OBIEE Integration With Essbase

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Mark Rittman, Technical Director, Rittman MeadODTUG BI/EPM Seriously Practical Conference, Sydney 2011

OBIEE 11g Integration with Essbase


Mark Rittman

Mark Rittman, Co-Founder of Rittman Mead Oracle ACE Director, specialising in Oracle BI&DW 14 Years Experience with Oracle Technology Regular columnist for Oracle Magazine Author of forthcoming Oracle Press book on OBIEE 11g Writer for Rittman Mead Blog :

http://www.rittmanmead.com/blog Email : [email protected] Twitter : @markrittman


Oracle Business Intelligence 11gR1

The latest release of Oracles business intelligence platform Replacement for Discoverer; full platform for analytics and dashboards Now at version 11.1.1.5; originally derived from Siebel Analytics 11gR1 new features focused on OLAP analysis, visualizations, manageability


Web and Mobile-Based Delivery of Analytics and Analysis

Mobile client for Apple iPad and iPhone Delivery of reports and alerts via email, cell, pager etc High-density visualizations via a thin-client web dashboard Integration with MS Office and Open Office through SmartView


All Built Using Shared Common Enterprise Information Model

All reporting tools can take their data from a shared metadata layer Defined as dimensional model, embeds common calculations and drill paths Subject-area and row-level security Three-layer design to provide

abstraction from underlying complicated source systems

Simplification of the Data Model Integration of Disparate DataSources

Addition of Business Logic and Calculations


OBIEE 11g Features for Hyperion Users

Essbase as a data source for Oracle BI Repository Oracle Answers as a front-end for Essbase, HFM Integration of Essbase and relational data into drill-through models Oracle BI Repository as a data source for Essbase Studio Plus access to OBIEE dashboards & reporting Wide range of graphs and other visualizations Mapping and spatial integration Scorecards and KPIs Web Service and Application Integration Access to EBS, PSFT, Siebel and SAP data

through Oracle BI Applications


Supported Essbase/Hyperion Releases

Oracle Essbase 9.3.3+, 11.1.1.3.500, 11.1.2+ HFM 9.3.3, 11.1.1.3, 11.1.2.x Planning - tbc See Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations doc on OTN http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/ias/downloads/fusion-certification-

100350.html


Essbase Integration with OBIEE

OBIEE can connect to multidimensional as well as relational sources Microsoft Analysis Services, SAP B/W, Essbase

Import process converts the multidimensional view into a relational view Essbase cubes, dimensions, hierarchies converted to a logical relational star schema Essbase data can then be combined

with data from sources OBIEE 11g introduces new OLAP query

capabilities making Answers a first-class ad-hoc query tool for Essbase cubes

Other use case is to bring in budget, forecast data etc from Essbase and use to enhance relational data


New Essbase Cube and Metadata Features in OBIEE 11gR1

Essbase outlines are still imported in and converted to relational stars However outlines are now handled better Accounts dimensions keep their hierarchy Parent-child (value-based) hierarchies are supported Alias tables supported UDAs supported

No longer any need to recreate as outline evolves (additional generations, members)

Makes OBIEE a more practical reporting environment for financial-style Essbase cubes


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 1 : Review Essbase Outline

Review the Essbase outline using Essbase Administration Services Be aware of the number and type of dimensions Check usage of alias tables, UDAs etc Be sure to use correct Essbase versions Other releases will partially work, but

drilling etc may not work


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 2 : Select Metadata Import

Using BI Administration tool, select File > Import Metadata Enter connection details for Essbase Server (requires Essbase Client to be

installed on server and desktop) Select cube for import, check Import UDAs if UDAs are present in cube


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 3 : Review Import

Review imported cube metadata Accounts dimension is now a hierarchy Single measure dimensioned by all

dimensions Columns still based on outline

dimension generations


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 4 : Convert To Parent-Child

Imported level-based hierarchies can be convered to value-based Protects against outline evolution, new levels (generations) being added

Right-click on dimension, select Properties > Levels, then change Hierarchy Type to Value


