Computing giant IBM has continued the trend of packing more
business intelligence functionality into databases with the release
of DB2 OLAP Server 8.1.
The new software pulls together what IBM calls "hybrid analysis"
and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) with data mining
technology. Hybrid analysis is the combination of relational and
multidimensional data, such as OLAP cubes, according to Jeff Jones,
senior program manager of IBM data management solutions.
"In the past you've had to choose between OLAP and relational
data," Jones said. "Now customers have control over how to weave
together relational storage and multidimensional OLAP data."
Jones said that users can more easily find answers to intricate
queries as well as mine for data summaries or broader trends within
the data. The newer model also blends the scalability of the
relational data engine with the higher-performing OLAP, Jones
added.
Being able to run data mining on both OLAP and relational data
boosts the performance of analytics, said Mike Schiff,
vice-president of business intelligence and e-business at market
research firm Current Analysis.
"Allowing users to combine both relational and multidimensional
data will increase the utility of data mining," Schiff said. "The
ability to report from both relational and multidimensional data
also makes accessing information easier for users who could not
care less where it is stored."
Two of IBM's database archrivals, Oracle and Microsoft, have been
working to increase the strength of their OLAP capabilities.
Microsoft started the trend when it pulled OLAP into its SQL Server
7.0.
More recently, Microsoft has been involved with the XML for
Analysis Council. The organisation was formed to create a protocol
that the participating companies hope will become an
industry-standard messaging interface for business intellignence.
SAS Institute and Hyperion Solutions are also behind Microsoft's
efforts, though both companies are supporting Java OLAP (JOLAP) as
well. JOLAP, as the name implies, is a Java-based specification for
creating and managing data in OLAP servers and is currently in
development within the Java Community Process. IBM is also behind
JOLAP.
Oracle, for its part, integrated OLAP into its 9i database.
Previously, it was available as its OLAP tool Express. The company
early last month ended Express' life as a stand-alone product and
rechristened it Oracle OLAP with plans to make it available as an
add-on to Oracle 9i Release 2, due later this month.