Oracle Essbase & Oracle OLAP

Oracle Essbase & Oracle OLAP

by Michael Schrader, Dan Vlamis, Mike Nader, Chris Claterbos, Dave Collins, Mitch Campbell, Floyd Conrad
Released December 2009
Publisher(s): McGraw Hill Computing
ISBN: 9780071627382

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Book description

The only book to cover and compare Oracle's online analytic processing products

With the acquisition of Hyperion Systems in 2007, Oracle finds itself owning the two most capable OLAP products on the market--Essbase and the OLAP Option to the Oracle Database. Written by the most knowledgeable experts on both Essbase and Oracle OLAP, this Oracle Press guide explains how these products are similar and how they differ. Oracle Essbase & Oracle OLAP will help you architect the Oracle OLAP product that is most appropriate for your application, and build, tune, and maintain OLAP solutions.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Oracle Essbase & Oracle OLAP
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Foreword
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. 1 Introduction to OLAP
    1. OLAP as a Component of Business Intelligence
      1. Enterprise Performance Management
      2. Data Warehousing
      3. Business Reporting
      4. Predictive Analytics and Data Mining
      5. OLAP
    2. Why OLAP?
      1. Business-Focused Multidimensional Data
      2. Business-Focused Calculations
      3. Trustworthy Data and Calculations
      4. Speed-of-Thought Analysis
      5. Flexible, Self-Service Reporting
    3. OLAP Primer
      1. OLAP System Components
      2. OLAP Types
      3. OLAP Products
      4. OLAP with a Data Warehouse
      5. Typical OLAP Applications
    4. Why Two OLAP Products from Oracle?
      1. Similarities Between Essbase and Oracle OLAP
      2. Differences Between Essbase and Oracle OLAP
    5. OLAP Business Case Studies
      1. Essbase Case Studies
      2. Oracle OLAP Case Studies
    6. Architecting the Appropriate OLAP Solution
      1. Choosing the Solution That Meets Your Needs
      2. Better Together
    7. Conclusion
      1. References
  9. 2 OLAP Concepts and History
    1. Common OLAP Themes
      1. Multidimensional View of Information
      2. From Data Source to Multidimensional Data
      3. New Results from Existing Data
      4. Ad Hoc Analysis: Having a Conversation with Your Data
      5. Summary of Common OLAP Themes
    2. The History of Oracle OLAP
      1. Why a Multidimensional Database?
      2. 1960s to 1985—Glory Days of Mainframe Express
      3. 1985 to 1990—A New C-Based Engine
      4. 1990 to 1996—Express Goes GUI
      5. 1995 to 1997—Oracle Buys and Markets Express
      6. 1998 to 2001—Integrating Express into the Oracle Database
      7. 2002 to 2003—Oracle9i OLAP
      8. 2004 to 2006—Oracle OLAP 10g
      9. 2007 to 2009—Oracle OLAP 11g
      10. 2009 and Beyond
    3. The History of Essbase
      1. Why Essbase?
      2. 1992 to 1994—Essbase Is Born
      3. 1994 to 1998—APIs and the Essbase Web Gateway
      4. 1998 to 2003—New Reporting Options for Essbase
      5. 2003 to 2007—Aggregate Storage and Hybrid Architecture
      6. 2007 to Present—Essbase Powers Oracle EPM and BI
    4. Conclusion
      1. References
  10. 3 Design and Overall Methodology
    1. General Design Principles
      1. Design Is an Iterative Process
      2. User Requirements Drive Design
      3. What’s Left Out Is as Important as What Goes In
      4. Dimension Types Offer Convenience
      5. Data Types Improve Data Quality
      6. Different Uses Require Different Views of the Data
      7. User Access and Security Needs Planning
      8. Allow Areas for Training and Testing
    2. Designing an Oracle OLAP Analytic Workspace
      1. Determining Dimensions from User Requirements
      2. Relating Oracle OLAP Data to a Star Dimensional Model
      3. Mapping Relational Data to Multidimensional Objects
      4. Determining Dimensions of Cubes
      5. Designing Oracle OLAP Cubes
      6. Summary of the Oracle OLAP Design Process
    3. Designing an Essbase Database
      1. Identifying Data Sources
      2. Defining the Outline
      3. Validating the Outline with Business Users
      4. Enhancing the Outline
      5. Choosing a Data Storage Model
      6. Considering Partition Strategies
      7. Summary of the Essbase Design Process
    4. OLAP Architectures
      1. Oracle OLAP Architecture and Components
      2. Essbase Architecture and Components
      3. End-User Tools
    5. Conclusion
      1. References
  11. 4 Building an Oracle OLAP Analytic Workspace
    1. Oracle OLAP Demonstration Overview
    2. From Source to Cubes with Analytic Workspace Manager
