I was going through some papers today and I happened to come across a sheet of my notes that I jotted down while I was at ODTUG in New Orleans last year (the best Hyperion conference around, seriously).  Coincidentally, earlier in the day I also had a conversation with a colleague of mine who works at a sizable company that does not significantly utilize BI/EPM.  She said they had looked at some options, including Essbase, but at the end of the day that just couldn’t justify the cost to get up and running — especially in “this economy” where everything else is being cut back, scaled down, or eliminated.

My question to her was this: how can you afford not to?  I noticed that many of the points I had taken away from various presenters and people I talked to at the conference wove in perfectly with this company’s predicament.  In the next paragraph I’ve italicized my original notes and added some context .  So, is investing in Essbase worth the money, especially in this economy where each dollar is even more critical than before?  Yes.

There are countless ways for companies to improve their business.  Essbase is just one of the many tools that companies can put in their toolbox.  Many companies have built up vast warehouses of data over the years, but aren’t leveraging it.  Even if your company is already using Hyperion, Oracle, or other software to analyze data, there is probably a lot of room to expand the usage.  You know why?  Because companies under-utilize the tools that they have. It takes mastery to unlock the full potential of a tool.

Essbase is worth its weight in gold, because when it’s implemented properly, it can tell you a lot about your business.  Specifically, it can tell you where you are losing money. Tools such as Essbase and associated functionality are about doing business better, not just doing business. It is a very adept tool for painting a picture of alternative futures — because this is where the improvements happen.

I was pretty happy to come across a sheet of my notes that I had tucked away, because many of things I saw and heard at the conference were so poignant — and directly applicable to the real world.  It’s nice to step back for a moment from being so engrossed in the technical aspects of the technology and think for a moment about the bigger picture and why I do what I do.  I enjoy what I do because I have powerful and flexible tools in my toolbox that are the best in the business.  I do my best to put them to good use and this allows me to make a positive impact on the business, help people in the company (who in turn help customers — and the stockholders), and enjoy the recognition that comes from being good at my chosen endeavors.  And to top it all off, it’s just plain fun to be a cube monkey.