Page 51 - DCAP606_BUSINESS_INTELLIGENCE

Business Intelligence

Notes
Did u know? This is especially helpful when matching data from previous reports to data
present in new ones and projected future ones. It avoids the long discussion about who has
the correct data.

(b) “What if” scenarios are some of the most well liked uses of OLAP programs and are made
eminently more possible by multidimensional processing.
(c) Another advantage of multidimensional data presentation is that it allows a supervisor to
drag down data from an OLAP database in very broad terms. In other words, reporting
can be as easy as comparing a couple of lines of data in one column of a spreadsheet or as
complex as viewing all aspects of mountain of data.
(d) OLAP is a technology that can be distributed to many users using a variety of platforms.
(e) Also, multidimensional presentation can create an understanding of connections not before
realized.

(f) OLAP creates a single stage for all the information and business requirements; budgeting,
forecasting, describing and analysis.
(g) Last but not least, the learning curve to use OLAP is negligible. The most utilised interface
to analyse data retained in OLAP technology is the well renowned.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. OLAP databases contain two basic types of data i.e. measures and ..................................
2. .............................. is a data structure that aggregates the measures by the levels and hierarchies
of each of the dimensions that you want to analyse.
3. ............................. is a set of values in a cube that are founded on a column in the cube’s
detail table and that are generally numeric types.
4. ............................... is a member of a dimension whose worth is calculated at run time by
utilizing an expression.
5. ................................. is a logical tree structure that organizes the members of a dimension
such that each member has one parent member and none or more child members.
6. ...................................... is a technology that can be distributed to many users using a variety
of platforms.
7. The .......................... to use OLAP is negligible.

4.3 Fast Response

Hyperion Essbase consistently delivers very quick query response times that make an iterative
environment for analytic queries possible. OLAP user’s queries are neither predictable nor
repairable and the results of one query often frame the obligations of the next. In this natural
environment, answers must be forthcoming in seconds— not minutes or hours — or analysts
will cut short the analysis process to meet administration deadlines.

!
Caution To be productive, an analysis session should be interactive and keep pace with the
analyst’s speed of consideration.

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