So Microsoft has announced they are jumping into the Dara Warehouse Appliance market by purchasing DATAllegro.

Over on Richard Hackathorns blog he ends with “So, is Netezza next to be acquired? …by Oracle?”

Well that would be interesting, that would leave Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and HP at the DW appliance forefront (although I see IBM’s offering as nothing more than a server with DB2 installed on it compared to appliances like HP’s Neoview)

That would leave SAP/BO out of the pack.  I think it would also put more pressure on HP to buy SAS, and I have posted before about why this is likely to happen.

The BI Consolidatin is getting broader and broader (although not faster and faster), as is conolidation in general.

We have seen Applications such as:

• Peoplesoft
• JD Edwards
• Great Plains
• Axpta
• Navision
• Siebel

BI Tools such as:

• Hyperion
• ProClarity
• Cognos
• Business Objects
• Applix
• Crystal

Application Servers:

• BEA
• Are there any others?

Data Integration and Data Quality such as:

• Dataflux
• Informatica

Activity Based Management, Budget and Planning, Consolidation, Scorecarding:

• ABC Technologies
• Armstrong Laing
• Adaytum
• Hyperion
• Outlooksoft
• Pilot Software

So DW appliances are happening now, I wonder what is next.

(as an aside I have always been surprised that database vendor consolidation never really happened, apart from Oracle buying RDB that is)

So my prediction ….

Well I hope it is the big vendors buying up Saas Web 2.0 products, so they can move into Software as  Service and Web 2.0 design led interfaces.

But more likely it will be hard core analytic’s with HP buying SAS and SAP buying SPSS.

After that it will be consolidation of companies near the top tier, rather than additional capability.  Past examples:

• Peoplesoft brought JD Edwards, Oracle brought Peoplesoft
• Cognos brought Applix, IBM Brought Cognos
• Business Objects brought First Logic, SAP brought BO
• and a few others I can’t remember

Now which shares to buy, if anybody has a SAS Enterprise Miner model on the effect on shareprice for the purchasor and purchasee flick it my way!