PHOENIX, Nov. 12, 2009 -- Growing market demand for business intelligence software and consulting expertise is driving the need for greater collaboration in research and curriculum development between academia and industry. Now, the two groups are coming together in a first-of-its-kind Business Intelligence Congress with the goal of establishing a new top-ten list of joint industry and academic priorities in business intelligence and how to best prepare the next generation of students to meet the future needs of the industry. They will meet December 14 and 15 in Phoenix.

"This kind of collaboration is essential to aligning what is taught to the next generation of business analysts and what skills and knowledge the business community lacks and needs," said Teradata Chief Development Officer Scott Gnau.

The Congress will explore ways academic contributors can provide rigorous theory-based methods and design sciences to advance the field of business intelligence, while their industry counterparts can help steer academic research towards the most significant challenges. In addition, the educators will share best practices in teaching the subject to undergraduate and graduate students while industry representatives will provide input on the commercial needs for the next generation of analysts.

"Academics want real business intelligence research problems to work on, and they want to teach what matters using enterprise-class, authentic software," said Michael Goul, professor and chair of the Department of Information Systems, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. Goul is also the executive director of Teradata University Network, a free web-based portal for faculty and undergraduate and graduate students in data warehousing, business intelligence, decision support, and database. "Industry knows the intellectual bottlenecks to value-adding business intelligence deployment, and they know the skills and knowledge a new hire needs to bring to the table. It is high time to bring these stakeholders together to forge a united front. Originating a ’Call to a Congress’ was exactly the catalyst required."

Keynote speakers include Gnau, Tom Davenport, the well-known researcher and author of the book, Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning, and Hugh Watson, management information system professor at the University of Georgia and one of the founders of the Teradata University Network. Professor Watson’s research in executive information systems and data warehousing has set the stage for business intelligence as it exists today. Attending the Congress will be invited industry-leading practitioners, members of the Teradata University Network and members of the Association for Information Systems, particularly those who are part of the Special Interest Group on Decision Support, Knowledge and Data Management Systems (SIGDSS).

In preparation for the December assembly, the Teradata University Network executive board is conducting an international survey of current educational practices and academic research in business intelligence. The survey results will be presented at the Congress and made publicly available.

Earlier this year, research firm IDC forecast 3.45 percent growth for the $23 billion market for business intelligence software in 2009, and two percent growth in the $45 billion business intelligence consulting business, as reported by Business Week in April.

The event is co-chaired by Uday Kulkarni, SIGDSS program chair, and Goul. The 2009 Business Intelligence Congress will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.

About AIS

The Association for Information Systems (AIS) is the premier global organization for academics specializing in information systems. Founded in 1994, AIS is an international professional society of 4,000 members from 90 countries and a key player in the advancement of the IS academic community. The AIS Mission is to advance knowledge in the use of information technology to improve organizational performance and individual quality of work life. SIG DSS is a forum for AIS members to discuss, develop, and promote issues, ideas and research related to using Information Technologies to support decision-makers and improve decision processes in businesses and organizations.

About Teradata University Network

Teradata University Network is a free web-based portal for faculty and undergraduate and graduate students in data warehousing, business intelligence/decision support, and database. Led by academics, Teradata University Network currently has nearly 2,000 registered faculty members from over 1000 universities in 75 countries, and thousands of student users.

About Teradata

Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world’s largest company solely focused on raising intelligence through data warehousing, data warehouse appliances, consulting services and enterprise analytics. Teradata is in more than 60 countries and on the web at www.teradata.com

Teradata is a trademark or registered trademark of Teradata Corporation in the United States and other countries.

SOURCE Teradata Corporation