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More on Applix & Temtec

June 16th, 2006

Since I had more questions than answers about Temtec and Applix (see my last post below), I decided to take the bull by the horns and call Dave Menninger, Applix’s Vice President for Marketing to get a little perspective on what Applix is thinking. Here’s what he told me:

While TM1 continues to be the king of the Excel-OLAP connection, experience with customers has shown that not all business users of TM1 data are Excel users or like to work in Excel. There are many who prefer a full-featured GUI user interface. Applix had already moved to address this need with in the design of its web client, TM1 Web, but Temtec’s Executive Viewer offers a mature, elegant and powerful GUI interface tested and proven with “non-Excel” users.

In the future, Menninger said, Applix will integrate some of the features of Temtec’s product into TM1 Web as well, making it more friendly to a wider variety of users while continuing to support its customer base of Excel users.

I noted that Temtec today accesses other OLAP databases, including SAP BW, Microsoft Analysis Services and Hyperion. I asked Menninger how that plays with TM1’s server model and what Applix’s plans might be for the other OLAP technologies.

Menninger noted that the two companies have had parallel activities with many of the same relationships – Applix, like Temtec is Microsoft Gold Certified, and SAP certified as well. The big exception, of course is Hyperion, which has been competitive in many situations. Menninger said he hopes that Temtec’s Hyperion relationship will continue, and perhaps even increase. Hyperion and Applix, he noted, co-exist at many accounts, so there may well be a basis for a closer relationship.

Finally, as a hands-on integrator, I asked a strictly technical question. Does Temtec support writeback?

Yes, Menninger responded, it does write back, but only through the ODBO interface, which is somewhat limited. This, he said, may be an area of further development going forward.

Stay tuned . . .

Entry Filed under: Spreadsheets, TM1