Preface

What this manual is about

The Oracle9i OLAP Services Developer's Guide to the Oracle OLAP API introduces Java programmers to the Oracle^®OLAP API the Java application programming interface for Oracle OLAP Services. Through OLAP Services, the OLAP API provides access to data stored in an Oracle database. The OLAP API's capabilities for querying, manipulating, and presenting data are particularly suited to applications that perform Online Analytical Processing.

Intended audience

This manual is intended for Java programmers who are responsible for creating applications that perform Online Analytical Processing. It assumes that you are already familiar with Java, relational database management systems, data warehousing, and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) concepts.

Before you begin

Before you can use the OLAP API you must set up the OLAP API client files in your Java development environment. You must also have access to an Oracle database instance. In addition, that database must include data that has been prepared as a data wardhouse and supplied with metadata using the OLAP management feature in Oracle Enterprise Manager.

Related information

For information on setting up the OLAP API client files, see Appendix A of this document. For information on installing Oracle with OLAP Services, see Oracle 9i Installation Guide. For information on data warehouse and metadata requirements, see Oracle9i OLAP Services Concepts and Administration Guide. For information on how to define the metadata used by OLAP Services, see the Oracle Enterprise Manager Help topics for the OLAP management feature.

Structure of this document

The Oracle9i OLAP Services Developer's Guide to the Oracle OLAP API is structured as follows:

• Chapter 1 provides an overview of Oracle OLAP Services and introduces the OLAP API.

• Chapter 2 describes the OLAP API metadata.

• Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 describe how to connect and discover the available metadata.

• Chapter 5 describes how to create specifications for queries.

• Chapter 6 describes how to select data.

• Chapter 7 describes how to perform calculations.

• Chapter 8 describes how to use OLAP API transactions.

• Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 describe how to use cursors to retrieve data into your application.

• Chapter 11 describes how to create and use templates to create dynamic queries.

• Appendix A provides information on how to set up the OLAP API client files.

• Appendix B provides information on how to use the Smart Agent Naming Service when making connections.

Related documentation

You will find the following documentation helpful when using the OLAP API and OLAP Services:

• Oracle9i OLAP Services Concepts and Administration Guide -- Describes how to use OLAP Services. It introduces the basic concepts underlying business analysis and multidimensional querying, as well as the basic tools used for application development and system administration.

• Oracle9i OLAP Services OLAP API Reference -- Provides online reference documentation for the OLAP API, the Java application programming interface for Oracle OLAP Services.

• Oracle9i OLAP Services Developer's Guide to the OLAP DML -- Explains how application developers can perform complex data analysis tasks (such as forecasts, models, allocations, and some types of non-additive aggregation) by using the OLAP DML.

• Oracle9i Data Warehousing Guide -- Discusses the database structures, concepts, and issues involved in creating a data warehouse to support OLAP solutions.