OLAP DATA ANALYSIS TOOL

CUSTOMER

Software4You Planungssysteme GmbH, the leading software provider in the area of personnel controlling.

CHALLENGE

The customer wanted us to develop an OLAP data analysis and reporting tool based on Ranet OLAP Pivot Table. The solution had to be developed on Silverlight platform, be web-based, and have MS Office style look and feel.

OLAP DATA ANALYSIS TOOL DESCRIPTION

Technology choice
The customer wanted to build the solution based on Ranet OLAP Pivot Table control, the main reasons for that being:

first, the tool covered all customer’s needs in data analysis and data visualization
second, it was built on Silverlight

The solution needed to have a ribbon panel similar to MS Office, and varied data visualization opportunities, hence we decided to use DevExpress UI controls for these elements.
Agile was selected as the development method, chiefly because we wanted to develop the tool in short iterations and have constant communication with the customer.

Solution
During the first stage of the project, we developed a prototype that gave the customer basic understanding of the business logic and the look and feel of the future application. It served as the basis for the end OLAP data analysis tool. The solution has a number of highly functional options for data analysis.

Data Sources. Users can set up several connections to data sources (Microsoft analysis services) and can create interactive ad-hoc reports using any of them.
Reports History. All reports are saved on the server and can be used when required. A new convenient folder structure has been recently introduced making it easier for the users to search for reports they need.
Privacy Settings. Users can set up the privacy settings in order to make the reports private, accessible only to the report creator, or public, available to all users of the application.
Two Platforms. The solution was originally developed on Silverlight. However, Silverlight has been falling into oblivion recently and is no longer supported by major browsers, so at the customer’s request, we have ported the solution to WPF. The single source code is compiled for both platforms thus making it possible to use the tool in both Silverlight- and WPF-based applications.
MS Office Style. We replaced the toolbar with a ribbon panel making the tool easier to use for people used to working with Excel.

RESULT

The customer was satisfied with the end solution that provided rich OLAP data analysis tools and reporting possibilities. We continue working on the project providing maintenance, support, and on-demand development services.