News
Crystal Releases BI Client
- By Scott Bekker
- 05/30/2001
Crystal Decisions, the business intelligence company formerly known as Seagate Software, produced a new Web-based client for business users this week that accesses SQL Server OLAP data.
Crystal Decisions calls the product Crystal Analysis Professional. The software loads on a server and can integrate with Crystal Enterprise, Crystal's new Web-based business intelligence delivery architecture.
The initial version of Crystal Analysis Professional supports Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services 7.0 and SQL Server Analysis Services 2000.
The company plans to build in support for Hyperion Essbase, Crystal's Holos, IBM's DB2 and SAP BW in future releases.
Users can opt for browser plug-ins or applets, but don't have to install them.
The interface is designed to allow business managers without OLAP training to see alternate cube views on each page and to be guided from view to view intuitively via analysis buttons.
Interfaces for report creation and more powerful analytics are available for power users.
Seagate Software changed its name to Crystal Decisions in early March, identifying with the brand of its ubiquitous relational database reporting product, Crystal Reports. –
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.