Oracle Essbase 9 Implementation Guide- P80 ppt

Essbase Analytics Option
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Pros and cons of ASO
The ASO is fast becoming the standard for extra large Essbase databases. Where
the need for high speed data retrieval for reporting and analysis can eclipse the
need for full-featured functionality, ASO lls in nicely. Here we will describe
what we feel are some of the positive features of the ASO as well as some of the
not so positive features for you.
Pros
Listed below are just a few high-level features that we feel makes the Essbase ASO
a good choice:
• Easy optimization, massive data scalability, reduced disk space, and
upto 100 times faster.
• Database creation is accomplished by either migrating a BSO outline or
dened as new after application creation.
• Outline dimensions will not need to be designated as dense or sparse.
• Outline is validated every time a database is started.
• Database calculation or aggregation of the database can be predened
by dening aggregate views.
• Calculation order is not relevant for database calculation, but is relevant
for dynamic calculation formulas.
• Limited write back ability.
• At the end of a data load, if aggregation exists, the values in aggregation
are recalculated and updated automatically.
• Aggregate storage database outlines are page-able. This feature signicantly
reduces memory usage for very large database outlines.
Cons
Listed below are a few high-level features that we feel you may need to be wary
of when using the Essbase ASO:
• Aggregate storage applications have some limitations that do not apply to
block storage applications with regard to consolidations, calculations, and

overall robust functionality.
• Can store only one database per application.
• Names reserved for table spaces cannot be used as application
or database names.
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Chapter 10
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• Accounts dimension does not support time balance members and association
of attribute dimensions.
• On non-account dimensions, there are restrictions on label only members and
dynamic time series members. Members tagged as dynamic hierarchies have
no restrictions on the consolidation settings. Stored hierarchy members can
only be tagged as label only or (+) addition.
• Non-account dimensions support only consolidation operator (+) addition
• Calculation scripts are not supported.
• Formulas are allowed only on account dimension members and allowed
with certain restrictions.
• Only Level 0 cells whose values do not depend on formulas in the outline
are loaded.
• Data values are cleared each time the outline is structurally changed.
Therefore, incremental data loads are only supported for outlines that
do not change.
• Currency conversion is not supported without the use of special MDX
queries. This method can have a negative effect on performance.
As you can see, there are some substantial differences and some very good reasons to
use one type of database over another. To give you our idea of the ideal application of
ASO and BSO, read below:
• ASO Database: The ASO database is ideal for dynamically built Essbase

cubes that are usually Read Only and used for reporting, presentation, and
analysis. This type of database would also tend to have a rather large outline
where at least one dimension has a signicant amount of members. A parts
dimension or product dimension comes to mind.
Behind this ASO database would be a large BSO parent Essbase database,
from which the dynamic ASO databases are built on the y.
• BSO Database: The BSO database is ideal for virtually any size cube, but
where performance is not necessarily the number one priority. Accuracy
and completeness of data would be the main consideration.
The BSO database is ideal as the large parent database where users from
many different departments can trigger jobs which will dynamically build
ASO reporting cubes on an as needed basis. The typical BSO database is
ideally suited for nancial analysis applications.
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Essbase Analytics Option
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Of course, these are just one possibility or scenario. The beauty of Essbase is that you
can do most anything with it. Heck, you could easily have a large Oracle relational
database as the backend data source for your ASO cubes.
The possibilities are endless!
Summary
We hope you have found the information in this chapter as fun, exciting, and useful
as we have. As we've said repeatedly throughout this book, it should be no wonder
to you why Oracle Essbase is the number one data analytics tool in the world! It's
almost as though Essbase is a product that is never nished, because just when you
think it can't get any better, it gets even better!
You should now have a good understanding of the two very different but
complimentary Essbase database architectures. The BSO is the old standby

