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Rockport Software Ltd,
126 Fairlie Road,
Slough,
SL1 4PY,
Berkshire,
U.K.
Tel: +44 (0)1753 577201
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Oracle Hyperion Essbase
On this page you will find some background information relating to the Oracle Hyperion Planning product.
- Are you considering a Hyperion Essbase or Hyperion Planning implementation?
- Do you require Hyperion Essbase support and technical assistance?
- Are you an existing OFA customer wanting help migrating to Oracle Essbase?
- Are you an existing OFA customer wanting help migrating to Oracle Hyperion Planning?
- Do you have questions relating to Oracle Essbase functionality?
- Do you have questions about Oracle Essbase licensing and upgrade options?
If so, contact Rockport Software. Speak to us today to find out how we can help you with the decision and implementation process.
Oracle Essbase OLAP Server
Oracle Essbase is an OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) Server used to deploy pre-packaged applications (e.g. Hyperion Planning) or for developing custom analytic applications.
Key Features
- Industry leading OLAP Calculation engine
- Dimensional View of Data
- Rapid application development environment
- High Scalability
- User Write-back
- Block data storage option (BSO) for scenario modelling, forecasting and analytic applications
- Aggregate data storage option (ASO) for large and/or sparse data sets
Essbase Storage Options
Essbase now supports two storage options to handle data sparsity.
- (BSO) Block Storage Option
Block storage (known as Essbase BSO, or Essbase Analytics) is the original storage method used by Essbase. BSO databases aim to minimize memory and database size by grouping data into blocks comprising combinational arrays of dense dimensions. Space is allocated in the database for every potential cell in these dense blocks but blocks are only created when required.
Calculations in BSO databases can be performed in several ways: Aggregation over hierarchies, Stored calculations on dimension members, Dynamic calculations on dimension members or Calculation scripts.
- (ASO) Aggregate Storage Option
Aggregate storage (known as Essbase ASO, or Enterprise Analytics) is a new storage option for Essbase databases. The ASO option was introduced to provide a method of storing large volumes of aggregate data (something that BSO was not optimized to do). The ASO option does not store any aggregate values after a data load, rather, it calculates them upon request. In large database applications the time required to generate these aggregate totals for querying purposes may be impractical. For this reason, the ASO allows the definition of database views at aggregate levels in each dimension to be pre-calculated so that query retrieval times are reduced. The definition of these database views can be automated by the database administrator based on actual database usage.
The current limitations with ASO databases are that write back from front-end tools is limited and complex calculations cannot be expressed using MDX.
Calculations in ASO databases can be performed in several ways: Aggregation over hierarchies, Dynamic calculations on dimension members.
Common Essbase Applications
As an industrial strength OLAP calculation engine, Essbase is ideally suited to many different types of analytic application. Common types of Essbase application include:
- Budgeting & Forecasting
- Scenario Modelling
- Sales Analysis
- What-if type Analysis
- Finance Reporting
Product History
Essbase was originally developed by Arbor Software and its name was derived from "Extended Spread Sheet dataBASE". Arbor Software merged with Hyperion Software in 1998 and the product was rebadged as Hyperion System 9 BI+ (with the Essbase component called Analytic Services). Until 2005, Essbase was also marketed by IBM as the DB2 OLAP Server.
Hyperion Solutions Corporation was acquired by Oracle March 2007 and since then the product has been marketed as Oracle Hyperion Essbase, or just Oracle Essbase. In 2007, Oracle began bundling Hyperion BI tools into Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition Plus.
The multiple renaming of the Essbase product and its associated EPM products has led to some confusion, with several products names still in use.
- Hyperion Essbase ASO <- -> Enterprise Analytics
- Hyperion Essbase BSO <- -> Essbase Analytics
- Hyperion Analyzer <- -> Web Analysis
- Hyperion Reports <- -> Financial Reporting
- Hyperion Intelligence <- -> Interactive Reporting
- Hyperion SQR <- -> Production Reporting
- Hyperion Metrics Builder <- -> Enterprise Metrics
End User Tools for Essbase
The most widely known user interface for Essbase is an Excel add-in, which allows users to connect to Essbase databases, query, zoom and pivot data, and offers write-back functionality to the database. Since the release of System 9, a new user interface called SmartView for Microsoft Office was introduced with added functionality and access to Essbase databases from other Office tools such as PowerPoint, Word and Outlook. There are various other end-user tools that can be used to query Essbase databases though:
- Oracle Hyperion Essbase spreadsheet Add-in for Excel
- Hyperion Smart View for Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
- Oracle Essbase Visual Explorer
- Oracle BI Suite Enterprise Edition Plus (including; Dashboards, Answers)
- Hyperion Interactive Reporting
- Hyperion Web Analysis
- Hyperion Financial Reporting
- Hyperion Enterprise
- Hyperion SQR Reporting
Recent Enhancements (version 11.1.1)
The first major release of Essbase following its acquisition by Oracle was version 11. For Essbase, there were many new features introduced in this software release, including:
- Essbase Studio - a single environment to build and maintain Essbase cubes
- Improved installation through integration into the EPM System installer.
