The workflow of data retrieval in an XOLAP environment is much like that of a non-XOLAP environment:
The model is designated as XOLAP-enabled in Essbase Studio.
The cube is deployed in Essbase Studio; however, no data is loaded at that time.
The Essbase database is queried using Smart View or other reporting tools that can access Essbase databases.
Essbase dynamically generates the required SQL to retrieve the data from the source relational database.