      1. Getting Started with Analytic Workspace Manager
      2. Preparing the Data
      3. Creating an Analytic Workspace
      4. Creating and Populating Dimensions
      5. Creating and Populating Cubes
      6. Summary of the Cube-Building Process
    3. Adding Business-Savvy Calculations to Cubes
      1. Creating a Share Calculation
      2. Creating a Percent Different Prior or Parallel Period Calculation
      3. Creating a Moving Average Calculation
      4. Creating Custom Calculated Measures
      5. Managing Calculated Measures
    4. Advanced Topics
      1. Managing Workspaces with OLAP Worksheet
      2. Working with Cube-Organized Materialized Views
      3. Managing Security of Cubes and Dimensions
      4. Creating Advanced Cubes for Typical Business Purposes
      5. Using SQL with OLAP
    5. Conclusion
  12. 5 Building Your Essbase Database
    1. Demonstration Overview
    2. From Source to Database with Essbase Studio
      1. Overview of Essbase Studio
      2. Mapping Data Sources
      3. Modeling the Data Source
      4. Building Dimensions (Hierarchies)
      5. Modeling the Essbase Database
      6. Deploying the Essbase Database
      7. Summary of the Database Building Process
      8. Calculating the Essbase Database
      9. Validating the Essbase Database
    3. Using Essbase Features
      1. Creating Drill-Through Reports
      2. Leveraging Lineage Tracking
      3. Creating Custom Load Rules
      4. Creating Member Formulas and Calculation Scripts
      5. Using Essbase Query Languages for Reports
    4. Automating Processes
      1. Using ESSCMD
      2. Using MaxL
    5. Conclusion
  13. 6 Reporting from an OLAP Application
    1. User Discovery
      1. Identifying the Consumers of OLAP Reports
      2. Gathering Information About Your Users
      3. Discussing the Reporting Needs of Your Users
    2. Types of Reports
      1. Basic Report
      2. Compound Report
      3. Dashboard Report
      4. Production Reports
      5. Interactive Management Reports
      6. Ad Hoc Spreadsheet Reports
      7. Custom Microsoft Office Reports
    3. Desirable Functionality in Web-Based OLAP Reporting
      1. Creating the Skeleton of a Report
      2. Adding Functionality to a Report
    4. Desirable Functionality in Desktop-Based Reporting
      1. Integrated Database Connection
      2. Powerful Ad Hoc Analysis Features
      3. Easy Report-Creation Tools
      4. Visualization
    5. Understanding Deployment Options
      1. Fitting in with Enterprise Standards
      2. Web-Based Deployment Options
      3. Desktop-Based Deployment Options
    6. Third-Party Reporting Applications
      1. Third-Party Reporting Tools for Oracle OLAP
      2. Third-Party Reporting Tools for Essbase
    7. Conclusion
      1. References
  14. 7 Leveraging OLAP in Your Organization
    1. Performance Management Applications Leveraging Essbase
      1. Oracle Hyperion Planning
      2. Oracle Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management
      3. Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management Architect
      4. Architecture of Performance Management Applications
    2. Oracle Crystal Ball with Essbase
      1. Crystal Ball and Monte Carlo Simulation Methods
      2. Crystal Ball Analysis
      3. Crystal Ball with Planning Models
      4. Crystal Ball Decision Optimizer
    3. Oracle Smart Space with Essbase
      1. Smart Space Desktops
      2. Smart Space Gadgets
      3. Software Development Kit
    4. Oracle Application Express for Oracle OLAP
    5. Java Development
      1. Using Oracle BI Beans with Oracle OLAP
      2. Connecting Java Applications to Essbase
    6. Conclusion
      1. References
  15. 8 Keeping It Running
    1. Oracle OLAP Care and Maintenance
      1. Configuring and Tuning Oracle OLAP
      2. Backing Up Oracle OLAP
      3. Troubleshooting Oracle OLAP
    2. Essbase Care and Maintenance
      1. Optimizing Essbase
      2. Backing Up Essbase
    3. Conclusion
      1. References
  16. 9 Real-World Examples
    1. Oracle OLAP Examples
      1. Accelerating a Data Warehouse
      2. Analyzing Projections
      3. Analyzing Financial Data
    2. Essbase Examples
      1. Replacing the Excel Workbook
      2. Enhancing an ERP System
      3. Replacing Custom SQL Reports
    3. Conclusion
      1. OLAP as a Cornerstone of BI
      2. References
  17. Glossary
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Oracle Essbase & Oracle OLAP
  • Author(s): Michael Schrader, Dan Vlamis, Mike Nader, Chris Claterbos, Dave Collins, Mitch Campbell, Floyd Conrad
  • Release date: December 2009
  • Publisher(s): McGraw Hill Computing
  • ISBN: 9780071627382