DB2 OLAP vs Hyperion Essbase (version, package)

[Gadi Refaeli]

Hello All,

We are currently considering DB purchases for a new system, we are
looking at Cognos, Oracle, DB2 and Essbase. We came across some
questions regarding Essbase and DB2 OLAP.

1. Are DB2 OLAP and Essbase are identical?
2. Does the standard Essbase SDK is provided with DB2 OLAP?
3. Does EIS is provided with DB2 OLAP?
4. Is there a way to get a "translation table" between DB2 OLAP and
Essbase versions?
5. Does any patch that will be available for Essbase will also be
available for DB2 OLAP?

Any additional information will also be helpful.

Thanks,
Gadi R.

[JC]

> We are currently considering DB purchases for a new system, we are

looking at Cognos, Oracle, DB2 and Essbase. We came across some
questions regarding Essbase and DB2 OLAP.

1. Are DB2 OLAP and Essbase are identical?
====================
Yes they are - IBM is a reseller of Essbase under the banner DB2 OLAP.
However, their version numbers may differ (leading to your question #4).
Skills are directly transferable between DB2 OLAP and Essbase - from the
OLAP server administration perspective.
====================
2. Does the standard Essbase SDK is provided with DB2 OLAP?
====================
Yes - the APIs are the same. Applications built for Essbase can work
against DB2 OLAP and vice versa (provided there are no version conflicts).
====================
3. Does EIS is provided with DB2 OLAP?
====================
I believe IBM resells EIS as well, but probably seperately. This is
something you would have to ask the IBM rep about.
====================
4. Is there a way to get a "translation table" between DB2 OLAP and
Essbase versions?
====================
IBM does have a document that compares the DB2 OLAP version numbers to
Essbase - but I'm not sure if its published anywhere easy to find (I did a
quick search of IBM's web site but did not find anything - but it might be
there somewhere).
====================
5. Does any patch that will be available for Essbase will also be
available for DB2 OLAP?
====================
Generally yes, but there may be a lag in getting updates for the DB2 OLAP
versions. In reality, this is not really a major issue, as most
organizations have a testing lag before they apply patches in production.
====================
Any additional information will also be helpful.

Thanks,
Gadi R.

=====================
The only major difference between DB2 OLAP and Essbase is that DB2 OLAP has
the option to build ROLAP cubes - something the Hyperion version cannot do
(EIS allows for Hybrid cubes, but not pure ROLAP cubes).

Also, IBM has ported Essbase to the OS 390 platform (ShowCase has ported
Essbase to the AS/400).

Regards,
Jade
-----------------------------------------
Jade Cole
Senior Business Intelligence Consultant
Clarity Systems
jc***@claritysystems.com
www.claritysystems.com

[Marcelo]

> 3. Does EIS is provided with DB2 OLAP?

====================
It is provided with DB2 OLAP. It's called Integration Services
(instead of Integr. Server). And you should configure it after
installing DB2 OLAP.
====================