At Analytic Vision we understand that the complete automation of the back-end database refresh processes is only part of the overall development equation. Front-end presentation of business analytics is typically provided via an Enterprise Reporting, On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) or an Enterprise Alerting solution. Enterprise Reporting solutions provide a means to deliver static reports via a web-based interface. This solution also provides a means to schedule reports and deploy them to users via a web portal, e-mail or other electronic devices such as mobile phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). OLAP presentation tools provide a means to interact with your data to discover why something occurred within your business. Data is presented in a graphical format, spreadsheet format, or both. OLAP tools also provide a means to "drill-through" to supporting detail data in your enterprise data warehouse.

It is important to match the capabilities of the users with their method of data access. Having worked with many different clients, it is our experience that users can be grouped into the following categories:

• Casual Users: This group are ideal candidates for an Enterprise Reporting solution; they typically want "canned" reports delivered to them and want to perform little data discovery. They also may want to choose how their reports are delivered to them (electronically or hard copy).

• Advanced Users: This group typically wants the capabilities of the Casual User, but more importantly wants to perform data discovery using an OLAP presentation tool. This type of user requires the ability to slice through the data many different ways in order to find patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data. A core set of base analytical views is usually provided to this group, along with training on how to interact with the various views.

• Power Users: This group requires the capabilities of Advanced Users, plus they will typically have the ability to develop OLAP views and reports for themselves and other users in your company.

In organizations that have been successful in deploying Enterprise Reporting and/or OLAP solutions, the next step might be an Enterprise Alerting solution that based on subscriptions, delivers data to the user when an event occurs with the data. This data can be from within the company’s databases or from external data sources such as web sites.

Some of the presentation tools that we typically recommend to our clients based on their track record with delivering what they promise include Hyperion Analyzer, DB2 Alphablox, ProClarity Analytics Platform, SPSS ShowCase Enterprise Reporting, and SPSS OLAP Hub.

Hyperion Analyzer™
If you are using Hyperion Essbase or ShowCase Essbase for Multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP) then you are most likely using the Essbase Add-in for Excel or Analyzer as your front-end presentation tools. Analyzer allows for the design, development and presentation of analytical reports with Essbase data using traditional Internet browser technologies. Analyzer views support showing data in a graphical format (bar charts, pie charts, etc.), in a spreadsheet format, or a combination of both formats. Developing an Analyzer front-end application requires the same considerations as the development of any web-based application. It is important to understand the overall design of the application, look and feel of the analytical pages, corporate standards, and workflow. Analytic Vision consultants understand how to work with all facets of Analyzer from installation, design, development, deployment, and end-user training of the new application. We also understand how to performance-tune Analyzer reports (and your Essbase databases) for optimum performance.

DB2 Alphablox
Alphablox is a development platform that runs in a J2EE application server environment and provides services that allows you to create custom analytical business applications. If your company deploys a variety of web applications, and it’s important that a consistent look and feel be presented throughout all of these applications, then you should consider Alphablox for your web-based analytics, as its big differentiator is its ability to truly customize your analytical and reporting views. Through the use of the Alphablox development environment you can create a web page or application that provides your customers the ability to visualize and analyze business information. Rather than just providing data in the manner of query and reporting tools, an Alphablox application typically incorporates business logic and offers guided analysis via an easy-to-use interface. Alphablox can access many of the leading relational and multidimensional data sources such as DB2, SQL Server, Oracle, Hyperion Essbase and Microsoft Analysis Services. It can also integrate with the leading web application servers such as IBM WebSphere and BEA WebLogic.

Analytic Vision consultants are experts in developing Alphablox analytical applications. We are committed to ensuring that your Alphablox projects are successful. We also make certain that knowledge transfer with your internal resources occurs so that you are able to maintain and develop analytical applications on your own in the future.

SPSS ShowCase® Enterprise Reporting™
Even if you have an OLAP solution, there’s typically still a need for distributing reports throughout the organization. The ShowCase Enterprise Reporting solution allows you to schedule and distribute information over your intranet. This provides a central repository of reports, which can be in a variety of formats (PDF, HTML, or Excel), and can be scheduled or run dynamically with prompts over the web. Your users require no software, just appropriate authority to the desired reports. Here is a detailed list of what Enterprise Reporting offers:

• Automate the scheduling and distribution of routine reports and queries generated with either SPSS ShowCase Report Writer™ or SPSS ShowCase Query™
• Establish a central, searchable repository for reports and other critical information
• Structure "folders" within this repository to make it easier for business users to locate information
• Notify individuals or groups by e-mail automatically when certain types of reports or other content are updated
• Enable report developers to link several reports on a single page, without requiring them to do programming
• Provide for the creation of personal home pages containing links to frequently needed reports, documents, and even other applications
• Share query and report definitions for both scheduled and dynamic execution
• Publish report templates for modification by others through a web browser
• Extend to select business users the responsibility for keeping repository information current

Analytic Vision has assisted many clients with their strategy and implementation of a successful Enterprise Reporting solution. Between report standards, folder organization, security plans, and advanced tool expertise, there are a variety of areas that Analytic Vision can help your team quickly implement a cost-effective strategy for distributing your reporting needs.

SPSS OLAP Hub™
More and more companies are testing the capabilities of the Microsoft business intelligences solutions within the SQL Server database. Specifically, companies are discovering how the Analysis Services OLAP database performs. Analytic Vision has done extensive work in this environment, and we have seen excellent performance with this tool. However, Microsoft only provides an Excel pivot table interface at this time for retrieving and interacting with this data. While this is a nice, inexpensive solution, it’s hardly the data presentation tool that you want to roll out to your core end users. For this a company should want a web-based OLAP front-end tool. To fit this need, SPSS offers OLAP Hub. This product provides an easy-to-navigate OLAP tool that requires no client software, and provides powerful reporting and analytical solutions to your end users. This tool includes the following:

• Report Depot, a secure environment for saving, viewing and distributing OLAP Hub reports and other documents
• Relational Router, enabling users to move quickly and easily via a web browser between information in a multidimensional cube and the underlying relational data
• OLAP Hub Scheduler, for scheduling the production of OLAP Hub reports as either HTML or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files

Although Analytic Vision is well known for our Essbase expertise, we are also one of the few consulting companies who also offer expertise with the Microsoft business intelligence solution of Analysis Services™. We can help you utilize the SQL Server set of business intelligence tools to implement an enterprise data warehouse solution, and then assist you with the delivery of this information to your end users with OLAP Hub.

ProClarity Analytic Suite
The ProClarity Analytic Suite is a leader in OLAP presentation tools for the Microsoft OLAP market. Their suite is comprised of server and client components that work together to provide your organization with a unique product-set to deploy powerful, enterprise-wide analytical reporting.

The ProClarity Analytic Suite is built for a publish and consume workflow, so that advanced users such as business analysts have the ability to publish business rule definitions, analytic best practices — such as queries and member/set definitions and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) — to the ProClarity Business Logic Server for consumption by decision-makers.

Analytic Vision is one of a few companies that can deliver highly professional and custom business intelligence solutions utilizing the Microsoft business intelligence platform. We understand that the complete automation of the Microsoft database refresh processes is only part of the overall development equation. Front-end presentation of business analytics is equally as important, and we will ensure that the delivery of this information matches the expectations and capabilities of your end users with the ProClarity Analytics Suite.