Microstrategy World 2011 (technology)

One of the features in release 3 or Microstrategy 9.0.2 (yes it is confusing!) is the ability to use SAP BO, Microsoft Analysis Services, Oracle Essbase and Cognos TM1 as the data sources.

1. MSTR -> OLAP BAPI’s      -> SAP BO
2. MSTR -> XMLA Protocols -> MSAS
3. MSTR -> XMLA Protocols  -> Hyperion Essbase
4. MSTR -> XMLA Protocols  -> Cognos TM1

Most of these connections leverage security and authentication and automatic metadata replication.

Object Manager and Application Manager

Other new features include Object Manager and Application manager. Object allows us to manage objects such as metrics and filters, compare projects, merge projects and user profiles etc. Application manager, which is cloud aware, is another very powerful tool which allows us to design workflows using its powerful graphical workflow designer.

Application manager can be used both behind the firewall deployment and SAAS deployment. It supports:

• Platform operations,
• Services,
• File operations and
• Amazon cloud.

Also any executable file can be executed from within. It can also help to automate deployment and installations.

Another feature that should be out with the new release is Managing Governing that will help us to govern privileges by:

• Users,
• Applications,
• Application types,
• Reports,
• Report types

Governing can be pin pointed to:

• Change execution times
• Users session idle times
• Report Execution limits
• Session creation limits

Supporting Multi Talent Applications

Security and Dialects can be implemented in a single project using Internationalization feature. It also allows us to have different tenants have access to different columns.

Microstrategy Transaction services

This new upcoming Microstrategy product will enable businesses to connect mobile devices to back-end transactional systems and databases to initiate actions and transactions. This will make the apps bidirectional.

Cloud Intelligence

Microstrategy BI platform will be available in cloud as a service. This offering will have two parts 1. Metered cloud intelligence and 2. Named user cloud intelligence. Cloud will definitely be useful in places where requirement is of elastic scalability.

Self Service Data Exploration

At first look at seemed to be something very similar to Tableau software. Similar drag and drop interface for quick information discovery for exploration.  “Business users will become information publisher” seems to be coming true. Another article from Qliktech seems to be covering the same path.

Performance

1. Caching
2. In memory cubes
3. MDX Aggregated cubes