Informix Introduces Complete ROLAP Solution With Informix MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 26, 1998--
New ROLAP Option Provides Comprehensive Administration and Web
Integration for Client/Server Environments
Informix Corporation (NASDAQ:IFMX), the leading provider of innovative database technology, announced today the availability of MetaCube(TM) ROLAP Option 4.0 for the Informix(R) Dynamic Server(TM), a complete relational on-line analytical processing (ROLAP) solution that enables companies to dramatically improve the performance and automated administration of data warehouse and data mart environments.
MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0 builds on Informix's lead in providing comprehensive data mart administration and adds a robust security infrastructure, as well as sophisticated, intuitive web-based and client-server OLAP applications. Data mart administration becomes easy and manageable with new features like security and automated alerting, agents to automate complex data mart administration tasks, GUI applications that provide metadata management, and comprehensive security and sophisticated tuning assistance through intelligent aggregate planning. MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0 is the first OLAP solution to completely close the gap between client-server and web-based OLAP applications and its ease-of-use enables rapid return on investment.
"MetaCube 4.0 has unique features that should make it particularly strong with really large data warehouses," said Nigel Pendse, lead author of The OLAP Report (www.olapreport.com). "The innovative aggregate optimizer, statistical sampling technology and attractive Web options give it a real lead over ROLAPs in terms of both ease of deployment and performance."
MetaCube's Unique Features
MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0 offers the most advanced Web OLAP product on the market, Web Explorer, which closes the gap between client/server and the Web for improved user interface and functionality. "Customers demanded a Web OLAP solution that is is in all ways equal to client-server front-ends," said Tony Rodoni, general manager of the data warehouse business development unit at Informix. "They want the same functionality and the same GUI look and feel, but with no client administration, and that's what we have uniquely delivered."
With MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0's new security capabilities, administrators can now tailor access to a secure warehouse by user, limiting row-level access, column and hierarchy-level access, date and time access and system resources devoted to a user. "The intranet and Internet have grown the number of users who access a data mart from tens to hundreds to even thousands," said Rodoni.
MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0's Alert Agent feature notifies users when exception conditions occur in the database, and the MetaCube Engine leverages Microsoft's Transaction Server to perform load balancing and optimization on the OLAP middle tier. The RDBMS sampling has been integrated with the MetaCube sampling to allow users to estimate results without creating extra sample tables. An incremental aggregation agent leverages "join on update" capabilities and other RDBMS advances to improve aggregation performance. And a new SQL Optimizer interface enables existing 3rd party SQL query tools to automatically take advantage of aggregates, making queries process potentially orders of magnitude faster without changing anything in the query tool.
"The MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0 is a relational OLAP environment that leverages the power and performance of Informix's Dynamic Scalable Architecture(TM) by intelligently sharing critical and potentially resource-intensive tasks between the RDBMS and the MetaCube ROLAP environment," said Bob Moran of Aberdeen Group. "MetaCube differentiates itself from all competitors with the completeness of its agents offering."
MetaCube is the only ROLAP engine to which third-party vendors are porting. Among these major query and reporting tool vendors: Andyne Pablo, Business Objects and Seagate Crystal Reports and Crystal Info. These vendors are leveraging Informix and MetaCube for a core OLAP infrastructure that provides warehouse management, scalability, improved performance against relational data, security and consolidated metadata. MetaCube ROLAP Option 4.0 is one of five available integrated options for Informix Dynamic Server, Informix's database that supports both OLTP and data warehousing applications with built-in parallelism and dynamic administration.
"We are pleased with this next phase in an already successful relationship with Informix. We worked together very closely to develop an easy to use interface for accessing MetaCube data," said Peter Buscemi, vice president of Americas marketing at Business Objects. "Business Objects supports key advanced MetaCube features such as sampling and filters, and enables end users to combine MetaCube data with data from others sources, such as relational database and desktop data, within one report and then perform analysis and reporting while disconnected from the network."
"PaBLO 4.0 was the first Managed Query Environment (MQE) application to support Informix MetaCube, offering joint customers a high-performance solution for multidimensional business analysis," says David Waugh, vice president of product marketing for Andyne. "With increased server side functionality in MetaCube 4.0 and specific MetaCube functionality, such as ranking, sorting and filtering, built into PaBLO, customers have a solution that will grow with the enterprise not only in the amount of data and users, but with the complexity of the business environment."
About Informix
Informix Corporation, located in Menlo Park, Calif., the world's database technology leader, provides innovative database products that enable the world's major corporations to attain competitive advantage. Informix is widely recognized as the technology leader for corporate computing environments ranging from small workgroups to very large parallel processing applications. Informix's database servers, application development tools, superior customer service and strong partnerships enable the company to be at the forefront of major information technology solution areas including data warehousing, OLTP, Web/content management and distributed enterprise solutions. For more information, visit our Web site at informix.com . -0- (c) 1998 Informix Corporation. The following are worldwide trademarks of Informix Corporation; Informix Software, Inc., or its affiliates, registered in the United States of America, as indicated by (R) and in numerous other countries worldwide; Informix(R), Informix Dynamic Server(TM), MetaCube(TM) and Informix Dynamic Scalable Architecture(TM). Any other trademarks or servicemarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective holders. -0- Informix news releases are available at no charge through Business Wire's NewsOnDemand fax service. To immediately receive an index of available releases, call 800/356-0851.
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