CubePort
Encyclopedia
CubePort is a commercial software application that converts from Oracle Essbase
to the analogous Microsoft
product Microsoft Analysis Services
, which is built-in to Microsoft SQL Server
. This application achieves this through various analogy mapping techniques, and is a standard client-server application that runs on a Windows computer but may connect to non-Windows servers. CubePort converts the various OLAP
structures and syntaxes in the source through an extraction process, interprets, and recreates in the target. The objective is to simulate exactly the behavior of the original source system to the target system.
The application also includes UI phases such as Authentication, Questions, Extraction, and Verification. Substantial testing normally occurs after the conversion process prior to posting the objects to production.
platform migration space. The product was design and created to provide an organization with the ability to move their Business Intelligence assets from one platform to another.
Unlike the RDBMS (relational databases) world where there exists the commonplace ability to migrate from one RDBMS product type to another, in the Business Intelligence or OLAP product space, this capability is currently not found in the marketplace.
The output objects of a successful run of CubePort are: A relational Star schema
and/or relational Snowflake schema
, OLAP cube
, Etl load packages, MDX (Multidimensional Expressions
) files, and others.
Essbase
Essbase is a multidimensional database management system that provides a multidimensional database platform upon which to build analytic applications. Essbase, whose name derives from "Extended Spread Sheet dataBASE", began as a product of Arbor Software, which merged with Hyperion Software in 1998...
to the analogous Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
product Microsoft Analysis Services
Microsoft Analysis Services
Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services is part of Microsoft SQL Server, a database management system. Microsoft has included a number of services in SQL Server related to business intelligence and data warehousing. These services include Integration Services and Analysis Services...
, which is built-in to Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, developed by Microsoft: It is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network...
. This application achieves this through various analogy mapping techniques, and is a standard client-server application that runs on a Windows computer but may connect to non-Windows servers. CubePort converts the various OLAP
OLAP
In computing, online analytical processing, or OLAP , is an approach to swiftly answer multi-dimensional analytical queries. OLAP is part of the broader category of business intelligence, which also encompasses relational reporting and data mining...
structures and syntaxes in the source through an extraction process, interprets, and recreates in the target. The objective is to simulate exactly the behavior of the original source system to the target system.
The application also includes UI phases such as Authentication, Questions, Extraction, and Verification. Substantial testing normally occurs after the conversion process prior to posting the objects to production.
History
The software was released widely in 2005. CubePort represents the first product of its kind in the Business intelligenceBusiness intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
platform migration space. The product was design and created to provide an organization with the ability to move their Business Intelligence assets from one platform to another.
Unlike the RDBMS (relational databases) world where there exists the commonplace ability to migrate from one RDBMS product type to another, in the Business Intelligence or OLAP product space, this capability is currently not found in the marketplace.
Usage Motivations
Motivations for migrating from one Business Intelligence platform to another, regardless of whether this is achieved through automated or manual methods, vary from implementation to implementation, and may include one or more of the following motivations:- Reduction of licensing or recurring maintenance expense
- Increase of detail-level of the cube
- Increase of the user count
- Elimination of cube load and calculation time constraints
- Elimination of pervasive vendor lock-in scenario
- Standardization towards Microsoft BI platform, where appropriate
Objects Converted
These standard objects in a cube are converted by the software with varying levels of robustness:- Cube Outline
- Cube Data Loads and Dimension Builds
- Cube Security Model
- Cube Substitution Variables
- Cube Calculation Scripts
- Cube Report Scripts
The output objects of a successful run of CubePort are: A relational Star schema
Star schema
In computing, the star schema is the simplest style of data warehouse schema. The star schema consists of one or more fact tables referencing any number of dimension tables...
and/or relational Snowflake schema
Snowflake schema
In computing, a snowflake schema is a logical arrangement of tables in a multidimensional database such that the entity relationship diagram resembles a snowflake in shape. The snowflake schema is represented by centralized fact tables which are connected to multiple dimensions.The snowflake schema...
, OLAP cube
OLAP cube
An OLAP cube is a data structure that allows fast analysis of data. It can also be defined as the capability of manipulating and analyzing data from multiple perspectives...
, Etl load packages, MDX (Multidimensional Expressions
Multidimensional Expressions
Multidimensional Expressions is a query language for OLAP databases, much like SQL is a query language for relational databases. It is also a calculation language, with syntax similar to spreadsheet formulas.-Background:...
) files, and others.