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Second of two parts.
Online analytical processing tools come in many forms. In addition to high-end multidimensional database systems complete with integrated user tools are middle-tier relational online analytical processing servers that add a multidimensional front end to
relational databases. - I reviewed two middle-tier OLAP tools last week: IQ Software's IQ/Vision and the SAS Institute's SAS System. These tools come with a high license cost and demand a large time commitment from IS staffs to set up the multidimensional database. What you get for the investment in time and money, however, are powerful tools, suitable for large databases and big groups of users.
Some good OLAP tools that have grown somewhat naturally out of user desktop query tools provide a lower-cost alternative and require less setup. The result is a managed-query environment that doubles as a multidimensional OLAP analysis tool.
This week, I review three such desktop OLAP products:
- BrioQuery Enterprise 4.0 from Brio Technology in Palo Alto, Calif.
- PowerPlay 5.0 Beta from Cognos, an Ottawa company with offices in Burlington, Mass.
- Business Objects 4.0 from Business Objects in Cupertino, Calif.
BrioQuery and Business Objects are competent managed-query environments that give users an easy-to-use interface to query relational databases and produce reports. Both products dynamically cache retrieved data on the client machine, which delivers flexibility for drilling through the data and lets users report, graph, and analyze data either while they are connected to the database or offline at their convenience.
PowerPlay is a pure desktop OLAP product that works with Cognos' Impromptu query and report writer. On its own, PowerPlay behaves similarly to high-end multidimensional databases in that it creates a separate database, or powercube, for multidimensional analysis. The difference is that users get their own powercubes on the desktop, or they can share a powercube on a server.
PowerPlay is flexible in analyzing data, but does not have a direct connection to server databases such as Oracle, Sybase, and Informix. Hence, users cannot go back to those databases interactively to retrieve more data, as they can with BrioQuery, Business Objects, and the two tools reviewed last week.
BrioQuery Enterprise 4.0
BrioQuery measures up well against similarly priced query and reporting tools, but lacks the more powerful analytical capabilities...