This article is transferred from Yu Hongtao, author of science and technology business
For today's enterprises, refined management has become the source of development and even the foundation of survival.
Especially with the advancement of digital and intelligent transformation, data is increasingly playing a more critical role in the process of business management.
Enterprise data today is also more complex and diverse than in the past, containing a large number of facts and indicators. To query, analyze and process such data, and then assist in making business decisions, traditional relational databases are gradually becoming incapable.
The multi-dimensional database system was born from this, and has been favored by many business managers, and has become the "Yi Tian Sword" for companies to improve their management standards.
However, when mentioning multidimensional databases, many people focus on the technology, while ignoring its core goal of serving the business. Yonyou's self-innovated multi-dimensional database is not only in a leading position in technology, but more importantly, it realizes the deep integration of enterprise technology, data and business, and is implemented in many business scenarios to help enterprises make faster and better decisions and truly realize refined management.
Data-driven, supporting the upgrade of enterprise digital intelligence base
In an uncertain market environment, digitization is becoming an important way for companies to enhance their competitiveness. In February this year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Overall Layout Plan for the Construction of Digital China", which further accelerated this process.
At the same time, the gradual popularization of AI technology, especially the rapid application of AIGC, has accelerated the whole society into the era of intelligence. The integrated development of digitization and intelligence is becoming the main theme of the times and the only way for high-quality development of enterprises.
In Yonyou's view, the digital intelligence of leading companies has been upgraded from stage 1.0 to stage 2.0. In the 1.0 stage, digital intelligence is manifested in the innovation of local application scenarios, relatively scattered data, and only some platform capabilities; while in the 2.0 stage, digitalization is manifested in the integration of application innovation around the theme of production, operation and management, with emphasis on and systematic promotion of data Governance, fully upgrade the digital intelligence base.
UFIDA iuap is a digital intelligence platform that meets the needs of enterprise digital intelligence base upgrades in the era of digital intelligence 2.0. It consists of a business middle platform, a data middle platform, an intelligent middle platform, a low-code development platform, a technology platform, and a connection integration platform. Among them, the multidimensional data engine integrating storage and calculation is one of the five pioneering and leading basic technologies of UFIDA iuap, which is also the core technology of UFIDA BIP multidimensional database.
Although data governance and sharing and exchange have been implemented for many years, the current data quality of enterprises is still low, the phenomenon of data islands still exists widely, and data analysis and application capabilities are generally insufficient. "Blockers".
Different from traditional relational databases, multidimensional databases use multidimensional data models to organize and store data, and are mainly used to process complex and multidimensional data.
In a multidimensional database, data is usually represented in the form of a data cube, with multiple levels for each dimension and one or more measures representing the values to be analyzed and reported.
For enterprises, any advanced technology ultimately serves the business. In this way, multidimensional databases can easily query and analyze large amounts of data, have multidimensional data analysis functions such as slicing, dicing, and drilling, and provide rich data visualization methods to enable enterprises to better understand data.
UFIDA BIP-iuap, who understands business better, can make enterprise data speak for business through multidimensional database, and make data truly serve business. When enterprises store, manage, analyze and display massive data, they can use the storage-computing integration feature of multi-dimensional databases to carry out practical activities in different dimensions such as time, region, and product. Multidimensional databases can help enterprises gain a competitive advantage in data processing to make more efficient use of data for decision-making.
Solve management problems, not process problems
Enterprise IT personnel are already very familiar with relational databases, and use them to support enterprise process-based applications, such as ERP systems for procurement, sales, and accounts receivable and payable.
Multidimensional databases, on the other hand, are easy to understand from a business perspective and are welcomed by enterprise managers to support enterprise data-based applications, such as consolidated reports, planned budgets, and various simulation calculations and multidimensional analysis. These applications are called EPM, or Enterprise Performance Management.
It can be seen that the multidimensional database is actually used to meet the management needs of the enterprise, and its needs are generated from the strategic layer to the executive layer from top to bottom. Moreover, enterprises with a higher degree of refined management have a stronger demand for multidimensional databases; at the same time, they also have higher requirements for interdisciplinary talents who must understand both business and IT in order to give full play to the value of data.
Therefore, in the domestic market, large and ultra-large enterprises with high management levels are the main users of multidimensional databases.
Fujian China Tobacco uses UFIDA BIP multidimensional database to form multi-version calculation results according to different versions of production and sales targets and business rule engines, which greatly improves the efficiency of budget preparation. In the multi-dimensional memory computing mode, the unified data dimension and hierarchical structure in the application model can effectively solve the problems of inconsistent data dimension and slow operation efficiency, and support multi-model and multi-system to achieve high scalability of the solution to adapt to the rapid development of business Innovation needs.
A very large state-owned enterprise , due to the large number of industrial sectors involved, the number of individual companies exceeding 1,000, and the consolidation level of nearly 10 layers, the size of the group led to many consolidated and complicated reports. Based on the UFIDA BIP multi-dimensional database technology, the company consolidates the data foundation and unifies the rule model around the group's unified "one account" basic accounting requirements, so as to realize "one-click table output".
