Consider forecasting requirements

Essbase can also use existing business data as the basis for calculated future values.

For example, a sales application might contain actual results through the current month and use those results to calculate values for future months.

Before deciding how to implement forecasting, determine what the business requires.

A forecast might be relatively simple, such as deriving a future value from a prior period or applying a growth assumption. More sophisticated forecasting can involve trends, historical patterns, assumptions, and calculations that must be performed in a particular sequence.

If forecasting is central to your application and requires a repeatable sequence of business calculations, consider BSO.

You do not need to design the forecasting logic yet. First, identify which values users expect Essbase to derive and how those values depend on other data in the cube.