Introduction
Modern technology can help people in many situations, even if they do not notice them. The program developed by Tristan Denley is one example as it uses the data mining approach to recommend courses to students and increase their academic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to learn this technology and such optimization basics as a data warehouse, database, business analytics, and business intelligence to understand modern business trends.
How does Tristan Denleys technology work?
The technology developed by Tristan Denley is not entirely unique and new because many business companies use a data mining system to attract customers. The case study mentions Amazon, Netflix, and eHarmony, but also one can recall dozens of other examples, such as Pandora, YouTube, or Apple music. All of these companies apply data mining technology, which uses information about the interests of the user to offer him or her similar recommendations. Denley’s program works on the same principle, but as a basis, it takes a student’s grades and SAT scores and selects ten recommended courses. Austin Peay State University is not the only one that uses it, since Nashville State Community College, Volunteer State Community College, and the University of Memphis got the opportunity to install it too (“Tennessee Colleges”). Thus, the technology that helps people choose a TV show on Netflix has become a beneficial discovery for higher education.
Principles of mining data by huge companies
As mentioned earlier, many business organizations use the data mining approach to attract customers, and these companies provide both services and goods. For example, Apple Music is one of the most popular services for downloading songs. This application is tied to a person’s account, so every time a user searches or buys music, the data is saved. Besides, the user can save favorite artists and styles in the application interface, or vice versa, mark any song as appropriate for him or her (“See Recommended Music on iPhone”). Then, the system uses received data and algorithms to make recommendations. Thus, a person who wants to download one song of the author can buy several albums at once, which he or she has not known about until he or she saw a recommendation. YouTube works on the same principle, which also recommends video based on the received data. However, the profit is not given by sales, although the service offers paid content, but by advertising, which is embedded in the video with a large number of views.
The jewelry company Pandora also offers recommendations, but they are based on other data. The client can see the “You may also like” section at the end of the web page under any product because the site uses data to show similar styles and designs (“Oak Leaf Earrings”). Jewelry from other categories that create a set can also be offered in this section; for example, earrings and necklace (“Oak Leaf Earrings”). The site also remembers the choice, and displays it on the next search in the form of recommendations and can also offer advertising on other sites if the user has not put protection against it. Therefore, a person who wanted to buy one ring could find another in the recommendations at a higher price or buy a set of jewelry, which significantly increases the company’s profit. Thus, data mining technology is useful for both service and manufacturing companies because it increases the interest of the buyer by creating value with the possibility of wide choice and convenient interface.
Business analytics or business intelligence?
All the functions of company websites have a similar internal structure and technologies. However, depending on the needs, a company can use one or several functions at the same time to optimize expenses, for example, data warehouse or database, business analytics or business intelligence. The difference between data warehouse and database is their primary purpose and method of processing information. A data warehouse is used to store large volumes of information, which allows a person to navigate, search historical data, analyze them quickly, and create reports (Saxena 74). For this purpose, the system usually uses Online Analytical Processing. The main purpose of the database is to store and record current transactions and provide quick access to them for performing current business processes by using online transaction processing (Saxena 74). Thus, the main difference between the two technologies is their purpose and functions.
Business analytics and business intelligence also have similarities as both technologies are used to analyze data, but they also have different purposes. Business analytics is designed to examine the past and present to run current business operations (Harvard Business Analytics Staff). Business intelligence is needed to analyze the past and make changes in activities to improve future productivity (Harvard Business Analytics Staff). Business intelligence is an origin need for effective data mining, and effective data mining causes creation business intelligence (Calderon et al. 1). Also, these processes apply different tools and work with varying amounts of data. Therefore, business analytics is used for current operations, and business intelligence’s purpose is to ensure the future development of the company.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the application of various technologies for collecting, optimizing, and using data allows business companies to forecast their development, make internal changes, and adapt to external factors. The collection and analysis of information help create value for customers, attract them, and make a profit. At the same time, the knowledge of internal technological processes helps students to notice their use in practice and understand the features of their work.
Works Cited
Calderon, Thomas G., et al. “How Large Corporations Use Data Mining to Create Value.” Management Accounting Quarterly, vol. 4 no.2, 2003, pp. 1-11.
Harvard Business Analytics Staff. “Business Intelligence vs. Business Analytics”. Harvard Business Analytics Program, 2018, Web.
“Oak Leaf Earrings”. Pandora, n.d. Web.
Saxena, Khusboo et al. Data Mining and Warehousing. BPB Publications, 2018.
“See Recommended Music on iPhone”. Apple. n.d., Web.
“Tennessee Colleges Using Tech Tools to Help Students Choose Courses, Majors”. The College System of Tennessee, n.d., Web.