Vector Space Inc.

Writing about the origins of TM1, I realized that I knew very little about the developments that led up to the invention and introduction of this seminal tool. So I decided to take a detour in this account of the origins of spreadsheet OLAP. I called Manny Perez, who filled in some of the details, as follows:

In the mid-80s, Manny was managing a departmental IT group at Exxon International Company. Oil supply and demand planning were an overwhelmingly manual process, with paper, pencil and calculators. The only computer assistance was a rudimentary mainframe system that helped add up numbers from different offices.

The system was expensive and had few features; it seemed to Manny that it could be improved. With a degree in mathematics, it was clear to him that this was a Read the rest of this entry »

I wish I had a penny for every person who has asked me what Applix TM1 is and why we like it so much. Even enthusiastic users often know little of its origins. I thought readers of this website might want to know a little more –. I meant to write a short piece, but it just grew — so I’ve split it into parts. Let me know what you think. . . . David
###In the beginning there was the spreadsheet
TM1 began as a part of the spreadsheet “revolution” in 1984. Dan Bricklin had invented the spreadsheet with VisiCalc in 1979; Lotus 1-2-3 followed in 1983. This new type of computer application exponentially increased the ability of users to apply computer power to problems of their choice without expert intervention. Modelled on a simple grid of paper, the spreadsheet was easy to grasp and easy to use. Read the rest of this entry »

Following our [post](http://www.vectorspace.com/2006/07/25/palo-olap-review) on the new PALO open source package, Jedox president Kristian Raue agreed to answer a few questions about the company’s plans for the product.

### How is PALO planning to relate to the broader world of spreadsheet OLAP?
By July 2006 more than 10,000 people had downloaded Palo and we have 50 new downloads each day. So I think we have already had a large impact in the spreadsheet OLAP market. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then we see a request for the OLAP Council benchmark, last updated in 1998; since nobody else seems to have all the materials in one place, we have decided to put them here as a service.

• The specification can be downloaded here.
• The data generation program is here.

While it may be somewhat dated now, this is still the only such benchmark there has been. Our friends Erik Thomson and George Spofford of DSS Labs produced it for the OLAP Council, which was Read the rest of this entry »