Palo (OLAP database)

Last updated
Palo
Palo Logo 2013.png
Developer(s) Jedox AG
Stable release
2018.1 / June 4, 2018;5 months ago (2018-06-04)
Operating system Linux, Windows
Type OLAP
License GPL v2, LGPL until v5.1 Proprietary from v5.1
Website jedox.com

Palo is a memory resident multidimensional (online analytical processing (OLAP) or multidimensional online analytical processing (MOLAP)) database server and typically used as a business intelligence tool for controlling and budgeting purposes with spreadsheet software acting as the user interface. Beyond the multidimensional data concept, Palo enables multiple users to share one centralised data storage (single version of the truth).

Online analytical processing, or OLAP, is an approach to answer multi-dimensional analytical (MDA) queries swiftly in computing. OLAP is part of the broader category of business intelligence, which also encompasses relational databases, report writing and data mining. Typical applications of OLAP include business reporting for sales, marketing, management reporting, business process management (BPM), budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting and similar areas, with new applications emerging, such as agriculture. The term OLAP was created as a slight modification of the traditional database term online transaction processing (OLTP).

Database organized collection of data

A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored and accessed electronically from a computer system. Where databases are more complex they are often developed using formal design and modeling techniques.

Business intelligence (BI) comprises the strategies and technologies used by enterprises for the data analysis of business information. BI technologies provide historical, current and predictive views of business operations. Common functions of business intelligence technologies include reporting, online analytical processing, analytics, data mining, process mining, complex event processing, business performance management, benchmarking, text mining, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics. BI technologies can handle large amounts of structured and sometimes unstructured data to help identify, develop and otherwise create new strategic business opportunities. They aim to allow for the easy interpretation of these big data. Identifying new opportunities and implementing an effective strategy based on insights can provide businesses with a competitive market advantage and long-term stability.

Contents

This type of database is suitable to handle complex data models for business management and statistics. Apart from multidimensional queries, data can also be written back and consolidated in real-time. To give rapid access to all data, Palo stores them in the memory during run time. The server is available as open-source and proprietary software.

Open-source software software licensed to ensure source code usage rights

Open-source software (OSS) is a type of computer software in which source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is a prominent example of open collaboration.

Proprietary software, also known as "closed-source software", is a non-free computer software for which the software's publisher or another person retains intellectual property rights—usually copyright of the source code, but sometimes patent rights.

Jedox was founded by Kristian Raue in 2002 and developed by Jedox AG, a company based in Freiburg, Germany. The firm currently employs approximately 100 people. Kristian Raue's departure from Jedox was announced in June 2014. [1]

Jedox

Jedox is an Enterprise Performance Management software which is used to create planning, analytics and reporting solutions. Its core is a cell-oriented, multi-dimensional in-memory OLAP database that has been especially designed for budgeting and forecasting, and data consolidation. The software has a modular Software as a Service platform. It uses Microsoft Excel as its user interface and a Jedox-specific spreadsheet, both browser independent. Jedox is developed by the software provider of the same name.

Features

Palo for Excel is an open source plug-in for Microsoft Excel. There is also an open source plug-in for OpenOffice.org named PalOOCa (discontinued), with Java and web client also available from the JPalo project. [2] Palo can also be integrated into other systems via its client libraries for Java, PHP, C/C++, or .NET Framework. It is fairly easy to communicate with Palo OLAP Server, since it uses representational state transfer (REST).

Plug-in (computing) software component that adds a specific feature to an existing software application

In computing, a plug-in is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program. When a program supports plug-ins, it enables customization.

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet editor, part of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in 1993, and it has replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets. Excel forms part of the Microsoft Office suite of software.

OpenOffice.org free software office suite

OpenOffice.org (OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is a discontinued open-source office suite. It was an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice, which Sun Microsystems acquired in 1999 for internal use.

Starting in October 2008, Palo supports XML for Analysis and MultiDimensional eXpressions (MDX) APIs for connectivity, and OLE DB for OLAP interface which allows standard Excel pivot tables to serve as a client tool. [3] Starting September 2011, Palo supports SDX dialect of LINQ.

XML for Analysis is an industry standard for data access in analytical systems, such as OLAP and data mining. XMLA is based on other industry standards such as XML, SOAP and HTTP. XMLA is maintained by XMLA Council with Microsoft, Hyperion and SAS being the official XMLA Council founder members.

Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) is a query language for online analytical processing (OLAP) using a database management system. Much like SQL, it is a query language for OLAP cubes. It is also a calculation language, with syntax similar to spreadsheet formulas.

OLE DB for OLAP is a Microsoft published specification and an industry standard for multi-dimensional data processing. ODBO is the standard application programming interface (API) for exchanging metadata and data between an OLAP server and a client on a Windows platform. ODBO extends the ability of OLE DB to access multi-dimensional (OLAP) data stores.

Palo also provides a web-based spreadsheet interface called Palo Web. [4]

Architecture

Palo Suite is a tightly integrated framework consisting of: Palo MOLAP Server, Palo ETL Server, Palo Web (Palo Spreadsheet - Connection, User, ETL, File and Report Manager), Palo for Excel, Palo Supervision Server and the Palo Client Libraries.

The Data in Palo database is stored as a cube in the Palo MOLAP server. The Palo Excel Add-In component is used as a service to communicate between the Excel and the Palo MOLAP Server.

Licensing

Jedox announced only commercial licensing is available since 5.1 version (2015).

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Jedox announces founder's departure Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine .
  2. ↑ Tools, Consulting and Service for Palo
  3. ↑ "Palo Open Source OLAP Server now supports MDX and Excel Pivot Tables".
  4. ↑ Palo Web Archived 2012-07-20 at the Wayback Machine .

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