Essbase - User Interface

User Interface

Many users work with Essbase data using as their interface an add-in for Microsoft Excel (previously also Lotus 1-2-3). The add-in adds a menu to the spreadsheet application that can be used to connect to Essbase databases, retrieve data, and navigate the cube's dimensions ("Zoom in", "Pivot", etc.).

With the release of System 9, Hyperion provided a new user interface add-in for Essbase called "Smart View for Microsoft Office". Smart View provides access to Essbase and other System 9 content for Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook as well as supplanting the previous add-in for Microsoft Excel.

In 2005, Hyperion began to offer a visualization tool called Tableau under the name "Hyperion Visual Explorer" (2005). Tableau originated at Stanford University as a government-sponsored research project to investigate new ways for users to interact with relational and OLAP databases.

Other user-facing applications with support for Essbase databases include:

  • Hyperion Analyzer (aka Hyperion System 9 BI+ Web Analysis)
  • Hyperion Reports (aka Hyperion System 9 BI+ Financial Reporting)
  • Hyperion Enterprise Reporting
  • Hyperion Intelligence (aka Hyperion System 9 BI+ Interactive Reporting)
  • Hyperion SQR (aka Hyperion System 9 BI+ Production Reporting)
  • Alphablox
  • Arcplan dynaSight (aka Arcplan Enterprise)
  • Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition (aka OBIEE, Siebel Analytics)
  • Applied OLAP Dodeca
  • CXO-Cockpit Reporting Suite

The previous offerings from Hyperion acquired new names as given below:

Hyperion's previous offerings Hyperion System 9 BI+ offerings
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

APIs are available for C, Visual Basic and Java, and embedded scripting support is available for Perl. The standardised XML for Analysis protocol can query Essbase data sources using the MDX language.

In 2007, Oracle Corporation began bundling Hyperion BI tools into Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Plus.

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