Vlamis Software Solutions, Inc.

VSS Newsletter March 2003

In this monthly newsletter we inform you about recent and upcoming events in Vlamis Software and the Oracle business intelligence and data warehousing communities. We hope you find this information helpful.

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Vlamis Software is mentioned on the cover and VSSBA is highlighted in a nine-page cover story article titled Instant Insight in the March/April 2003 Oracle Magazine. Page 44 of the magazine features a half-page inset titled Vlamis Takes Advantage of BI Beans with Dan's picture. Jeff Spicer, Editor in Chief of Oracle Magazine, also mentions VSS in his Thought+Intelligence article.

Please let us know if you would like a copy of this magazine.

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Oracle Magazine's March/April focus on Business Intelligence continues with a four-page article on BI Beans. In the article, product managers describe in detail the process of building an application using JDeveloper and BI Beans. Read the whole article to see how Beans Make BI Easy.

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Vlamis Software Solutions has released VSS Business Analyzer version 1.50. This release includes a new thin client viewer edition and enhancements to the thick client version that includes additional Forecast methods and add User/Group Administration. The new thin client version can run on any J2EE compliant application server and runs in a browser with no client software to install. Call us or visit our web site for additional information. In the weeks to come viewlets showing the new thin client and demonstrations of the new thick client features will be available at our web site: www.vssba.com.

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Last month, Oracle released version 9.0.4 of Oracle9i Warehouse Builder. This release adds the ability to model multidimensional data directly and to create an Analytic Workspace (AW) directly from a star-schema data warehouse for the first time. A simple check box creates a script that defines and populates an AW. Another check box generates the code that populates the OLAP Catalog so that the AW can be directly accessed from a BI Beans application such as VSS Business Analyzer. OWB now provides a tool that can easily create AWs for use with BI Beans. OWB 9.0.4 can be downloaded at Oracle's OWB page. It includes many other new features too numerous to mention here. Check it out! An internet seminar on why you would want to use OWB to enable 9i OLAP is currently featured in the lower-left corner of the OTN home page under the link Oracle9i Warehouse Builder and OLAP

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Stay tuned for more information in our April newsletter. Can't wait? Contact us today for an update at 816-781-2880 or info@vlamis.com.

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Oracle has released a version of OLAP Worksheet specifically designed for accessing Express. This tool can provide a nice code development environment for writing Express programs, including debugging, single-stepping through code (GO command), and the ability to set breakpoints (WATCH and TRACE commands). Previously, this was only available using Personal Express 5.0, a much older product, or with certain versions of OLAP Worksheet installed with Oracle9i OLAP. OLAP Worksheet provides a command-line interface to Express and an editor for Express programs. The software can be obtained from patch 2731751 on metalink.oracle.com or on Oracle Technology Network under (Resources > Software Downloads> Oracle Express Server > OLAP Worksheet 6.3.4) or directly from this link.

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Oracle has announced that OSA and OFA versions 6.3.0 and 6.3.1 will be desupported in October, 2003, and OSA and OFA version 6.3.2 will be desupported in October, 2004. To see the details, log in to http://metalink.oracle.com and follow these links: Certify&Availability > Desupport Notices (up top) > BIAA Desupport notices > Submit. Oracle is encouraging all clients to move to the latest release of OSA and OFA, version 6.4.

If you are an OSA or OFA customer using one of these earlier versions, you will benefit greatly from migrating to version 6.4. You may not even need to do anything to individual user's PCs, since the web interface now does almost everything that the Windows client-server interface does (and more!). VSS is now offering a standard service package to help organizations upgrade to the latest release of OSA and OFA. For more details on our upgrade implementation package, or for a list of new features, contact us at info@vlamis.com.

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We feature breaking news in the "Headline" section of our home at www.vlamis.com. More news items can be found on our news page at www.vlamis.com/News/news.html. An archive of our newsletters going back through 2002 can be found at http://www.vlamis.com/newsletters. Our February newsletter featured articles on:

• Dan Vlamis Interviewed by Oracle
• Oracle Releases Great Sales Analysis Demo Built with BI Beans and 9iOLAP
• Oracle Ships Oracle9i OLAP 9.2.0.2
• Vlamis Working with Next Version of Oracle9i Warehouse Builder!
• Oracle9i Reports Now Accesses Oracle9i OLAP
• Oracle AppsWorld 2003
• See Vlamis Software at IOUG Live!

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