Pentaho has announced the general availability of Business Analytics 5.0, the latest version of its flagship BI solution. The platform includes more than 250 new features and an improved user interface that removes barriers between decision makers and their data.

Business Analytics 5.0 introduces the ability to blend multiple data sources into a single “picture” that reveals patterns and correlations that could not be identified otherwise. The software performs this integration “at the source” to let users work with datasets of varying quality and granularity while ensuring that information is handled in accordance with auditing standards.

Other new features include a consolidated admin console, REST services for third party app developers, and expanded support for MongoDB.

“With Pentaho 5.0, businesses striving to increase their competitive advantage with big data analytics can achieve greater accuracy with much simpler, faster processes at every critical stage,” said Quentin Gallivan , the chief executive officer of Pentaho. Pentaho 5.0 is the result of many years of intensive planning, research, conversations with customers and industry experts and hard work by some of the smartest people in the industry. We are immensely proud to bring this new platform to market to prepare innovative companies of all sizes for big data analytics efforts today and in the future.”

Last month, Pentaho joined forces with Splunk to deliver a machine data analytics solution that empowers users to unlock legacy data silos with ad hoc querying and advanced visualization. Dubbed Pentaho Business Analytics and Splunk Enterprise, the platform provides business users with the means to aggregate, analyze and visualize a wide range of datasets.

Prior to partnering with Splunk, Pentaho acquired a Portuguese dashboard specialist called Webdetails to bolster its data visualization offering. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.