foundation in the world of Essbase, and the ASO is the streamlined speedster.
The differences in many cases between ASO and BSO are minor, but their affect
can be dramatic. The BSO utilizes the standard data block method of storing data,
while the ASO uses the aggregate method. The BSO is built for rugged and robust
computing and analysis. The ASO is built for high speed, high volume data analysis
and reporting.
We're sure you see by now that whether you use ASO, BSO, or both together,
you can be condent you have made the right choice.
Yes, there are several imitators out there. There are some that are even pushing their
product for free. We are condent you will agree with us that when all is said and
done, Essbase is the clearly superior tool. Read on in fact, for an introduction to some
of the new components available in what is now a suite of Essbase applications.
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by Paul Corcorran on 5th July 2009
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Essbase System 9
Components
Here we are at the last chapter of this outstanding book. It has taken ten, occasionally
long, chapters to get you to a point where you are procient and capable in the
exciting world of Oracle Essbase.
A lot has changed with Essbase since the early days back in the 1990's. Essbase itself
has grown and ourished into the world's leading OLAP analytic software and now
includes all of the bells and whistles you'd expect and more.
The purpose of this chapter is to go over some exciting new additions to the Essbase
family. No longer is it just Essbase, the multidimensional OLAP database. The future
of Essbase, beginning with Essbase version 9.x, is now Essbase System 9.
Essbase System 9 is now a suite of analytical applications or components of which
Essbase is the cornerstone. Some of the components enhance the overall abilities of
the suite and some are targeted more to specic computing purposes.
Overview of System 9 components

When Oracle purchased Hyperion and several other companies, they set out to
organize their product catalog and bring together a standardized naming convention
as well as standardized software versioning. The Essbase suite of tools and
applications is no exception as Essbase version 9.x has become Essbase System 9,
and there never really was a commercially released Essbase version 8.x. Oracle now
has plans to further integrate the Essbase suite of tools and components into their
product catalog and we'll just need to wait and see how this plays out with version
11 and beyond.
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Essbase System 9 Components
[ 384 ]
What we are giving you in this chapter is a high level look at each new Essbase tool
or component and also a slightly lower level look at the hot new additions to the
Essbase family. Not to detract from any of the other Essbase family members, but
the new Oracle Smart View, for one, is an awesome tool to have in your toolbox.
Essbase Analytic Services (Essbase agent)
The term Essbase analytic services, while commonly thought to refer to the Essbase
suite of applications, actually refers to the common Essbase system structure that is
built around the Essbase analytic database engine technology.
We know this sounds confusing, but here is how it works. In your Essbase toolbox,
you can have many different tools. Some of them are optional and can be added at
an additional expense and some of them must be included from the beginning for
proper system installation. No matter what tools you want to add to your Essbase
toolbox, the Essbase agent or Essbase analytic services must be included and it is
the cornerstone of the Essbase suite of applications.
The Essbase agent is what you install on your server in order to make it an Essbase
analytic server. The Essbase agent is what you use to build, deploy, and maintain
your Essbase databases.

In a nutshell, Essbase analytic services is the heart and soul of your Essbase system.
Essbase Planning
Also known as Hyperion Planning or even Oracle Planning, Essbase Planning is
a centralized Microsoft Excel and web-based planning and forecasting tool that
combines data from various internal business activities such as nance, marketing,
and so on, into one integrated tool. Planning uses the data to provide a closer
look at the company's overall business operations and helps improve the forecast
predictability accuracy.
Planning makes use of Essbase in an ingenious way. The data for each business
activity is stored in its own custom Essbase database or cube. Several business
activities can share the same cube and have their own set of dimensions and
members. Therefore, Essbase must be started and running in the background so
Planning can access the cubes. The various Planning functions are then supported
by Planning's seamless accessing of the data from the Essbase cubes and by using
the stored business rule feature to apply the customer dened business rules to the
data for planning and analysis purposes.
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by Paul Corcorran on 5th July 2009
8601 ave. p #1, , lubbock, , 79423
Download at Boykma.Com