"SAP AG partnered with Simba Technologies to develop and support the resulting OLE DB for OLAP Provider created for Business Information Warehouse. We were very satisfied with the results of this project as Simba was able to deliver an effective data connectivity solution that allowed us to meet the needs of our customers."
-Director Development, BI Advanced Technologies SAP Labs, LLC.
SAP required an open data connectivity interface on Business Information Warehouse. The business objective was clear - to provide their customers with choice and flexibility, regarding the third-party Business Intelligence tools they could use with Business Information Warehouse. In order to meet the needs of their customers, SAP was required to find a technology solution that could facilitate the use of a variety of third-party Business Intelligence tools, while ensuring that the solution met stringent business requirements and could be delivered in a timely fashion to meet tight deadlines.
Simba has been successful working with SAP to develop a complete open connectivity solution for Business Information Warehouse. As a result of our relationship, SAP has been able to focus on improving Business Information Warehouse, while Simba has focused on developing and advancing the OLE DB for OLAP Provider in accordance with the associated open standard. In doing so, both parties have focused on what they do best.
As a result of this work, SAP has been able to allow their customers choice and flexibility regarding the type of third-party Business Intelligence tools they can use with Business Information Warehouse, which has helped increase the rate of adoption of this product and thereby increased the market thrust of their mySAP Business Intelligence Solution.
SAP AG (SAP) is a recognized leader in providing enterprise level software and collaborative e-business solutions to a global customer base in every major market. Its mySAP Business Suite is a family of solutions that provides business applications for a variety of business verticals including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Human Resources, Financials and Business Intelligence. In the late 1990s, SAP introduced a data-warehousing product Business Information Warehouse, as the foundation of its mySAP Business Intelligence Solution to meet the expanding analytical needs of their customers.
SAP decided that it would be beneficial to attain an open interface through which their customers would have the choice of connecting a variety of third-party Business Intelligence tools that could be used for data analysis and reporting.
As a result, SAP explored the various options available to them for securing a robust and stable data connectivity solution for Business Information Warehouse that would meet the exacting needs of their customers.
Simba Technologies Inc. (Simba) offers SimbaProvider SDK a Software Development Toolkit (SDK) that provides OLE DB for OLAP connectivity to underlying proprietary data sources.
After evaluating the abilities of the Simba team, SAP realized that Simba would be an excellent partner to provide a stable and robust interface that could be rapidly integrated into Business Information Warehouse. SAP was particularly impressed with the engineering knowledge and data connectivity expertise that was demonstrated by Simba. Moreover, SAP recognized that OLE DB for OLAP was an open data connectivity standard that was gaining increasing acceptance in the marketplace.
In late 1997, after an extensive technical review process SAP chose to partner with Simba for development of the open interface for Business Information Warehouse. In doing so, SAP secured Simba to develop and support the resulting OLE DB for OLAP Provider while SAP concurrently developed an MDX Engine that, when combined with the OLE DB for OLAP Provider, would provide a complete open connectivity solution for Business Information Warehouse.
SAP required an open data connectivity interface on Business Information Warehouse. The business objective was clear - to provide their customers with choice and flexibility regarding the third-party Business Intelligence tools they could use with Business Information Warehouse.
In order to meet the needs of their customers, SAP was required to find a technology solution that could facilitate the use of a variety of third-party Business Intelligence tools while ensuring that the solution met stringent business requirements and could be delivered in a timely fashion to meet tight deadlines.
By partnering with Simba SAP leveraged our core competency in data connectivity to ensure that the capabilities of Business Information Warehouse were enhanced in a manner that met their business objective.
The solution that Simba provided to SAP involved the following activities.
Building and Testing Provider
For approximately seven months Simba created a highly specialized OLE DB for OLAP Provider for Business Information Warehouse. To ensure proper functionality of the Provider, Simba conducted extensive testing that involved ensuring a successful implementation of OLE DB for OLAP within the Provider in relation to a variety of Business Intelligence tools from third-party vendors.
Integrating Provider with Business Information Warehouse
Once the Provider had been built and tested, Simba integrated it into Business Information Warehouse to interoperate with the separate MDX Engine that had been built, tested and integrated by SAP.
Ongoing Support for Provider
Since completing the original OLE DB for OLAP Provider for SAP in 1998, Simba has continued to fully support this product and has provided two major upgrades and a series of minor upgrades to SimbaProvider SDK during this period of time to permit enhanced capabilities to SAP.
Simba has been successful working with SAP to develop a complete open connectivity solution for Business Information Warehouse. As a result of our relationship, SAP has been able to focus on improving Business Information Warehouse, while Simba has focused on developing and advancing the OLE DB for OLAP Provider in accordance with the associated open standard. In doing so, both parties have focused on what they do best.
As a result of this work, SAP has been able to allow its customers choice and flexibility regarding the type of third-party Business Intelligence tools they can use with Business Information Warehouse, which has helped increase the rate of adoption of this product and thereby increased the market thrust of their mySAP Business Intelligence Solution.
Simba and SAP have developed a strong relationship, and Simba continues to work with SAP to address certain strategic data connectivity challenges.
Simba Technologies Inc. is the recognized world leader in standards-based data access products and solutions. Simba works with the world's leading software companies to deliver first class data connectivity solutions.
Simba is a pioneer in ODBC, MDX, ODBO and XMLA. Since 1991, Simba has developed advanced data access solutions for thousands of end users. Today, more than half of all MDX providers have been built with Simba technology, and through a partnership with Microsoft, Simba's SQL technology has been installed on more than 30 million desktops worldwide.
Simba's firm commitment to delivering the highest customer value through innovative solutions and expert support has gained the company a reputation as the industry leader for data connectivity solutions.
For more information about Simba's data connectivity products and services, visit www.simba.com or call 1.604.633.0008.
The SAP name and logo and the Business Information Warehouse name and logo are trademarks of SAP AG. Additional product names indicated herein may also be registered trademarks of other companies.
