1. Reporting Tools
that summarize and display historical data.
The relationships within the data are known and usually obvious.
For instance, a report may list the top 25 customers and their total sales for the past month.
2. Forecasting Tools
that analyze trends in historical data and predict future values.
Forecasting tools are also based on known relationships within the data
(which may not be as obvious) and are useful for planning.
3. Exploring Tools
that probe the unknown relationships among customers, products, stores,
and other key business entities.
Exploring tools are often referred to as analytic tools or simply analytics.
The purpose of analytic tools is to break a complex business issue into smaller and simpler parts,
thereby gaining an understanding of the issue
and generate insights into the unknown relationships hidden within your data.
As compared to reporting tools, analytic tools probe deeper into the casual relationships,
such as the seasonal buying habits of high-frequency customers in a particular region.
Source:
http://www.bis2.net/home/data-visualization/visual-analytics/