Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Another notable difference is OLAP's ability to drill-down to the lowest level
of granularity with ease. You will even hear phrases like,
slice and dice
, and
multidimensionality
, which means having the ability to view the data from virtually
any perspective. Finally, the ability to calculate large amounts of data on the fly gives
users a superior advantage over traditional applications with relational databases
when it comes to "what if" and "cause-and-effect" data analysis and reporting.
Oracle Essbase is widely known as a financial analytical tool. We
want to change the mindset just a bit, right here and now. Oracle
Essbase absolutely is a superior financial OLAP tool, but it is an
equally superior OLAP tool for just about
any
type of data analysis.
Determining the data requirements
One of the most important factors for any successful Essbase database design is
to determine up-front what data elements and attributes are required.
Our business customer is the director of sales forecasting and production planning
for the Esscar Motor Company. What if our customer would like to have the ability
to create a monthly sales forecast for the vehicles manufactured by Esscar Motor
Company and then sold in the various markets they compete in? The customer also
needs to see the effects of the sales forecast on the planned production volumes and
the required stock of vehicles. In addition, with regard to future monthly planning,
the data needs to be robust enough to provide historical looks at the data and year
over year comparisons. As you can see in the following screenshot, you can use
Oracle Essbase for predictive analysis for future or forecast periods:
