Teradata Corp. is announcing a patent that it calls “the next big thing in analytic business foresight.”

Teradata acquired Aster Data, the developer of the technology, in April. The technology, known as SQL-MapReduce, which enables “fast investigative analysis of complex information by data scientists and business analysts,” the company said in a press release.

“Big data” is a term that describes data sets whose size, variety, speed, or complexity is beyond the ability of commonly used software tools to track, the company said. Examples include Web logs, sensor networks, social media, medical records and more.

SQL-MapReduce is designed to pull from those data sources “trends and market opportunities,” Teradata said.

“At a time when many vendors are talking about the future of big data analytics, Teradata and Aster Data already have a strong history of success — and now a patented trademark to protect and convey our unique capabilities to the market,” Tasso Argyros, vice president of product management and marketing, Aster, said in Teradata’s announcement.

Based in Miami Twp., Teradata has about 400 local employees. It calls itself “the world’s largest company focused on raising intelligence through data warehousing, big data analytics and integrated marketing management.”