IBM has launched new warehousing capabilities for its database management system, Informix Dynamic Server.

IBM said the capabilities will simplify warehouse design and deployment to make it easier for customers to use business intelligence solutions.

“Informix was always known as an OLTP [online transaction processing] database but actually quite a few customers were using the platform for data warehousing,” said Kevin Brown, Informix chief architect. “Before customers had to write their own [data warehouse] tools but now the Informix Warehouse Feature will make it easier for them to develop needed applications."

The feature is now available for customers to purchase, following a beta with 12 organisations, one of them being advisory organisation Women’s Health.

"This technology allows more time for our central billing staff to focus on the business rather than spending hours sifting through the maze of outstanding claims,” said Women’s Health IT vice president Dan Contaldi. "It used to take us months to collect information that we are now able to retrieve in a matter of minutes.”

Brown added that the update will include a Rational Data Architect for data modelling as well as scheduling capabilities.