Platfora founder and CEO Ben Werther sat down with SiliconANGLE founder John Furrier and Dave Vellante of theCube at Strata-Hadoop World 2012. Werther says that vendors talk about data infrastructure and setting up a Hadoop cluster for companies to take advantage of big data, but they fail to help them to get the everyday user to benefit from it. In order to take full advantage of the Hadoop infrastructure users need to be able to do useful things with it to contribute to a company.

Werther goes on to explain that Platfora is a built from the ground up business intelligence (BI) technology that does not utilize data warehouses. The current method of using a relational database has worked because it organizes data in files and is useful once things are set in place. He says that the problem there is that once things are set and users have access to the database for querying, new questions to ask of the data come about. What he calls “the next exploratory step” cannot be made with ease. It usually requires a database redesign which can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months just to implement a new query that was not part of the initial set up. Platfora’s approach to BI will eliminate this time delay and allow users to instantly take that next step of exploration.

Platfora is a web based BI that uses in-memory lenses to build a “dimensional data mart”. Existing lenses are in place to provide information and visualization from queries. If a user has a new question to ask, the schema of Platfora adapts to make room for the new information being sought. This enriches the data allowing it to add to the querying possibilities that will come in the future.

John Furrier notes that customer evaluation is the real interest. When asked about an existing product ready for usage, Ben Werther responds that they currently have ten beta customers with many more interested. Werther feels that the data warehouses in existence now are what is limiting BI and that business are operating with questions that are now obsolete. Platfora will allow them to ask more questions and operate with the full power of the data they have.

Platfora is planning to get out of the beta phase in the first quarter of 2013. They want to continue to build relationships with companies and vendors.

See the full interview below.