Friday, November 21, 2008

Business.com Releases Open Source Query Tool

Santa Monica-based business search engine and directory firm Business.com said Friday that it has launched a new, open source software application focused on data warehousing. The unusual move--Business.com is best known for its aggregated business search listings and information, rather than software--makes technology internally developed for the firm available to any developer. According to Business.com, the new software--"CloudBase"--is a spinout of technology developed for the firm internally for web log analysis. The firm said that the tool can be used by business analysts to query large-scale log files from web sites, telecommunications, or IT applications using SQL queries, without requiring use of a relational database. The software is available for free from the Sourceforge.net web site, where it has been posted since October. In a statement, Paul Dagum, Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer at R.H. Donnelley Interactive (the parent firm of Business.com), explained the release of the software would "demonstrate both our leadership in the online space and our overall focus on helping businesses quickly find solutions to their most pressing challenges."