KSCOPE 2019 session with Opal Alapat on Essbase SAS in Oracle cloud with analytics from Power BI

2. Essbase Data Insights with Power BI
Session 8326

3. Session Agenda
 Introductions
 The Why
 The What
 The How
 The Cool Stuff
 Conclusion

4. Introductions
Who are we?

5. About the Speaker - Kellyn
@DBAKevlar
dbakevlar.com
Data Platform Architect, Microsoft
• Multi-platform DBA, (Oracle, MSSQL, MySQL,
Sybase, PostgreSQL, Informix…)
• Oracle ACE Director, (Alumni)
• Oak Table Network Member, (Oracle)
• Idera ACE Alumni 2018, (MS)
• Friend of Redgate 2019, (MS)
• STEM education with Raspberry Pi and Python,
including DevOxx4Kids, Oracle Education
Foundation and TechGirls
• Former President, Rocky Mtn Oracle User Group
• Current President, Denver SQL Server User Group
• Linux and DevOps author, instructor and
presenter.

6. About the Speaker - Opal
Vision Team Practice Lead, interRel Consulting
• Oracle ACE Director
• Oracle Certified Specialist (EPRCS & EPBCS)
• ~20 years working with Oracle EPM/BI
• ~15 years presenting technical and professional
development sessions at conferences
• ODTUG Kscope19 Conference Chair
• Former ODTUG Board Director
• Co-author/author of multiple books on Oracle
EPM/BI Cloud:
• Enterprise Performance Reporting Cloud (EPRCS)
• Planning & Budgeting Cloud (PBCS)
• Analytics Cloud (OAC)
@opal_epm
womaninepm.com

7. What this Session is NOT
A bakeoff between Microsoft Power BI and Oracle
Analytics Cloud
A session to prove that one tool reigns supreme in features
and functionality
A sales pitch to buy one tool over the other

8. The Why
Why did we do this?

9. Two geeks.
Two rival products.
Because we can.

10. Recent Microsoft & Oracle Cloud News
https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/rivals-microsoft-and-oracle-partner-to-connect-clouds

11. The What
What is Power BI? What is OAC?

12. About
Microsoft
Power BI

13. Power BI- High Level
 Analytics tool and service that offers interactive and paginated
reports, dashboards and apps.
 Connects to over 90 different data sources, including relational, flat
files, web sites and big data.
 Interface options similar to Excel to data science and machine
learning capabilities for advanced users

14. The Basics
 Perform direct access if datasets aren’t imported directly into Power BI.
 Can clean, transform and refresh data inside of Power BI.
 Using Power BI Gateway, connect to dozens of data sources
 100’s of visualizations, including custom visualizations
 Support for Data Analysis Expressions,(DAX) Python and R, etc.
https://dax.guide/

15. Analysis Services,
(Server) →
Power BI Pro Power BI Premium Power BI
Embedded
Power BI
Desktop
Power BI Service
→
Azure Data Factory,
 (SSIS)
 Power BI
Gateway
 Databricks

16. Power BI Version Usage Pricing Model
Power BI Desktop Personal Use, no sharing capability, no
shared workspaces, etc.
Free
Power BI Pro Full Share rights with other Power BI Pro
Users
1Gb dataset max, 8 refreshes per day.
$10/month
Power BI Premium Enterprise Level, share with any user in
tenant, pro users are content creators.
10Gb dataset capability, 48 refreshes
per day.
$4995 per month, with
dedicated capacity, parallel
processing, on-premises PBRS.
Power BI Embedded App development use Charge per embedded
deployment
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/
Power BI Pricing

17. About
Oracle Analytics
Cloud - Essbase

18. Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC)
 Essbase with Reporting & Analysis
 Standard
 Data Visualization Cloud Service (DVCS)
 Data Visualization Desktop (50 licenses per OCPU)
 Essbase
 Standard +
 Oracle Smart View
 Oracle Essbase
 Scenario Management, Sandboxing, Partitioning, Drill through
for Essbase
 Enterprise
 Essbase +
 Business Intelligence (dashboards)
 BI Publisher
 Day by Day
Essbase
StandardEnterprise
Smart
View
BI Cloud
DV
Desktop
BI
Publisher
DV
Cloud
Day by
Day

19. Oracle Managed – Autonomous Analytics
 OAC Classic = User managed OAC
 Requires infrastructure setup and configure
 Requires technical resources to support
 Client managed application of patches, backups, etc.
 Full access to instance, scripting
 OAC = Autonomous Analytics Cloud
 Introduced in May 2018
 Oracle managed OAC instance
 Set up and configuration much easier
 Requires much less of technical resource to support
 Oracle automatically applies patches
 Many aspects locked down
User
Managed –
More control
Oracle
Managed –
Less Control
Can’t run MaxL on server / no
access to server
NO CDFs
Can’t change the server shape
(number of OCPUs, memory)
No control over when patching
applied (currently prod and dev
patched the same time)
Able to run MaxL
Able to created and use CDFs
Start / Stop instance, Control
patches and shape
Change server shape as
needed without interaction with
Oracle