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 5 : Add Alias Columns

Where aliases are present in the outline, these can be brought through to OBIEE Right-click on dimension, select Create Columns for Alias Table Select alias to create column for; alias then appears in physical database


Importing an Essbase Cube Step 6 : Create Remainder of Model

Once physical model is created, drag and drop over to business model and mapping layer, and then presentation layer

Essbase data is then ready for reporting on using Answers


Essbase Metadata in the Oracle BI Repository

Demonstration


New Essbase Reporting Features in OBIEE 11g

OBIEE 11g comes with a number of improvements for reporting against Essbase Hierarchical column provide OLAP-style

drilling against Essbase cubes Selection steps and hierarchical prompts

provided member-based selections UDAs can be used in filters Value-based hierarchies remove need

to query specific levels to select members for analysis


Essbase and Hierarchical Columns

Essbase cubes now use Hierarchical Columns by default Full drill into detail (symmetric / asymmetric drilling) Combine with regular attribute columns Works across both

relational and OLAP sources MOLAP and ROLAP

analysis combined


P&L-Style Reports

Though Financial Reporting is the most suitable tool for P&L-style reports, Answers using hierarchical columns can reproduce a lot of their functionality


Access to OBIEE Graphing, Visualisations

Full access to all OBIEE visuals, maps, graphs, dashboard objects, scorecards etc


Selection Steps and Essbase

The OBIEE 11g Selection Steps feature can be used to select members based on a hierarchy

Select individual members, drill into hierarchy Select members based on

position in a hierarchy Select Children Of Select Ancestors of Keep/Remove members


New Capabilities Provided by OBIEE 11g

Horizontal (Drill-Across) and Vertical (Drill-down) Integration with Relational Data MapViewer Integration Scorecards and KPIs BI Publisher Action Framework Integration with EBS and other application data


Drill-Across and Drill-Through To Relational Data

One of the most powerful features in the OBIEE it is ability to combine data sources Multiple data sources presented as a single logical dimensional model In terms of Essbase and HFM integration there are three main use-cases:

1.Providing drill-down from an Essbase-based model to detail-level relational data2.Displaying relational attributes and descriptive data alongside Essbase measures3.Combining Essbase and relational measures into a single business model


Setting up Vertical Federation (Drill-to-Relational Detail)

Initially map in Essbase source (using wizard), then introduce relational data into model Be aware of Essbase unique naming requirements (may need to prefix relational name) Create level-based logical dimension

to indicate hierarchy levels Set content (hierarchy) level for Essbase

and Relational sources to indicate granularity (how detailed they are)

BI Server will then automatically switch between Essbase and Relational sources, depending on how detailed the report gets


Vertical Federation Limitations

Only Essbase outlines that are balanced and level-based can be federated Unbalanced/ragged hierarchies do not consistently map to BMM columns Value-based (parent-child) hierarchies will not federate due to lack of levels

Therefore Essbase cubes that look like relational cubes are the best to federate Typically sales analysis, and cubes built to support OBIEE There is no refresh facility to bring in changed outlines into OBIEE Therefore only stable outlines are suitable for OBIEE No issues over ASO, BSO etc Versions of Essbase supported back to 7.x Though you will need supported versions to be able to use hierarchical columns Essbase 9.3.3+, 11.1.1.3.500, 11.1.2+


Setting up Horizontal Federation (Relational alongside Essbase)

You may have actuals data in a relational database, and forecast/budget data in Essbase

It would be useful to report on these in a combined business model Measures of the same dimensionality can go

in the same fact table Measures of differing dimensionality go in

separate fact tables Users see a single combined data source Oracle BI Server combines the data at runtime New in 11g - can use LOOKUP function

to retrieve relational descriptors etc


Displaying Essbase & Relational Data Together on Dashboards

Relational and Essbase data can be displayed together in analyses, dashboards Navigation can be set up between Essbase aggregated data and relational detail


Combining Essbase and Relational Data using OBIEE

Demonstration


Actionable Intelligence

OBIEE concept around closed-loop analytics Detect, action and then action your data Agents provide alerts, automation Actions provide links to external processes


Actions and Action Links

Actions can be associated with columns through Action Links

Drill to detail; navigate to report; invoke business process; initiate review

Actions enable BI users to respond to insight discovered using dashboards, analyses


Using Actions for Essbase / EPM Suite Integration

Actions can be used to enhance and extend OBIEE / Essbase Integration Launch HFM, FR etc passing BI credentials Writeback to Essbase database Run calc script, etc


Using Actions to Provide Essbase Writeback and Execute Calc Scripts

Demonstration


So Can OBIEE Replace WebAnalysis, Planning, Financial Mgmt etc?

