First, evaluate the source data to be included in the database. Think about where the data resides and how often you plan to update the database with the data. This up-front research saves time when you create the database outline and load data into the Essbase database.
Determine the scope of the database. If an organization has thousands of product families containing hundreds of thousands of products, you may want to store data values only for product families. Interview members from each user department to find out what data they process, how they process data today, and how they want to process data in the future.
Carefully define reporting and analysis needs.
Determine the location of the current data.
Ensure that the data is ready to load into Essbase.
Is data in a format that Essbase can use? For a list of valid data sources that you can load into Essbase, see Data Sources.