A state-owned enterprise at a certain level started to build a "first-class budget management system" based on UFIDA's BIP multi-dimensional database to support the company's strategic goal of "creating a world-class enterprise" and realize group budget management innovation. For example, in the budget preparation process, the budgets at each level can be summarized according to the dimensions of organization, line, market, product, project, activity, subject, etc., for comprehensive balance; Analyze and evaluate the budget implementation in various dimensions, and then examine the implementation of organizational strategies at all levels. With the support of multi-dimensional models and visual reports, etc., budget forecasting is realized, and group and provincial companies are supported in setting budget goals and preparing rolling budgets. Innovate budget management, strengthen assessment traction, ensure the implementation of the company's key strategies, and help the company's high-quality development.
Based on the actual application situation, consolidated reports, planned budgets, and job cost analysis in the EPM field are the three typical application scenarios of multidimensional databases.
Among them, the consolidated statement is to solve the external disclosure of financial reports (main schedule, multi-standard, management and financial consolidation) and internal management (multi-organization, multi-dimensional, multi-category, etc.) analysis problems in corporate management; planning budget is Solve the problems of pre-event resource allocation, real-time control during the event, and post-event analysis and correction; activity cost analysis is to solve the problem of refining the internal management cost of the enterprise, and optimize the operation through related methods to achieve the goal of cost optimization.
Achieve value replacement, not just functional replacement
Multidimensional databases originated in foreign developed countries, such as Hyperion, which was later acquired by Oracle, used multidimensional data engine technology to develop budget management systems as early as the 1980s, and has been widely used.
In recent years, with the improvement of the digital intelligence level of domestic enterprises and the actual needs of independent control, domestic software, including basic software and management software, is gaining more and more market space, forming a substitute for foreign software . Yonyou BIP, the "big country heavy tool" of enterprise digital intelligence, provides a domestic alternative solution for digital intelligence.
In UFIDA's view, the replacement of domestic software should not only be a functional replacement, but also a value replacement. The value replacement mentioned by UFIDA is a localized value replacement that combines index intelligence and innovation, which can provide enterprises with value exceeding that of foreign software, help them improve the level of digital intelligence, and achieve higher business value.
Judging from UFIDA's personal practice, its multi-dimensional database product is gradually developed and perfected along with UFIDA's process of serving many corporate customers. It has gone through three development stages, that is, three versions have been released.
In the first stage , Yonyou released budget management, BI and other products based on multi-dimensional applications in August 2004, and accumulated a large number of multi-dimensional application scenarios. At this stage, multi-dimensional memory computing and data storage technologies are in a state of continuous tracking.
In the second stage , UFIDA launched a new generation of multi-dimensional database and EPM software in 2019 with the in-depth understanding of application scenarios, research on international leading products and tracking of related technologies. This V2 version of the product has basically reached the capabilities of similar foreign products, and has passed the application verification of large-scale users, and can replace the functions of foreign software.
The third stage is the release of the current V3 version, which is the Yonyou BIP multidimensional database. Based on UFIDA's own patented MDS multi-engine technology and multi-dimensional convolution algorithm, it greatly optimizes performance, memory management, and data storage mechanisms. In terms of core capabilities, UFIDA BIP multi-dimensional database has reached the same level as world-class software, while in terms of domestic user's special needs, it has achieved a comprehensive surpass and realized value substitution.
At present, there are quite a few multidimensional database vendors in the domestic market. In addition to traditional management software vendors, some professional companies and start-up companies are actively participating, and Internet giants are also trying to cut into certain subdivision scenarios.
UFIDA maintains its leading position in the domestic multidimensional database market relying on its long-term technical reserves and accumulation of more application scenarios. Its "pure memory multi-dimensional structure" has obvious advantages in dealing with complex scenarios; the embedded computing engine supports Python, which is more suitable for the needs of business personnel in non-IT departments such as finance.
Future technological evolution and rich scenarios
Although the upgrade from functional replacement to value replacement has been completed, the domestic multidimensional database market has not really exploded yet. Of course, everyone has realized that this is an inevitable trend of future development.
In the future, with the improvement of the management level of domestic enterprises and the improvement of refined management, there will be more and more application scenarios of multidimensional databases . In addition to the three typical scenarios of consolidated reports, planned budgets, and job cost analysis mentioned earlier, it will also be widely used in scenarios such as rebates, fund planning, and profit analysis, thereby creating greater value.
AI technology is another major trend in the future development of multidimensional databases . The evolution of intelligent technologies such as natural language processing, speech recognition, and deep learning will enable applications such as voice wake-up one-stop financial report consolidation, intelligent prediction supported by deep learning and enhanced learning, and intelligent decision-making supported by intensive learning. Based on the enterprise service-level large model, it is possible to simulate, calculate and deduce data, and make real-time analysis and decision-making.
The evolution of technology and the enrichment of scenarios will make multidimensional databases play an increasingly prominent role in enterprise management. Like the "Yi Tian Sword" in Jin Yong's novels, the multidimensional database as a magic weapon is full of power, but it also needs to be used correctly to maximize its value.
This requires not only the unremitting efforts of software manufacturers, but also the further improvement of enterprise management thinking . After all, as the era of rapid and explosive growth has passed, future companies will increasingly need to improve their competitiveness in terms of refined management, so as to win a place for themselves in the future.
At the same time, under the demand of leading enterprises to upgrade their enterprise digital intelligence base, a digital intelligence base that understands business better can support enterprises to achieve continuous innovation and development in the era of digital intelligence 2.0. Similarly, a multi-dimensional database that focuses on enterprise business can better leverage the value of data, realize refined management and efficient decision-making, and promote high-quality development of enterprises.