Plan an Application and Cube

Decide what kind of an Essbase application is best suited for your business data in the Lakehouse.

In the previous tasks, you identified the dimensions and hierarchies that describe how users need to view the business. Now use that model to begin planning the Essbase application and cube that will contain it.

One of your first decisions is whether to create a hybrid block storage (BSO) cube or an aggregate storage (ASO) cube.

Start by looking at the shape of the model you have planned.

• Consider the size and number of your dimensions
  Dimension volume is part of the "ASO or BSO" decision process when planning an Essbase cube.
• Consider how users will work with the data
  As part of your decision to develop either an ASO or BSO Essbase cube, ask yourself questions about the expected user workload.
• Consider where users need to enter data
  ASO and BSO cube types both support data updates, but they differ in where data can be written.
• Consider how much aggregation the application requires
  Some Essbase applications contain large volumes of detailed data that users frequently summarize across dimensions such as Product, Market, Time, Customer, and others.
• Make an initial choice
  At this stage, you do not need to understand every difference between BSO and ASO Essbase applications. Use the business model you have already designed to make an initial choice.