- Lifecycle Management - Support for moving Essbase cubes, applications, or objects between development, test and production environments.
- Varying Attributes - Support for storing data in attributes that vary over one or more dimensions.
- Typed Measures - Support for two new data types (text measures and date measures).
- Improved back up and restore for BSO Databases.
- Clear Data from Specific Regions of Aggregate Storage (ASO) Databases.
- Environment Variables Used in the Calculation Scripts and Formulas of Block Storage Option (BSO) Applications.
- New Calculation Functions: @ILANCESTORS, @ILDESCENDANTS, @LANCESTORS, @LDESCENDANTS, @NEXTSIBLING, @PREVSIBLING, @SHIFTSIBLING,
- Target of Partition - An ASO cube can be a target of a transparent or replicated partition for aggregation performance benefits.
- MDX Enhancements - improvements to MDX time intelligence and member and hierarchy calculations.
- XOLAP - eXtending OLAP on Relational Database - support for Essbase cube dynamically sourced from an RDBMS through the use of a hybrid aggregation strategy.
- Oracle EBS Financials 11i Source Integration and Drill-back - when Essbase is used with Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management.
- Security: Integration with Oracle Access Manager, Oracle SSO, Desktop Kerberos Support, OID as the Native Provider
- Parallel SQL Data Loads - Supports up to 8 rules files via temporary load buffers.
- Better Integration with Oracle Fusion Middleware.
- Support for Oracle Data Integrator (ODI)
Associated Hyperion EPM Components
- Hyperion Essbase Integration Services (EIS)
Oracle Hyperion Essbase Integration Services (Essbase Integration Services) is graphical tool used to enable the creation of an Essbase OLAP analysis model directly from the tables, views, and columns of relational databases.
Essbase Integration Services is used to create a logical OLAP model based on the relational source and then to create a meta-outline containing the structure and rules required to automatically generate a Hyperion Essbase outline based on the the OLAP model. The meta-outline objects is used to initially create and then subsequently populate the resulting Essbase database.
Essbase Integration Services is a required Essbase component if you wish to enable Hybrid Analysis (linking the multidimensional Essbase database with the relational databases). Hybrid Analysis is used in situations where you want to store only the aggregated data in Essbase and retain the detail in the relational source. Using Essbase Integration Services to provide hybrid analysis allows you to configure drill-through paths so that users can drill from summary Essbase reports back to the source data. An alternate Hybrid analysis configuration would be if you wished to store all the data in a relation store (Advanced Relational Access mode).
- Hyperion Essbase Administration Services (EAS)
Oracle Hyperion Essbase Administration Services (Essbase Administration Services) software is the administration tool used to manage Essbase databases.
Administrators can manage multiple Essbase databases, applications, users, scripts, and other objects across multiples servers from the single user interface. Essbase Administration Services provides manual options, wizards, editors, dynamic menus, and other tools to allow administrators to create, edit, monitor and maintain analytic applications based on Essbase databases.
- Oracle Essbase Studio
Oracle Essbase Studio is a new module released as part of the EPM System 11.1 Release. Essbase Studio provides a single environment for the data modelling, cube design, construction, loading and administration of Essbase analytic applications.
Essbase Studio combines the Essbase database building and administrative functionality previously provided by the Essbase Integration Services and Essbase Administration Services tools into a new single product.
Essbase Studio uses a common metadata repository, or catalog, to capture all the metadata related to each Essbase applications used by an organization. The metadata catalog is used to promote the re-use of metadata objects throughout an organisation for improved consistency and dimension traceability.
Essbase Studio provides a single environment for the definition and management of data sources to be used by Essbase databases. Data source support now includes relational databases, OBI EE, flat files, and the Dimension Server Library used by EPM Architect. Essbase Studio can be used to configure these data sources to support drill-through from Essbase back to relational databases, OBIEE, URLs, custom SQL, and Java methods.
