Palo 2.5 Debuts, Delivering Even Faster Access To Centralized Excel Spreadsheet Data

Commercial Open Source Product from Jedox Allows Companies to Maintain Key Spreadsheets
On Central Server; “Single Point of Truth” Supports Real-Time Data Updates by Users

Freiburg, 1 July 2008 - Jedox AG, a leading global provider of enterprise technologies for Microsoft® Excel® applications, today announced the release of Palo 2.5, the latest version of its flagship application that allows enterprises to centralize key Excel spreadsheet data for use throughout the organization.  Leading the lineup of valuable improvements to Palo 2.5 are a newly-optimized MOLAP (Multidimensional OnLine Analytical Processing) engine and intelligent local data cache, giving users even faster read and write-back performance.  Other improvements include faster multi-dimensional data processing, an enhanced multidimensional formula editor, and an advanced query capability.

Palo is a multi-user, high performance data server application that allows workers throughout an enterprise to access, change, and collaborate on multiple spreadsheets in real-time.  The free product, also available in professional, enterprise and government versions, uses a unique MOLAP (In-Memory OLAP data server) architecture to provide lightning-fast data retrieval and system performance.

As a “commercial open source” solution, Palo combines the flexibility and freedom of the GPL open source license with a business-grade software development staff, full technical support, quality control, code maintenance and much more.  Jedox also offers additional server applications that extend Palo’s capabilities for Web reporting and data entry, establishment of workflow and process rules, and ETL (Extract/Transform/Load) from heterogeneous data sources.

“Palo OLAP Server allows the modern enterprise to establish a ‘single point of truth’ for mission-critical Excel spreadsheets impacting multiple users and essential business functions,” said Kristian Raue, founder and CEO of Jedox AG.  “Palo is the first open source solution to go beyond reporting and analysis to also support planning, data consolidation, scenario and ‘what-if’ capabilities.  And now, with Version 2.5, users will benefit from even faster performance—as well as a number of powerful new query and reporting features.”

Fastest Available

Palo 2.5 is perhaps the fastest server-based application available today for real-time, multi-user Excel spreadsheet collaboration.  Its optimized MOLAP engine uses new, more sophisticated processing algorithms to speed read and write-back tasks; in addition its workstation-resident data cache uses “intelligent” technology to reduce calls to the central server.  For example, by storing the last data query locally, Palo 2.5 can quickly decide whether the next analysis requires reaching back to the server.  Palo 2.5 also knows whether or not a request requires the latest value or formula changes, enabling more tasks to be executed at the client, rather at the server.

To deliver faster computational performance, Palo 2.5 optimizes execution of multidimensional cube formulas.  The improvement not only computes values faster, but also supports more sophisticated formulas for higher-level analysis and planning.

Greater Convenience, Performance

Other new features in Palo 2.5 include the following:

• Zero Suppression — By allowing users to suppress the zeros in empty cells when preparing reports, Palo 2.5 addresses only those cells that contain real data, making reports and planning documents more compact, meaningful and readable.
• Advanced Query — Palo 2.5 lets users pose more sophisticated questions such as “What are the 20% of products that are responsible for 80% of revenue?”  The capability also makes ABC Analysis, a technique for discriminating influence of certain classes of inventory on operating costs, easier and faster.
• Drill-Through — Allows users to quickly reach back through aggregated data held in RAM to source data when needed.  The capability optimizes performance, ensuring access to all data sets without sacrificing operational speed.
• Microsoft Office “Ribbon” Support — Palo 2.5 offers support for Microsoft’s “ribbon” interface available in the Office 2007 suite of applications including Excel 2007.  By enabling the “ribbon” menu, which buttons for common functions across the top of the screen, users can more quickly adapt to the Excel 2007 GUI.
  

Available June, 2008

Jedox’ Palo 2.5 is available in June 2008 as a free download for both new and existing users from the Jedox Web site. For more information about Palo 2.5 as well as Jedox’ Supervision-Server, which establishes rules for workflow, warnings, and compliance; Worksheet-Server, for Excel-to-Web reporting and data entry; and ETL-Server, for Extract/Transform/Load of heterogeneous data, log on to www.jedox.com.


About Jedox:

Jedox AG is one of the world’s leading suppliers of enterprise technologies for Excel applications. Kristian Raue, former CEO of IntelliCube Software AG, founded Jedox in 2002. Jedox focuses on applications for Enterprise Spreadsheets which enhance the possibilities of Excel in medium sized and big enterprises. With Worksheet-Server, Excel applications can be converted into server based Web-browser applications. The Excel-to-Web solution also supports the Palo MOLAP Server which extends Excel’s data model and is available free of charge under www.palo.net. Based in Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany, Jedox is privately owned. Visit www.jedox.com.