Technical issues can be perplexing! In this section we attempt to explain technical matters that have special interest in the WISL community.

Browser Based Data Mining

A great deal of developmental effort has been invested into the navigation of text in the internet environment. Browsers are loaded with capabilities to search through mountains of text to find the particular gem of data that a user desires. The deployment of hyperlinks by browsers provides the facility to drill down for greater detail. Additional navigation tools such as "back" and "next" buttons offer further capabilities for convenient perusal of text. Browsers provide the framework within which "surfing" has become a major recreational passtime.

Widespread familiarity with the browser environment begs adaptation to uses in business information systems, in particular the application of browser text surfing facilities to the analysis of data. A simple approach involves generating HTML documents in lieu of paper output. Such electronic files may be stored on a website or transmitted via e-mail to allow access by endusers through their desktop browsers. All of the "surfing" facilities of the browser may be utilized to view the reports and the user may employ the facilities of the desktop to replicate in hard copy only that portion required.

WISL eREP provides for the generation of an HTML document as one of the options for the printing of any report produced from any of WISL's information system products. It also allows specification of page titles and navigation hyperlinks at the time of report generation. The facilities of WISL eREP may also be accessed to provide the same capabilities to report generation from non-WISL systems that run in the UniVerse DBMS environment. A more detailed description and a PowerPoint demonstration of WISL eREP may be found at:

http://www.wisl.com/wislwebapps

A greater challenge to expolit the browser environment for information systems reporting is to develop an interactive facility wherein the user provides specifications and results are presented in real time. This approach requires the organization of the data  in a manner that will facilitate the desired reporting. In data mining lingo this process is often referred to as "building the cube".

The first step is to create a record each time that an activity occurs in normal operations which generates information that is desired to be analyzed. The accumulated file of records is periodically processed to create data items and index records in a format usuable for analysis in the browser environment and then these records are added to the "cube". An interactive routine written for the browser environment(WISL employs Perl and Java Scripts) is then utilized to access the cube to generate the desired results.

WISL Data Mining Products

WISL WebDSA(Division Shipment Analysis) provides analysis of shipment data by corporate division, an overview document, a PowerPoint demonstration may be accessed at:

http://www.wisl.com/wislwebapps/logistics.htm

WISL WebCPP(Customer Product Profile) provides analysis of product data by customer, an overview document and a PowerPoint demonstration may be accessed at:

http://www.wisl.com/wislwebapps/logistics.htm

WISL WebSSA(Store Sales Analysis) provides analysis of product data by store, an overview document and a PowerPoint demonstration may be accessed at:

http://www.wisl.com/wislwebapps/retail.htm