20. OAC Essbase
 Multidimensional cubes are supported in the Cloud
 Create cubes quickly from spreadsheets!
 Multidimensional view of data through dimensions
 Common grouping or hierarchy of master data (e.g. Organization,
Product, Accounts)
 Data is stored for fast analysis & reporting
 Hybrid (default), ASO, and BSO supported
 Powerful calculations
 Granular security
 Enterprise-wide analytics & departmental focused analytics
 Partitioning, drill through
 File based and SQL based dim builds and data loads
 Sandboxing & Scenario Management

21. https://cloud.oracle.com/en_US/oac/pricing
Current OAC Essbase Pricing
*Everything is expected to change this month

22. Pre-Recorded Demo: The Underlying Essbase Cube

23. Pre-Recorded Demo: The Essbase Data

24. The How
How do you connect Power BI to Essbase Cloud?

25. Power BI Architecture
AD
Sync
Datasets
Dashboards
Reports
Power BI Service
O365 Groups
Power BI
Personal
Gateway
Power BI DesktopPower BI Gateway
Datasources
Datasources
Direct Query Refreshes
Azure Service Bus Relay
Publish
DesktopServer
Datasources

26. Connection Steps
 ODBC, (Database Only)
 Export Data as Excel and Load Offline as Cube
 Export Data as CSV and Load Offline as Table
 Web Scraping
 Rest API, using Data Direct

27. Export Option

28. Import Data to Power BI
 As a Table
 Power BI Desktop → Get Data → CSV/txt → browse to file → import →Rename
Table
 As Cube
 Power BI Desktop → Get Data → Excel → browse to file → import --> Bring each
table into data view:
Remove first nine rows
Make (new) first row column names
Remove storage column
Create Dimensional Date table to support cube

29. Data Direct Docker Container
 Download docker image
 Create docker container with proper port settings
 Log in:
docker exec -it dd_OAC "bash"
Install Docker Container to host Rest API

30. Connect to Web Source
 Power BI Desktop → Get Data → Web:
 <Oracle Application Cloud URL>:Port:hdpui
 Login with credentials as you would for OAC
 Web document with tables to connect to
 Choose to import or direct query
 Click OK
 Massage data as you would in Excel Cube steps

31. Benefits of Each
 Data Direct Rest API allows with real time interaction with data.
 Excel cube export allows for multi-dimensional model and use of m-
code to build template, (repeatable on each new load.)
 Table export as CSV gave cleanest, simplest view of data to work with.
Required least massaging of data to get working model.

32. Data Refresh Options
 Data Direct- Direct query, but often the connection failed and same
with import refresh. This was due to timeouts on network and web
portal.
 Exports, Excel and CSV- create shared file location and create script to
refresh on regular interval of export of data. Power BI user can click on
“Refresh” in interface to update data.

33. The Cool Stuff
What cool things were discovered?

34. Power BI – The Cool Stuff
• Ability to create visualizations, calculations and measures in just
a matter of minutes.
• Add graphics, backgrounds and professional reports easier
than working with Excel.
• Datasets can be refreshed on regular basis, but also stored as
part of report with other pro users or in the cloud.
• Can create multi-tab, interactive reports or build out
paginated/pixel-perfect reports with Power BI Report Server
options.
• Using Predictive Analytics, even someone unfamiliar with the
data, (like Kellyn) could easily derive value and understanding.

35. Power BI Output

36. Power BI Output cont.

37. Power BI Output cont.
Demonstrate trends over time.

38. Export Data Refreshes
• Source to folder can be designated
in Power BI
• Regular interval of exports can be
performed to this folder.
• Refreshing the report will update the
data in the Power BI reports, etc.
• Power BI Gateway can be used to
connect to the folder to the web
service.
• Less overhead than the Rest API, both
technical and network wise.

39. #!/bin/bash
mv ~/<dir with file>/Sales_*.csv Sales_pbi.csv
LD=~/<dir with file drop>/Sales_pbi.csv
RD=/home/www
# Path to SSH ID file (private key)
ID=~/.ssh/id_rsa
USER=username
HOST=<scphost>.com
BD="$LD/`date +%F`"
mkdir $BD
$USER@$HOST:$RD/. $BD
Automate Script Refresh

40. OAC Essbase – The Cool Stuff
• Fast, central data mart able to pinpoint and retrieve data quickly
• Can be integrated directly into Excel (using Smart View) to perform ad
hoc analysis against data and to create grid reports, while leveraging
native Excel features
• Can connect to a wide variety of data sources, and the list is
expanding!
• Direct integration with databases, harnessing both the power of multi-
dimensional in addition to relational
• Offers its own set of charting and dashboarding tools within the OAC
suite that can visualize and explore data quickly

41. In Summary
What did we learn?

42. Conclusion
Power BI offers an option to provide or enhance
existing analytics from exported data sets with
OAC Essbase, even for the novice user, at a very
low cost.

43. Lessons Learned
 Data is data – any good tool will find a way to connect to it
 Analytics tools do not always speak each other's languages, but the
fundamental concepts are relatively the same
 Although Oracle now has multiple partnerships with Microsoft, that does
not extend to all products – tread carefully

44. Questions?
Reference Power BI File Download Links:
Table: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cx369so0v7jr56u/kscope_tbl2.pbix?dl=0
Cube: https://www.dropbox.com/s/su462a05pb9ycb9/1st_kscope.pbix?dl=0