Oracle software aims to help businesses spot trends

The software maker Tuesday announced that it will soon offer new, pre-written software code that will make it simpler for businesses to use corporate data and build reports, such as quarterly sales figures by region or date, using data stored in Oracle's database management software.

The pre-built Java software code, called Oracle BI Beans, will allow companies to view reports, generate charts and graphics, and perform statistical analysis of data, such as comparing a month's worth of revenue to the yearly average, said Karen Foley, an Oracle marketing director.

Oracle and other software makers, such as IBM and BEA Systems, offer pre-written Java software code, or Java components, aimed at saving software developers time. Corporate software developers can attach the small Java components and assemble them together, making it faster to build applications.

Oracle previously released pre-built software code called Oracle Business Components that handles connections to databases.

Oracle BI Beans is part of a larger data analysis announcement by the database giant Tuesday. As previously reported, the company is building its data analysis tools into its forthcoming 9i database, software that collects and stores information.

With data analysis tools built into the next-generation database, companies can examine business information for patterns and trends, such as online buyers' preferences.

Oracle 9i is expected to ship in the first half of next year. Oracle BI Beans will be available next spring. No pricing was announced.