In general, modern BI platforms are very smart software that works with huge amounts of data imperceptibly for the user, performs a lot of optimizations and calculations, and should not require any special efforts, for example, to set up analytical reporting.
How it works
The overall architecture of the BI system is as follows:
Various ERP, CRM, CPM and other operational management systems, Excel files and other sources can serve as data providers.
If you want to modernize your analytical reporting and use OLAP technologies and multidimensional data analytics for this, then Ranet Analytics provides software products, components and services for deployment in a local corporate infrastructure or in the cloud.
Along with using Microsoft SSAS, SAP BW, etc. as an OLAP analytics server, Ranet Analytics also uses high-performance cross-platform components and analytics services focused on free open source software - Pentaho Mondrian.
In this article, we will not describe the functional features and advantages of the Pentaho Mondrian itself. However, so to speak, I would like to draw attention to a certain “social aspect” when using it.
Pentaho Mondrian is a successful story for both open standards as a matter of principle and for open source software. Now BI-applications built on Ranet OLAP have several options for using OLAP engines - Microsoft SSAS, SAP BW etc. or open source analytics server Pentaho Mondrian. And customers can choose which is best according to the characteristics of their OLAP application.
Vendors who embrace open source and open standards, and our Ranet OLAP team including, are effectively saying, “We have built our platform on open standards. We know that if we don’t live up to your expectations, you can just walk away. So we know that we have to remain the best platform for your BI-application.”
For Linux platforms, Pentaho Mondrian is the best choice for building solutions based on dimensional data analytics. The free edition of the OLAP server Pentaho Mondrian relies on the user community, while Pentaho support is also available.
Migrating BI Projects from Microsoft SSAS to Mondrian: Keep Previous Tech Investments
If your company has already invested time and resources in business intelligence on Microsoft SSAS, SAP BW, etc., then Ranet Analytics ensures that you can use your previous technology investments when implementing BI-applications built on Ranet OLAP based on open source analytics server Pentaho Mondrian. This allows you to achieve a high total cost of ownership and return on investment in your IT infrastructure.
Migrating BI projects developed on Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) to Pentaho Mondrian OLAP server gives your multidimensional data analytics solutions cross-platform while maintaining the performance, scalability, reliability and security available in Microsoft SSAS.
It is a common misconception that migrating existing business intelligence applications, especially data-intensive applications, to another software platform is a difficult, time-consuming, and often risky task. But with proper planning and organization of work, you can quickly port the key functionality of SSAS cubes to Mondrian with minimal risk. Our experts can help you choose the right migration tools and strategies for your unique set of data marts, OLAP cubes, and workloads, if needed.
Thus, the choice of Pentaho Mondrian as an OLAP analytics server when building a company's business intelligence system symbolizes FREEDOM: independence from the use of paid analytics servers and the freedom to migrate BI projects from Microsoft SSAS to Mondrian with the preservation of previous investments.
Customers love to have a choice, and our Ranet Mondrian is giving them that choice!
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