OLAP Option Wiki Update

The OLAP Blog team has been adding lots of new content to the Oracle OLAP Option Wiki site. To link to the Wiki click here. We have added both general and techie/DBA focused information. Don't forget the Wiki is open to contributions from everyone within the Oracle community: customers, partners and oracle employees. To join the Oracle Wiki community simply click here, or go to http://wiki.oracle.com/accountnew. Registration is free.

This is what we currently have on the Wiki for the OLAP Option:

General Information
Background and History - of the OLAP Option. This covers the key milestones in the development of Express and its evolution into the the OLAP Option.

Getting Started with Oracle OLAP - This is a series of shortcuts to get you up and running with the OLAP Option as quickly as possible. We have included additional reading material and links to all the relevant documentation.

Terminology - Covers the key concepts and terms used when working with multidimensional data and more specifically the OLAP Option. There are still some blank pages but we are slowly making progress.

Versions - This page provides the key features for each version, from the latest version of the OLAP Option (11g Release 1) all the way back to Express Server 4.8. The Express server product line does go back much further (I started with PCX2.5, I think) but there is no documentation to consult to extract a list of features. If anyone can fill in the missing products please feel free to add the content.

Oracle OLAP Newsletter - Links to the current newsletter and archive copies. We have extracted the main headlines from each newsletter to make searching for a specific article a little easier.

For DBAs and Techies
Script Samples - A complete library of 29 scripts to help DBAs and developers manage the OLAP option.

Oracle OLAP How To - The purpose of this page is to cover basic principles and recommendations around generic tuning of a database running the Oracle OLAP option. This page makes the assumption that tuning the OLAP option takes precedence over any other application or option on the server.

Did You Know? - this covers how to use the OLAP Option with other key database features such as :

• Flashback
• Recylce Bin
• Resumable operations
• Virtual Private Databases
• Job Scheduler
• ADDM/AWR
• Real Application Custers
  

Diagnostic Techniques - for those using the OLAP option. At the moment we have two entries but we are planning to add a lot more over time, and feel free to upload your own scripts as well.

• Diagnose OLAP API Client Sessions with SYS.OLAP$ALTER_SESSION (i.e., BI Beans, Discoverer for OLAP, Spreadsheet Add-in) (Link)
• Relevant Diagnostic Parameters for the Oracle OLAP option (Link)

New Wiki for Oracle OLAP Option

Did you know Oracle has a public wiki? And on that wiki there is a page for the Oracle OLAP Option? Well there is and it can be accessed from here:

http://wiki.oracle.com/page/Oracle+OLAP+Option

We (Brian, Jameson and myself) are slowly building pages and adding content. Although we have are making good progress, the beauty of a wiki is it's open to everyone so you can all contribute content.

Jameson has made an excellent start by uploading a large number of scripts to help DBAs manage and interrogate their OLAP environments. He has posted approximately 18 scripts and each script is located on its own page. The format for each page is the same: You get a description, the SQL statement itself, and sample output. You can access these scripts from the main page, listed above, or you can jump straight to them by going here:

http://wiki.oracle.com/page/OLAP+option+-+DBA+Sample+Scripts

Other pages on the wiki include:

• Background and history
• Terminology
• Key features by version (coming soon)
• Link to and Oracle OLAP Google Custom Search engine
  

The wiki is open to everyone (Oracle employees, Oracle Partners, and customers) , all you need to do is register with the site, at http://wiki.oracle.com, and you can start to contribute content straight away.