(Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall)

MONTREAL, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAND Technology, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: SNDTF) , an international provider of data management software and best practices, announced today that a leading South African food producer and distributor, Pioneer Foods, has adopted and standardized on the SAND/DNA nearline solution for SAP BI as part of a project to more efficiently and cost-effectively manage volumes of data and ensure the operational performance of its SAP NetWeaver BI(R) 7.0 data warehouse.
Many large companies have an urgent need to analyze the vast amounts of data available to them. Getting hold of vital facts and figures and turning them into useful information is a complex and time-consuming task, thus Pioneer Foods embarked on a new implementation.
"We chose SAND due to its impressive functionality and the competitive economies of scale, as we have to adhere to governance guidelines that stipulate we retain data for up to five years, and typical costs soon mount up over that period with the volumes of data we deal with," said Jannie Steyn, Group Manager Information Systems, Pioneer Foods. "Easy access and high levels of compression ensure that we have increased visibility to historical data available to our analysts, along with the peace of mind that data won't be lost or irretrievable."
As data volumes grow and user demands increase, SAP NetWeaver(R) Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI) customers are facing significant data management challenges as well as heightened costs. To help with these issues, SAP recommends implementing an Information Life Cycle (ILM) architecture for SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0. In accordance with SAP's ILM strategy, SAND Technology has teamed with SAP to integrate SAND/DNA as a nearline solution for SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0.
Designed to relieve SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0 from the need to keep large amounts of infrequently used data in the online repository, the SAND/DNA solution stores this data in a tiny footprint while maintaining easy data accessibility. The data is stored in an easily searchable but highly compressed format which significantly reduces overheads and costs associated with typically retaining considerable amounts of historical data.
The new system will be available to a range of Pioneer Foods' SAP BI analysts as required.
About Pioneer Foods
Pioneer Foods' core business is the production and distribution of a diverse range of food, beverages and related products. Focused on products for both human and animal consumption, Pioneer Foods is a significant player in these industries in southern Africa.