From the beginning of time, there have been processes. The first process was "eat, sleep, repeat", and it's been going strong. Of course, as time passed, people got more creative with their processes. They started to do things like "eat, sleep, repeat" at different times of the day or even in other locations (and yes, sometimes without eating). It's not every day that you see someone doing "eat and sleep" simultaneously—but maybe next year! As these processes became more complex and sophisticated over time, we started thinking about improving them by taking a step back and looking at them from a new perspective. That's where Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) comes in! Business process re-engineering refers to analyzing, controlling and developing a company's systems and workflow. The principal idea behind business process re-engineering is that a company is a collection of evolving processes. Business processing re-engineering gained prominence in the 1990s but has re-emerged as business software and enterprise applications have provided more in-depth analytics to evaluate business systems. Regarding business processes, you might be surprised to learn that what's good for the goose may not be suitable for the gander. The reason is simple: processes are constantly evolving based on the pressures at the time. So if those pressures change, then so do your processes. Sometimes—like when a new technology comes along—scrapping and drastically altering existing systems and processes to create the best techniques for your current business needs. The adage is true: You can't fix what's broken until you break it. That's why business process re-engineering often involves retiring old databases in favor of an enterprise data warehouse. The database can then be coupled with venture class applications such as venture resource planning, customer relationship management, and so on, effectively replacing all the previous systems.