- Oracle Hyperion Workspace
Oracle Hyperion Workspace (Workspace) is a modular component of the Hyperion Foundation Services. Workspace provides a single environment for management reporting, query, and analysis capabilities for a wide variety of data sources.
Workspace provides user query and analysis access to the following content:
- Oracle Hyperion Financial Reporting, Fusion Edition
- Oracle Hyperion Interactive Reporting
- Oracle Hyperion SQR Production Reporting
- Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis
- Oracle Hyperion Performance Scorecard, Fusion Edition
- Oracle Hyperion Financial Management
- Oracle Hyperion Planning
- Oracle Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management
- Oracle BI Enterprise Edition, including:
- Oracle BI Answers
- Oracle BI Interactive Dashboards
- Oracle BI Delivers
- Oracle BI Publisher
- Oracle BI Disconnected Analytics
- Hyperion Shared Services
Hyperion Shared Services (Shared Services) is a component of Hyperion Foundation Services. Hyperion Shared Services provides a single standardised infrastructure for Oracle Hyperion EPM system deployments.
Hyperion Shared Services provides a central location within the Hyperion EPM suite from which to manage users, user security and to assist with application lifecycle development and task flow management.
- Oracle Hyperion Smart View for Office
Oracle Hyperion Smart View for Office is one of the Hyperion Foundation Services component modules. Smart View provides a common Microsoft Office user interface to the Oracle EPM suite (including Oracle Essbase). Smart View allows users to directly connect to Essbase from their Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint applications and view, manipulate, upload and distribute data. Smart View either be used for Ad-hoc analysis or with pre-defined forms.
- Hyperion EPM Architect (EPMA)
Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management Architect (EPMA) is one of the Hyperion Foundation Services component modules. EPMA provides a business process modelling tool for building and maintaining Hyperion Planning, Hyperion FM, Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management and Essbase applications.
EPM Architect is new working environment used to centrally co-ordinate processes across applications in the EPM suite. Users can configure common dimensions, link these dimensions to different EPM applications, re-use or move objects from one EPM application to another, and manage data flows between applications.
- Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis
Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis is a powerful, web-based, OLAP analysis, presentation and ad-hoc reporting tool. Web Analysis provides access to application and multidimensional data sources such as Hyperion Performance Management applications, Hyperion Essbase, SAP Business Information Warehouse, and Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis supports drill-through to relational data sources within a range of flexible display types including grids, charts, pin boards and traffic lighting. Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis shares administration, user management, and installation and configuration support with the other Hyperion EPM products.
- Oracle Essbase Visual Explorer
Oracle Essbase Visual Explorer (Visual Explorer) is a performance management interface for Oracle Essbase. Visual Explorer provides a graphical environment where users can navigate around their database to visually identify trends, exceptions and interdependencies.
Associated Products & Applications
- Oracle Hyperion Planning
Oracle Hyperion Planning is an Excel/Web-based planning, budgeting and forecasting solution based on the the Hyperion Essbase OLAP calculation engine. Financial and operational planning activities can be combined to provide a comprehensive planning model for your business. The product includes full workflow capabilities to enable a systematic budget approach and visibility of planning status. Click here to find out more about Hyperion Planning
How Rockport Can Help You:
Contact Rockport if you have any questions about Oracle Essbase.
- New Oracle Essbase implementations
- Oracle Essbase Proof of concept designs
- Oracle Essbase software purchase, licensing & installation
- Patch installation & advice
- Bespoke Oracle Essbase training
- Support & Upgrade assistance for Oracle Essbase customers
- Upgrade assistance for customers considering migration to Oracle Essbase from OFA/OSA/Express
- Upgrade advice & assistance
Oracle Hyperion Essbase - Information
Availability
Oracle Hyperion Essbase is available now.
Current Release
The latest edition of Oracle Hyperion Essbase is Release 11.1.1
Future Releases
External (Oracle) Links
- Oracle Home Page for Oracle Essbase
- Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis
- Oracle Hyperion Essbase Visual Explorer
- Essbase Provider Services
- Essbase Integration Services
- Essbase Administration Services
- Essbase Studio
- Hyperion Foundation Services
- Hyperion Shared Services
- Hyperion Smart View
- Hyperion EPM Architect
- Datasheet: Oracle Hyperion Essbase download here
- Datasheet: Oracle Hyperion Essbase Visual Explorer
- Datasheet: Oracle Hyperion Web Analysis
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