Tandem Computers Inc, Cupertino, California has added a three- tier on-line analytical processing tool set to its Tandem Alliance Programme. Tandem will bundle Microstrategy Inc’s DSS Agent and DSS Server with its own NonStop SQL data warehouse. The two companies have already collaborated on two data warehousing offerings, one in the UK for Kingfisher Group Plc retailer F W Woolworth’s real-time stock-tracking system and the second for the US military personnel insurance outfit USSA. DSS Agent is Vienna, Virginia-based MicroStrategy’s system for accessing and analysing warehouse data. DSS Agent can be configured as a decision support system, executive information system or ad hoc analysis tool. It performs data surfing, filtering, drill-down, multi-dimensional analysis, exception-scanning and development of autonomous intelligent agents. DSS Server is a relational on-line analytical processing server that resides between the client and a large data source, which in the case of Tandem is a data warehouse, asynchronously processing user requests. The server includes an SQL engine that generates database-optimised queries and an on-line analytical processing engine manipulating and cross tabulating data for long-term trend forecasts. Tandem and Microstrategy are also offering a program – called QuickStrike – to evaluate the capabilities and benefits of an agent-based decision support system before committing to purchase.