Hyperion Interview Questions:

Has Hyperion got the ability of doing ETL process also? (or) is it only a OLAP tool, How Hyperion differs from
other tools? Does MOLAP capability let it lead?
A: It is an OLAP tool, which gives lot more options in fine tuning your reports,

What is the difference between OLAP and ETL tools?

What is the future for OLAP and ETL market for the next five years?

Sol: Its a Business Intelligence tool. Like Brio which was an independent product bought over by Hyperion has
converted this product name to Hyperion Intelligence.

Is it an OLAP tool?

- Yes. You can analyses data schemas using this tools.

OLAP: Its an online analytical processing tool. There are various products available for data analysis.

ETL: Extract, Transform and Load. This is a product to extract the data from multiple/single source transform the
data and load it into a table, flat file or simply a target.

There is a quite a bit compitation in the market with regard to the ETL product as well as the OLAP products.
These tools would definately be widely used for data load and data analysis purpose.

RE:

How do Essbase integration services help in transferring data quickly?

Essbase Analytic Integration Server is a component of Essbase/Enterprise Analytics. It enables developers of

Essbase Analytic applications to map directly to relational sources in order to streamline the development/refresh
of an Essbase/Enterprise Analytics database. Once the mapping has been completed (preferably to a star or
snowflake schema) and a database has been created, Analytic Integration Services can populate the cube directly
from the relational source using a preferred driver. Should a designer determine that the detail data is best left
resident in the relational data store, they may invoke Hybrid Analysis, a feature of Analytic Integration Services.
This capability creates a hybrid analytic database, where the detail level data remains resident in the relational
source, and the aggregate and other calculated data resides in an Essbase multidimensional database. This method
mitigates the need to transfer source data to the multidimensional database.

2. How do OLAP data warehouses help to transfer huge amount of data?

OLAP is not a technology that would typically be used to in the construction of a data warehouse. Essbase and
Enterprise Analytics are ideal platforms for building subject matter data marts and are typically sourced from the
warehouse. In that context, Hyperion supports parallel loading and calculation to take advantage of scalable
computing hardware. Today, major corporations with thousands of users have deployed Hyperion in production
with over 150 gigabytes of information in a single OLAP cube and more than 500 gigabytes in a single
application made up of multiple OLAP cubes. If you are looking to transfer huge volumes of data from your
source systems directly to the Data Warehouse, an ETL tool would be an appropriate technology.

3. How does Java programming language help in Hyperion Essbase?

Java programming is not required to construct or deploy an Essbase analytic application. However, the developer
does have the option of utilizing Java in a couple of ways. First, Hyperion provides a fully published Java
Application Programming Interface (API) that enables developers to design and deploy custom analytic
applications. Second, the Hyperion Essbase calculator framework provides the means to define the custom
functions to be used the formulas within the Hyperion Essbase calculator language. These functions must be
written in the Java programming language. Any function must have at least a name and a corresponding Java class
name and method name. Classes are loaded and methods are executed by the Java Virtual Machine built into
Essbase.

4. How does Essbase XTD Q&R help to extend the Hyperion business intelligence platform?

Essbase XTD is an old version of Essbase Analytics. There is no such product as Essbase XTD Q&R. Hyperion's
System 9 BI+ platform provides Query and Reporting capabilities (Q&R) through it Interactive Reporting (IR)
module.

If your question is how does Essbase Analytics extend our BI platform, Essbase Analytics delivers meaningful
insights that are easy to interpret and understand even by non-technical users. Essbase Analytics enables
organizations to perform forward looking, or predictive analytics that go far beyond answering the typical
questions that Q&R tools were designed for. The Essbase calculator is the most sophisticated OLAP calculation
engine on the market, with over 350 out of the box functions including statistical, trending, and financial
functions. For managing finance or any other business area in your company, Essbase Analytics can deliver all the
analysis you require either through a single, stand-alone deployment that fully utilizes data from your enterprise
data sources, or as the foundation for custom or packaged BPM solutions.

5. How Hyperion's BI+ software is different from its competitors products?

Our pre-Hyperion System 9 offering featured the industry's most powerful analytics, richest interactive
dashboards, and the only BI solution with master data management capabilities. S9 BI+ improves our current
offering by bringing together the broadest range of reporting and analysis capability in the industry into a single
system, with one common Workspace, comprehensive MS Office integration, and one common set of foundation
services. Functionality includes: Production reporting, financial reporting, ad hoc query and reporting, interactive
dashboards, advanced analytics, and powerful visualization and data mining. In the past, users needed to learn
different tools, remember different passwords, and administrators had to manage users in different places and
maintain multiple systems.

