Any analyst knows that analytics is highly dependent on the access and amount of data available to them to do their jobs. Today, databases and data sources, both publicly available and with approved access are more abundant than ever and very relevant to the analyst.
So, what to do with all that data?
The key is data aggregation or the ability to access and query any and all relevant databases when necessary to retrieve data necessary for the investigation. The issue today is that, while the analyst has access to more data than before, this data is in a multiplicity of locations and the analyst needs to search each database separately, spending significant amounts of time collecting and preparing the data they need, before they can analyze it. Current estimates show that analysts spend between 60% and 80% percent of their time doing these tasks[i]. In conversations with our customers, we find that analysts spend roughly an hour per database conducting queries, data exporting, and importing that data into i2 Analyst’s Notebook. With an average of 5 to 6 databases per customer, that is a lot of time!
The Answer: Federated Search
A Federated Search capability can resolve all these issues by enabling the analyst to query multiple databases simultaneously. Simply put, Federated Search is the ability to access multiple databases, regardless of location or data format with one query and retrieve that data in a “normalized” form that is immediately ready for analytics. Imagine the increases in efficiency when an analyst can conduct one query of multiple databases instead of searching each one. The benefits of federated search are enormous to the analyst: they are more efficient; the quality of searches/queries and data are improved and they are able to more quickly and accurately locate the most current and relevant data.
That is why Blue Light built its Blue Fusion platform, the only federated search technology designed to improve the efficacy of the i2 Analyst through improved data collection. The technology can be integrated directly into Analyst’s Notebook as a plug-in or can serve as a connector to feed other i2 products such as iBase, EIA, and i2 Connect. No matter the form the analyst can conduct federated searches of any database through Blue Fusion connectors vastly improving their analytical capability.
See more at https://bluelightllc.com/products/blue-fusion/
[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2016/03/23/data-preparation-most-time-consuming-least-enjoyable-data-science-task-survey-says/#60137a266f63