, as in Logan's Run, we should all face the fact that at 30 we're past it, and enter "carousel" (the strange floating phenomena where all the "old" people get zapped).

Gates, Bill. Business @ the Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System. Warner Books, 1999.

On the desk in my office sits an entirely self-contained, enclosed, living ecosystem.

On the desk in my office sits an entirely self-contained, enclosed, living ecosystem.