BI includes a spectrum of technologies, including visualization, dashboarding, Q&R, production reporting and
advanced analytics. Hyperion has been in the BI market since the early 1990s and Essbase was named the most
influential innovation of the past 10 years by Information Age. Hyperion System 9 is the only solution today that
combines a business intelligence platform with financial management apps. Together through a shared foundation
service layer, Hyperion System 9 provides superior value and lower TCO. With Hyperion System 9 we introduced
a tiered pricing model that allows us to compete in the small to medium sized enterprise.

6. What was Hyperions market in last 5 years and what is expected after 5 years?

Hyperion is a leader in Business Intelligence and the top market leader in performance management, according to
the Gartners Magic Quadrants reports. Hyperion created the first single, integrated BPM and BI system with
Hyperion System 9. Over 11,000 of the worlds most demanding organizations trust Hyperion to help manage
their businesses.

Hyperions product roadmap is based on a plan to provide customers with a management system that looks across
the enterprise and helps them gain insight and make decisions that improve performance. Hyperion System 9 is
the first iteration of that system and is a solution that is affordable, expandable, easy to deploy and use. The
companys innovations to Hyperion System 9 will continue on the clear path Hyperion has already provided its
customers today.

7. What do you think is your biggest asset -- technical manpower, infrastructure etc?
 Unlike some of its pure-play BI vendor competitors, Hyperion System 9 Release 9.3 combines its
industry-leading performance management solution with a comprehensive business intelligence
platform. Information from one application can be used in another without opening and closing
separate workspaces. Additionally, some of Hyperion System 9 Release 9.3s most attractive offerings
have better capabilities than similar offerings from competitors.

For instance, Hyperion supports Google OneBox for Enterprise, a search appliance which helps users in
organizations to access information from all the business applications like employee directories, CRM,
ERP and business intelligence systems. Unlike corresponding programs from competitors, Hyperion
Smart Search has the added advantage of searching performance management information, in addition
to business intelligence data. Additionally, other offerings only search structured information, which
can be found in ready-made reports. Hyperion Smart Search will also look for unstructured data and
create an ad-hoc report.

Question : What separates Hyperions e-Learning from all the others? .

Answer : Hyperion has combined technology, product knowledge, and content to deliver training that is
both robust and flexible. We recognize that no one delivery method will meet the needs of all end-users or
fit all work environments. Thats why we offer several delivery alternatives.
Question : What kind of computer and bandwidth do I need to effectively use Hyperions WBT? .
Answer : Hyperion has added a new "High Bandwidth/Low Bandwidth" feature to the Web-based training
template. This allows the end-user to choose between two versions of the training. The high-bandwidth
version includes audio throughout the course and will require a slightly higher Internet connection speed.
The low-bandwidth version allows other end-users to experience training without audio and interruptions
in performance due to limited bandwidth..
Question : Does a customer have to pay Hyperions annual maintenance for resold tools?.
Answer : Yes, the first years maintenance needs to be billed at the time of software acquisition. Future
years are billed directly by Hyperion. ..
Question : What is Essbase XTD Analytic Services?.
Answer : Essbase XTD Analytic Services is the new branding for the Essbase OLAP Server, which is the
industry leading technology platform for providing Online Analytical Processing. Providing OLAP
technology for the enterprise is drastically different than providing transactional processing (OLTP)
technology. And Essbase XTD Analytic Services is custom-built to perform in this highly concurrent,
calculation rich environment. By presenting analytical applications in a highly navigable, multidimensional
nature, organizations capitalize on their investment by providing a robust platform for their reporting,
analysis, modeling and planning applications. .
Question : Why cant I understand the results I am getting from Hyperion Retrieve.
Answer : Rebooting the PC usually fixes any problems.
Question : Consolidation details can be seen in Hyperion Enterprise but not in Hyperion Analyst.
Answer : Parent dimension in your query must be included and set before you can see consolidation detail
in Hyperion Analyst.

Can I install different Essbase components on different platforms?.

Answer : Yes, you can install the Essbase OLAP Server on UNIX or Windows, and any client
installed on Windows will be able to connect to it. Essbase Administration Services can
communicate with the Essbase OLAP Server on any platform. Integration Server can be
installed on Windows or UNIX, and the relational data sources can reside on Windows or
UNIX. The Integration Services Console is a Windows-only client. .
How do you do the Data Load?

Through HAL we will load the data. We will place the data files in the interfaces folders for the master data and
transactional data, maximum we will try to load the data during the load zone time. Its an automated process and
as per the load zone time the files will be loaded in to particular environment.