Pentaho Corporation, a leading pioneer in agile business intelligence (BI), has recently announced the release of version 1.0 of olap4j API. The olap4j is an open Java API designed for any Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) server. The new version 1.0 of the olap4j release includes a new standard in open source that enables developers and technology providers to create rich analytic applications that can work with multiple OLAP servers. Open standards such as olap4j promote interoperability across different technologies, offer users’ greater choice over other solutions and reduce the risk of vendor lock-in.

In a release, the Chief Geek and CTO, Pentaho Corporation, James Dixon, said that, "The olap4j open specification demonstrates the benefits of open collaboration between well-motivated parties. Unlike similar initiatives in the past by the large proprietary vendors, olap4j truly personifies the term ‘open’ as it enables end users to integrate with any backend OLAP server that supports the standard."

The Chief Architect of Pentaho Analysis and Founder of the Mondrian open source OLAP server, Pentaho Corporation, Julian Hyde, had initiated the olap4j project back in 2006 in order to resolve the lack of a standard Java API for OLAP server issue. The project was initially only collaboration between vendors and individuals in the open source and BI communities. However the olap4j project has now increased its scope to include a wide range of software companies and other open source projects. The olap4j is the first open Java API for OLAP analysis and is essentially an extension to the industry-standard JDBC 4.0 specification which makes it familiar to any Java developer with database programming experience. Olap4j leverages standard Java services such as connection pools, driver management and directory services.

The Chief Architect of Pentaho Analysis and Founder of the Mondrian open source OLAP server, Pentaho Corporation, Mr. Julian Hyde, said that, "Olap4j began as an open source initiative, because several of us in the open source BI community were frustrated by the lack of open standards, but it has well and truly moved beyond that. Olap4j now has mature drivers for several OLAP servers and is enabling a wide range of interoperability initiatives in commercial products as well as open source projects."

The open standards specifications of olap4j ensures that new applications built on olap4j will have a variety of OLAP engines available to power it, thereby enabling users to select the ones best suited for their needs. The latest version release includes the specification, a reference implementation of the API in the form of an olap4j driver for Mondrian, a generic XML/A (XML for Analysis) driver compatible with Mondrian, Microsoft (News – Alert) SQL Server Analysis Services, Palo, and SAP BW, as well as a Test Compatibility Kit (TCK).