Sybase’s Phil Bowermaster is trying to shed some light on the question of What is Analytics?
The vital distinction is this: advanced analytics involves more than just slicing and dicing of the data. […] Ultimately, it’s this reliance on models that sets advanced analytics apart from other types of BI analysis. When a business takes a look at data to try to improve decisions and performance, that’s business intelligence. When a business compares incoming data with a model in order to achieve deeper understanding, deal with human behavior in real time, or predict what’s going to happen next, that’s advanced analytics.