OBIEE analyses, dashboards can replace all functional aspects of Web Analysis FR is still preferable for non-trivial financial reports


... and What Issues Are Still Outstanding?

A number of minor, and major, issues are still outstanding for Essbase / EPM users Some are minor and will be addressed with bug fixes, enhancements Restoration of SSO between EPM workspace and OBIEE dashboard Requirement for multiple WLS homes, EM environments Some early-release bugs around value-based hierarchies, drilling, formulas etc Post 11.1.1.5 Essbase-specific patch due soon to address many issues

Some are just limitations of how things work Cannot federate value-based hierarchies Slower queries and analysis compared to Smartview + Essbase Add-in

Some are fundamental and require re-engineering of OBIEE Complex and fragmented MDX when using hierarchical columns Excessively expensive MDX when using selection steps


The Hierarchical Columns and Pivoting Issue

Hierarchical columns generate one logical query per grouping For SQL queries, these are combined into a single SQL statement For Essbase queries, each grouping generates its own MDX query, plus others

With set [_Products1] as '{Distinct({[Products]})}' set [_Products2] as 'Generate({[_Products1]},[Products].currentmember.children)'select { [Measures].[Gross Revenue] } on columns, NON EMPTY {{[_Products2]}} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME], [Products].[LEVEL_NUMBER] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Products1] as '{Distinct({[Products]})}' set [_Products2] as 'Generate({[_Products1]},[Products].currentmember.children)'select { [Measures].[Gross Revenue] } on columns, NON EMPTY {{[_Products2]}} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME], [Products].[LEVEL_NUMBER] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Axis1Set] as '{Distinct({[Products]})}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample] With set [_Axis1Set] as '{Distinct({[Products]})}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Axis1Set] as '{[Products].Generations(1).members}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Axis1Set] as '{[Products].Generations(1).members}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Axis1Set] as '{Distinct({[10002]})}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Axis1Set] as '{Distinct({[10002]})}'select {} on columns, {[_Axis1Set]} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Products2] as '{Distinct({[10002]})}' set [_Products3] as 'Generate({[_Products2]},[Products].currentmember.children)'select { [Measures].[Gross Revenue] } on columns, NON EMPTY {{[_Products3]}} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME], [Products].[LEVEL_NUMBER] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

With set [_Products2] as '{Distinct({[10002]})}' set [_Products3] as 'Generate({[_Products2]},[Products].currentmember.children)'select { [Measures].[Gross Revenue] } on columns, NON EMPTY {{[_Products3]}} properties GEN_NUMBER, [Products].[Memnor], [Products].[Ancestor_Names], [Products].[MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME], [Products].[LEVEL_NUMBER] on rows from [BISAMPLE.Sample]

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Issue Compounded by > Hierarchical Column

Issue becomes worse when >1 hierarchical column & pivoting is included in analysis & Many more sub-groupings are created leading to excessivly expensive SQL Workaround #1 : Size your system to expect greater numbers of small MDX queries Workaround #2 : Try to limit analyses to a single hierarchical column on row-edge Workaround #3 : Enable caching - 11g subquery caching can significantly improve perf.

