On-line retailer giant replaces hand-coding and enhances Teradata environment with high-performance data integration

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Syncsort, a global leader in high-performance data processing, data integration and data protection and recovery software, today announced that Overstock.com® (Nasdaq: OSTK) has selected Syncsort DMExpress to extract, transform and load data from its clickstream platform to a Teradata enterprise data warehouse. The solution proves easy to deploy and maintain, is scalable to Overstock.com's current environment, and is faster and more efficient than hand-coding in supporting actionable analytics.

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Overstock.com is a leading on-line retailer of high-quality, low-cost goods. Without a brick and mortar presence, the company relies on quickly making 30 GB of daily clickstream data available for analysis by brand and category managers. This analysis supports strategies for marketing spend, offerings, pricing, and campaigns aimed at increasing website traffic. The process previously involved using lengthy, complex, custom coding to move data from the web analytics platform into a data warehouse powered by Teradata. The code, used for parsing, manipulation, and cleansing of data prior to loading, was time-consuming to maintain.

"We need an environment that supports agile development and rapid delivery of information," says Sam Peterson, SVP Technology at Overstock.com. "Time to deployment and the ability to do file-based processing was important to us. DMExpress was fast and efficient."

Eliminating the need to maintain hundreds of lines of code, DMExpress now pulls the clickstream data files, performs complex transformations - including parsing and cleansing of URLs, reassembling records, parsing of files, and pattern matching - and hands the data over to the Teradata load utility. By reducing dependence of highly-specialized coding expertise, DMExpress enables developers of any skill level to easily develop, modify, maintain, and reuse complex transformations.

Before choosing Syncsort, Overstock.com participated in a Syncsort Proof-of-Concept (PoC) using production size clickstream data files and hosted on servers within the Overstock environment. "We were very impressed with the quality of Syncsort's pre-sales service engineers and the success and format of the PoC," says Peterson. "We were also impressed by Syncsort's history in file-based processing and the strength of its references."

"Like many of our customers expecting growth in data volumes in 2010 and beyond, Overstock.com is driven by clickstream analytics," says Harvey Tessler, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Syncsort. "DMExpress better positions customers to quickly garner actionable information from these burgeoning data sets, while eliminating the need for specialized coding. In addition, our ability to support multiple platforms, including Teradata, provides customers with optimum, scalable environments by allowing them to easily integrate best-of-breed solutions."

Syncsort, a Teradata partner, has been tested and supports Teradata 13. Syncsort will be exhibiting at the Teradata PARTNERS User Group Conference & Expo in Washington D.C., October 18-22, 2009.

About Overstock.com

Overstock.com, Inc. is an online retailer offering brand-name merchandise at discount prices. The company offers its customers an opportunity to shop for bargains conveniently, while offering its suppliers an alternative inventory distribution channel. Overstock.com, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market System and can be found online at http://www.overstock.com. Overstock.com regularly posts information about the company and other related matters on its website under the heading "Investor Relations." Overstock.com® is a registered trademark of Overstock.com, Inc.

About Syncsort Incorporated

Syncsort is a global software company that speeds data processing, data integration, and data protection & recovery. Supported by a professional services team built on 40 years of expertise, Syncsort helps customers drive ROI with software solutions that combine high performance, optimal hardware utilization, and ease of use. With over 12,000 deployments worldwide, Syncsort customers include 90 of the Fortune 100 companies. Syncsort is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, and has international subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, with support centers in the United States and Netherlands. An international network of partners, resellers and distributors positions Syncsort products as an integral component of IT solutions. For more information call 201-930-8200 (1-877-327-8951 in the US and Canada) or visit www.syncsort.com.

SOURCE Syncsort Incorporated

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