SSAS, Cognos Power Play, and Hyperion Essbase are OLAP tools that provide: - Load balancing, clustering, and failover recovery capabilities. - Support for MOLAP, ROLAP, and offline cubes. - Common query languages including MDX, XMLA, and OLEDB for OLAP. - Features such as hierarchies, KPIs, actions, and security at the cell and dimensional levels. - Support for Windows, Linux, and UNIX operating systems. - Performance capabilities including partitioning and usage-based optimization.

1. COGNOS HYPERION SSAS
COMPARISON
Asis Mohanty
CBIP, CDMP
asismohanty@gmail.com

2. Comparison Product Version Info
General Information
Product Org Microsoft SSAS IBM Cognos Oracle Hyperion
Power play Essbase
Version 2008 8.4 11.1.1.3
Comparison is based on following Parameters
• Architecture
• Data storage Mode
• API and Query Language
• OLAP Features
• Security
• Operating System
• Performance

3. Architecture & Data Storage
Architecture SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
Load-balancing and
clustering Yes Yes Yes
Fail-over Recovery Yes Yes Yes
Supports 64-bit architecture Yes Yes Yes
Data Storage Mode SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
MOLAP Yes Yes Yes
ROLAP Yes Yes No
HOLAP Yes Yes No
Local
Offline Cubes Cubes Yes Yes

4. API and Query Language
API and Query Language SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
XMLA Yes Yes Yes
OLEDB for OLAP Yes Yes Yes
MDX Yes Yes Yes
Stored Procedures Yes Yes Yes
Custom Functions Yes Yes Yes

5. OLAP Features
API and Query Language SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
Parent Child Hierarchies Yes Yes Yes
Semi-Additive Measures Yes Yes Yes
Write-Back Yes Yes Yes
KPI Yes Yes Yes
Actions Yes No Yes
Multiple Attribute Hierarchies Yes Yes Yes
Named Sets Yes Yes Yes
Levels in hierarchy 2147483647 / Infinite
20,000,000 (ASO),
Dimension members 2147483647 1,000,000 (BSO) Infinite
Hierarchies in dimension 2147483647 256 Infinite
Multilingual Reports Yes Yes Yes
Support for Slowly changing
dimensions Yes Yes Yes

6. Security & Operating System
Security SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
Cell Security Yes Yes Yes
Dimensional Security Yes Yes Yes
Data lineage Yes Yes Yes
Single sign-on supported Yes Yes Yes
Visual Totals Yes Yes No
Operating System SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
Windows Yes Yes Yes
Linux No Yes Yes
UNIX No Yes Yes
z/OS No Yes No

7. Performance
Operating System SSAS Cognos Power Hyperion
Play Essbase
Partitioning Yes Yes Yes
Usage Based Optimization Yes Yes Yes