What is it ?

3-way TANGRAM is a DSS-OLAP product, basically a powerful and versatile handler of multi-way tables (also known as hypercubes).

Main features

• Handles numeric cubes and the associated metadata (labels, namesystems)

• The simplest structure is a 3-way cube with specialized dimensions (Variables, Periods, Items). Hypercubes with a maximum of 15 dimensions can also be handled and published.

• End-user menus entail about 100 modules:

  • analysis modules, including computations, cube merging, sensitivity analysis, time intelligence, free format queries, HTML, XML and LaTeX outputs, ...

  • administrator modules, including cube building from flat file.

  • namesystem handling modules.

  • macro and library management modules.

• Over 600 functions and keywords (most of them are available to fearless users).

• Three open-ended keyword languages.

• A robust macro system to save all user activities.

• No unnecessary system limitations.

• Power to handle very large cubes (max 250 million cells) even on a PC.
  
  

Philosophy

• a toolkit of hypercube primitives, available to the end user via menus and to the application developer via calls.

• emphasis on modularity and ease of integration.

• no restriction on the direct use of the interpreter, even in user replies.

• sound and stable theory.

• emphasis on keyword-oriented development, open-ended languages (for query, computation, cube reshaping, set operations,...)

• open system (documented formats, numerous interface points, set of general-purpose GUI modules, ...)

• reliability, transparency, portability.
  
  

Intended users

• company analysts who must handle large data volumes and complex data structures, reconfigure applications in a matter of hours and react to unanticipated requests within minutes.

• application developers who need a stable and reliable development environment, access to large- medium- and small- building blocks and a productive language.
  
  

Platforms and technical aspects

The product is based on the Dyalog 8.1.5 interpreter and requires any Windows version. (Note - TANGRAM also runs under Windows Vista, but this version has not been officially released yet).

An Excel add-on is available for accessing, slicing and printing TANGRAM databases. (see TANGRAM reader)

TANGRAM supports the following data formats: Excel, HTML, XML, LaTeX, PostScript, Acrobat, text files, Windows metafiles.

TANGRAM is easily ported to other platforms and future plans include a LINUX version.

Product history

The product was originally designed by Mauro Guazzo and has been around for over ten years.

Before becoming a popular OLAP for fast application development (now used by more than 1200 problem analysts) TANGRAM has been carefully field-tested as a development tool to deliver turn-key OLAP applications (about 60 different applications, 200 licenses).

This early consultancy phase is a guarantee that TANGRAM is equipped to handle all typical company applications (e.g. budget, consolidation, market analysis, reporting, planning, what-if, ...).

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