Power Development Consulting

PowerOLAP

Our goal is to put the information into the hands of those who need it in a way that they can get to it with the most ease. That is where On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) comes into the equation through the use of PowerOLAP. OLAP is the means whereby the user, with the right analytical programme, can access the data.

PowerOLAP has taken this to a new level.

Before PowerOLAP

How many times have you spent hours producing a report in Microsoft Excel, only to have one or two figures changed which entails redoing virtually the entire report. Either that or the report is so useful and appreciated by Management that you end up spending numerous hours every week redoing the report with current data. From there, the distribution of the report gets complicated and management end up using old copies without realising it.

This type of problem could, and has, cost companies dearly through decisions based on incorrect data.

The PowerOLAP Solution

PowerOLAP is an OLAP based product with some very distinct features.

Firstly, it links to your live data using the ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) link provided by your software supplier. Most systems today are ODBC compliant and can be accessed fairly easily. If they aren't ODBC compliant, then the data can normally be extracted to an ODBC compliant data source, of which there are many.

One such way is to enter the world of Data Warehousing using a database such as SQL. Another simple way which, depending on the volume of data, is to merely use either Text files or even Microsoft Excel. By using the ODBC links, data can be refreshed in PowerOLAP to represent live data normally in a matter of minutes. PowerOLAP will also link directly to other OLE DB Cube systems such as Analysis Services.

From there, PowerOLAP then produces a report, called a Slice, which is copied to Microsoft Excel where the report can be formatted or the data manipulated using all the tools of Excel. This sounds fairly mundane and ordinary, but the main difference is that this report can then be saved, as with any normal file, and when it is reopened it is still linked to PowerOLAP so the data is therefore 'live' data again with the push of one button. In addition to this, PowerOLAP has full drill-down abilities, both from within the PowerOLAP Modeller or from within Microsoft Excel . Your own data can also be added to this model and used in normal reporting. This data, such as Budgets or Forecasts, can be either loaded into PowerOLAP from Excel or similar or can be generated from with PowerOLAP itself by use of its internal formula functions. PowerOLAP is multi-user so all staff are looking at exactly the same data, still using Excel, at the same time

As mentioned above, PowerOLAP also stores data from other sources, either manually entered through Excel or in one of many other ways. In addition to this ability, you can have multiple Hierarchies of the same data. As an example, you could build a new company structure by grouping the cost centers in a different way within a matter of minutes and be printing your Excel-based Management Accounts seconds later. Try doing that with your current system. This also applies to tasks such as regrouping Sales Categories and such like.

PowerOLAP is a product of Paris Technologies, based in the USA, and their products include PowerOLAP, BIXL, (Business Intelligence for Excel) and Infommersion's Xcelsius. These solutions allow your transactional systems, your business processes, your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to be integrated with OLAP.

In addition to acting as a Partner to Paris Technologies for their OLAP products, we also offer the services of Training and Model Construction on a consultancy basis. We offer our services in the areas of Data Manipulation and also Microsoft Excel Models, Financial Sales and Operational and are considered to be experts in this field by our peers.

For more information on PowerOLAP, please feel free to contact us.
For more details on the products of Paris Technologies, as well as downloads, please visit their website: www.olap.com.