Microsoft Axapta with OLAP Reporting

TA enables you to optimize your business through a combination of domain expertise, process re-engineering, financial management solutions, technological advancements and outsourcing.

You as a business leader have a wider audience to satisfy with your decisions than ever before. You are answering tough questions from shareholders everyday about next quarter results, asset valuation, debt situation and long term profitability. Internally you have to monitor performance, create the right mix of talent and drive product innovations.

• With Axapta the OLAP functionality can be extended to business analysis and ERP data
• Users can be granted various levels of permission and access is granted only with registration on the server
• The security features of Crystal Reports can help control user access and action to the lowest level of reporting

The necessary approach to all these demands is accurate, reliable and timely data.

Axapta from the Microsoft stable helps business information to be transformed to strategic advantage. To support effective decision making organizations spend a great deal into collecting massive amounts of information and sometimes much more than required and used. With Axapta Business Analysis we can convert all this information into business insights for top management, mid level managers, marketing and sales teams. All the reports which were complicated and expensive to create can now be easily created and shared. You can have insights into your business, understand markets, trends and target customers to position yourself, before your competition can react.

Axapta and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)

Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) helps multidimensional analysis and reveals trends which otherwise many be not appear in normal reporting. An OLAP query also called the OLAP cube returns results from multiple tables, thus a multidimensional query. The OLAP query uses an OLAP server, the Microsoft Analysis Server, which is a multi user, high capability data manipulation engine designed to extract data from Axapta database and other such relational databases. Using pre defined views with Axapta 3.0 or other applications like Microsoft Excel this data can be transformed into business insights.

OLAP queries can return data from multiple tables also called dimensions. These multiple dimensions can be represented as a cube called the OLAP cube where each side of the cube represents a different dimension. Dimensions are data categories like product, region or time periods.

So to answer a question like "How many vehicles in Boston were in accidents in the year 2006?"

Dimensions:

Product - Vehicles
Region - Boston
Time - Year 2006

An OLAP query will retrieve data from these three tables (Dimension) along with an aggregate function (Sum- How many) to answer the question. The multidimensional query response can be represented like this:

Each dimension has a hierarchy of data so time is Year, Quarter, Month and Weeks where as Place can be Continent, Country, Region and City.

TA's Axapta expertise

ERP and Business Analysis

Mapping information between ERP data and OLAP cube was a challenge as information had to be mapped between different systems. With Axapta the OLAP functionality can be extended to business analysis and ERP data. All mapping are directly to Axapta, getting the best of business data, tables and extended data.

Multiple data sources and Languages

While creating a query in Axapta users can select multiple data sources thus centralizing data for analysis. The analysis can be saved in the preferred language and currency reducing the cost and errors in the process.

Cube Definition Manager

The cube definition manager is the administrative interface to Microsoft Analysis Server. There are many features available from creating cubes to advanced functionalities. The Cube Definition Manager simplifies cube creation which was a handicap with traditional OLAP where time and expertise were required to build and maintain the system.

Views

Unlike traditional OLAP with little or no flexibility to modify names of dimension, the Cube Definition Manager allows users to change names to suit their requirement. So if a manager decides to change the currency to suit his needs he can change it while designing the cube and the system will use the name and corresponding values.

Security

Access control is centralized thus reducing strain on your IT department and takes the management from user level to system level. Users can be granted various levels of permission and access is granted only with registration on the server.

Technology

Axapta Business Analysis can connect to any database with an ODBC or OELDB feature. It uses COM technology to integrate Microsoft SQL Server OLAP services and Microsoft Pivot Table. Microsoft Pivot Table is used to view cubes as pivot tables.

Axapta users and managing relationships

Axapta Business Analysis is the foundation for sound decision making as it provides top management with a 360 view of the business. It answers strategic questions like performance benchmarking, budgeting spends, market comparison and other insights.

Accounts and finance teams can use Axapta for their cash flows, rate of return, profit analysis and many other accounting and financial views.

Marketing teams can use Axapta for market research analysis, segmentation, competitor benchmarking and customer profiling. This gives them an edge to position their products to the right audience.

Sales teams can use Axapta for forecasting and sales analysis. They can have increased productivity and competitive edge by understanding sales of specific products in specific regions along with the sales pattern, expected demand and customer preferences.

With Axapta you can keep a watch on the pulse of your business by managing relationships with your customers, operations and vendors. You can closely monitor your supply chain, accounts receivable, revenue potential, and investment strategy.

Self sufficient system

Axapta does not use any third party tool or software as all queries are within the Axapta environment. With Axapta Business Analysis all your reporting needs are satisfied thus reducing time and cost. Axapta's intuitive interface with the drag and drop feature quickly brings to speed every user to start data analysis. There is no requirement to interact with any other third party software, which keeps productivity high and training cost low.

Thomas and Alex engages with its clients as an extended financial arm rather than an outsourcing vendor. We work closely with the clients' teams, processes and systems to identify bottlenecks, optimize time and cost and suggest improvements.

Inquire now