=58 separate MDX queries


The Selection Steps Issue

Selection steps (member steps) are used extensively in 11g for Essbase data Provides an Essbase-like environment for filtering, selecting and calculating data

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New Ways of Doing Things

Most Essbase users access data through the Excel Add-in Uses Query-by-Example approach to retrieve data Combined with Excel flexibility, gives lots of options to access data To produce similar reports, different approaches are required with OBIEE Use of FILTER and time-series functions Adaptation for structured cross-tab style interface vs. free-form Excel


Combining OBIEE Functions and Essbase Data

Time-offsets can be generated using OBIEE Time-Series functions AGO, TODATE, PERIODROLLING

Intersections of dimension members (Accounts, Scenarios) using FILTER function Combine OBIEE analytic functions with Essbase member references Requires learning OBIEE function syntax and combining with Essbase skills


OBIEE Analytic Function Examples

FILTER(measure USING expr) Allows you to filter generic

measure by dimension member, i.e. measure by Profit account, and Budget scenario

AGO, TODATE, PERIODROLLING Generate year-to-date,

period ago, rolling total Pushes down to equivalent MDX

EVALUATE, EVALUTE_AGGR Leverage native MDX functions


Excel Add-in/SmartView and OBIEE are Complementary Tools

OBIEE does not remove need for Excel add-in or SmartView Common mistake is to think its all-or-nothing Still a role for Excel add-in for finance/analyst use OBIEE is great for mass-distribution of financial data, combining it with other data Accessing Essbase data requires combined Essbase / OBIEE skills


Summary

OBIEE 11g introduces a number of new features Essbase customers were waiting for Proper OLAP analysis with hierarchical member selection Support for value-based hierarchies, so that outline changes dont need re-import Support for multiple aliases, UDAs, multiple hierarchies, filters etc

OBIEE also provides many additional features that will benefit Essbase customers Mapping, scorecards, better visualizations Action Framework, integration with Fusion Middleware

But the 11g release also brings its own new issues Excessive number of MDX statements for pivoting OLAP-style queries Selection steps can exacerbate this issue by exponentially adding more MDX queries Value-based hierarchies have their own gotchas

Dont try to 100%-replace Excel Add-in With OBIEE Tools are complementary, have their own strengths Be prepared to learn OBIEE dev techniques as well as Essbase ones


Mark Rittman, Technical Director, Rittman MeadODTUG BI/EPM Seriously Practical Conference, Sydney 2011

OBIEE 11g Integration with Essbase

Slide Number 1Mark RittmanOracle Business Intelligence 11gR1Web and Mobile-Based Delivery of Analytics and AnalysisAll Built Using Shared Common Enterprise Information ModelOBIEE 11g Features for Hyperion UsersSupported Essbase/Hyperion ReleasesEssbase Integration with OBIEENew Essbase Cube and Metadata Features in OBIEE 11gR1Importing an Essbase Cube Step 1 : Review Essbase OutlineImporting an Essbase Cube Step 2 : Select Metadata ImportImporting an Essbase Cube Step 3 : Review ImportImporting an Essbase Cube Step 4 : Convert To Parent-ChildImporting an Essbase Cube Step 5 : Add Alias ColumnsImporting an Essbase Cube Step 6 : Create Remainder of ModelSlide Number 16New Essbase Reporting Features in OBIEE 11gEssbase and Hierarchical ColumnsP&L-Style ReportsAccess to OBIEE Graphing, VisualisationsSelection Steps and EssbaseNew Capabilities Provided by OBIEE 11gDrill-Across and Drill-Through To Relational DataSetting up Vertical Federation (Drill-to-Relational Detail)Vertical Federation LimitationsSetting up Horizontal Federation (Relational alongside Essbase)Displaying Essbase & Relational Data Together on DashboardsSlide Number 28Actionable IntelligenceActions and Action LinksUsing Actions for Essbase / EPM Suite IntegrationSlide Number 32So Can OBIEE Replace WebAnalysis, Planning, Financial Mgmt etc?... and What Issues Are Still Outstanding?The Hierarchical Columns and Pivoting IssueIssue Compounded by > Hierarchical ColumnThe Selection Steps IssueNew Ways of Doing ThingsCombining OBIEE Functions and Essbase DataOBIEE Analytic Function ExamplesExcel Add-in/SmartView and OBIEE are Complementary ToolsSummarySlide Number 44

OBIEE Integration With Essbase

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