Overview of Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC)
Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) is a comprehensive and integrated analytics platform designed to empower organizations to derive actionable insights from their data, regardless of its source or complexity. Here’s a detailed look at what OAC does and its key features.
What Oracle Analytics Cloud Does
OAC is a single, unified platform that combines the benefits of governed, centralized analytics with the flexibility of self-service analytics. It enables users across the organization to access, analyze, and act on data from various sources, including cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. This platform is tailored to support the entire analytics workflow, from data ingestion and preparation to visualization, reporting, and collaboration.
Key Features and Functionality
Data Connectivity and Preparation
OAC allows users to unify their data sources using a wide range of out-of-the-box data connections and JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) for legacy systems. It includes robust data preparation capabilities, such as ingesting, profiling, and cleansing data using various algorithms, ensuring that data is ready for analysis.
Data Modeling and Enrichment
The platform supports the development of trusted and governed semantic models to ensure a consistent view of business-critical data. Users can create and share self-service data models, and the platform provides powerful inline data preparation and enrichment features, including visual workflows for automating data prep and enrichment.
Data Visualization and Discovery
OAC offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for generating data visualizations, making complex data insights engaging and easy to understand. It supports descriptive, predictive, and proactive analytics, enabling users to explore data on any device, whether on-premises or in the cloud. The platform also includes features for data storytelling and visual workflows.
Business Scenario Modeling
The platform includes a robust modeling engine that supports multidimensional and visual analyses, facilitating the creation of business scenarios. This allows users to perform what-if modeling and other advanced analytical tasks.
Mobility and Proactive Insights
OAC features a mobile application that proactively delivers contextual insights based on users’ daily activities and routines. The mobile app, integrated with the Day by Day native app, learns users’ patterns and interests to deliver intelligent recommendations for further analysis or data exploration.
Governance, Security, and Collaboration
OAC provides robust enterprise-level reporting, governance, and security features. It includes a semantic layer that maps complex data into familiar business terms, ensuring a consolidated view of data across the organization. The platform also offers fine-grained data-level security, enabling users to share reports while seeing only the data they have access to. Collaboration is enhanced through features that allow teams to share data and perform ad hoc analysis without managing multiple versions of spreadsheets.
Machine Learning and AI
Embedded machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are integral to OAC, enabling organizations to go beyond being data-driven to become analytics-driven. The platform supports no-code, 1-click analytics as well as customizable algorithms trained for specific use cases.
Scalability and Flexibility
OAC is built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and offers flexible service management capabilities, including fast setup, easy scaling, and automated lifecycle management. It can scale easily across the organization, from personal use to enterprise-level deployments, and supports both cloud and on-premises data storage.
In summary, Oracle Analytics Cloud is a powerful, all-inclusive analytics platform that integrates advanced analytics capabilities with robust governance, security, and collaboration features. It is designed to meet the diverse needs of various roles within an organization, from business users to data engineers and data scientists, ensuring that all users can derive valuable, actionable insights from their data.