Arbor receives U.S. patent for OLAP database storage architecture; action recognizes Essbase's unique ability to optimize performance.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 28, 1994--Arbor Software Corp. Monday announced that it has been awarded a U.S. patent for its exclusive method of optimizing the performance of multidimensional databases See OLAP. . The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recognized the capability to dynamically configure the dimensionality of the database storage unit within the multidimensional database implemented in Essbase, Arbor's On-Line Analytical Processing (database) On-Line Analytical Processing - (OLAP) A category of database software which provides an interface such that users can transform or limit raw data according to user-defined or pre-defined functions, and quickly and interactively examine the results in various dimensions (OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing) Decision support software that allows the user to quickly analyze information that has been summarized into multidimensional views and hierarchies. OLAP tools are used to perform trend analysis on sales and financial information. ) database server. the patented architecture ensures that managers and business analysts will receive optimal database performance for virtually any OLAP application, including analysis of product profitability, sales channels, inventory, manufacturing yields, forecasting, budgeting and more. Essbase enables users to combine and simultaneously share diverse, enterprise-wide data and rapidly analyze it from any perspective and at any level of detail directly from a spreadsheet or custom application. Essbase is commonly used by managers and analysts who need multi-user access to consolidated enterprise information, immediate response regardless of query complexity, ease-of-use through popular spreadsheets as front-ends, and powerful multidimensional analysis In statistics, econometrics, and related fields, multidimensional analysis is a data analysis process that groups data into two basic categories: data dimensions and measurements. of enterprise performance data. "Unlike other OLAP database servers, Essbase can adapt to different model designs and data distributions on an application by application basis. This patented method provides a significant performance advantage for those corporations deploying OLAP applications across the enterprise," said James Dorrian, president and chief executive officer of Arbor Software See Hyperion. . Patent: A Closer Look The patented architecture in Essbase was developed by Bob Earle, Arbor arbor Garden shelter providing privacy and partial protection from the weather, most commonly a lightweight, latticed framework (trellis) of wood or metal with interlaced branches of vines or climbing shrubs trained over it. founder and chief technical officer. It enables Essbase to dynamically adjust the dimensionality of the base unit of storage to be used within each application's multidimensional database. As a result, optimal database performance can be achieved in such critical areas as query response time, consolidation speed, disk storage requirements and memory utilization. "Performance and flexibility are critical issues for OLAP servers," said Richard Finkelstein, president of Performance Computing. "A patented ability to optimize performance regardless of application or data distribution will be a great benefit to Essbase users." One critical aspect when implementing any OLAP application is managing the balance between dimensions of data that are heavily populated pop·u·late tr.v. pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing, pop·u·lates 1. To supply with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 2. with data (dense) and those dimensions that have very little data (sparse). Without being able to dynamically configure the dimensionality of the data storage unit within a multidimensional database, the storage requirements become unnecessarily large and database performance degrades. Arbor's patented capability provides a significant advantage to corporate customers because it allows them to adjust to different models and data distributions and thus use Essbase for the broadest possible range of OLAP applications. Other OLAP database servers apply a fixed dimensionality to their internal unit of storage, or even worse, don't separate dimensionality at all and sacrifice performance with extensive compression schemes. The result is that users are forced to find ways to adjust their application to fit the database versus having the database dynamically adjust to fit the application, as is done with Essbase. "Corporations want to select and standardize stan·dard·ize v. 1. To cause to conform to a standard. 2. To evaluate by comparing with a standard. on technologies that have clear benefits and broad deployability. This capability within Essbase ensures it is well suited for the broadest range of OLAP applications and enhances Arbor's position as a strategic corporate partner," said Kirk Cruikshank, Arbor's vice president of marketing. To enable the user to easily take advantage of this powerful capability, Arbor provides a GUI-based configuration program that automatically recommends the optimal dimensionality for any given data set and set of data dimensions. Users can elect to have the database automatically apply the recommended approach or can selectively configure it based upon specific system utilization and performance objectives. This technique will remain a standard feature in all of Arbor's OLAP database products. However, Arbor has no plans at this time to license this patented method to other OLAP database vendors. About Arbor Software Arbor Software Corp. develops and markets On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) database products for mission-critical analysis of current and projected enterprise performance data. The company's flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , Essbase Analysis Server is used by over 200 corporate sites spanning a broad range of industries and business analysis applications. Customers include Bank of America
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648 ) is the largest commercial bank in the United States in terms of deposits, and the largest company of its kind in the world. , Chemical Bank, Emery emery: see corundum. emery Granular rock consisting of a mixture of the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide, Al2O3) and iron oxides such as magnetite (Fe3O4) or hematite (Fe2O3). , Fidelity, Intel, Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). , Neutrogena, Penzoil, PEPSICO and Prudential. Arbor's products are sold direct, as well as through systems integrators and VARs worldwide. Sales offices are located in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Sunnyvale and London. -0- Note to Editors: Essbase is a registered trademark of Arbor Software Corp. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Arbor Software Corp., Sunnyvale
Amy Bauer, 408/541-4048
GCI Jennings
Julia Scarisbrick, 415/974-6200
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