MCP SERVER FOR ESSBASE

yanni vossos

Oracle Innovation Lab Proposal

Oracle Essbase Test Lab - AI-Driven Financial Consolidation Framework

Executive Summary

We propose the Oracle Essbase Test Lab - a comprehensive, open-source testing framework that enables rapid development and validation of AI-powered financial consolidation workflows using Oracle Essbase. This lab provides realistic mock Essbase environments, MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration, and autonomous testing capabilities designed for mid-market enterprises modernizing their financial operations.

Target Users: Financial Operations teams, ERP consultants, FinTech developers, AI/ML engineers building autonomous financial systems

Key Innovation: First integrated testing framework connecting Essbase with modern AI agents (LLMs, CrewAI, LangChain) for autonomous consolidation workflows

Problem Statement

Current Challenges

1. Development Friction
   • Developers need real Essbase systems to test consolidation logic
   • Setting up test environments is time-consuming and expensive
   • No standardized mock environments for rapid iteration
2. AI Integration Gap
   • Enterprise AI projects struggle to integrate with legacy OLAP systems
   • Limited tools for testing AI agent interactions with Essbase
   • No standard patterns for autonomous consolidation workflows
3. Mid-Market Constraints
   • Mid-market companies (50-1000 employees) need cost-effective solutions
   • Limited IT resources to maintain test infrastructure
   • Need to modernize financial close without disrupting operations
4. Testing Limitations
   • Hard to test complex multi-step consolidations
   • Difficult to simulate error scenarios and recovery
   • No easy way to test across multiple entity hierarchies

Proposed Solution

Essbase Test Lab Architecture

A lightweight, open-source Node.js/Python framework that provides:

1. Realistic Mock Essbase Environment

• Multiple Essbase Databases
• Realistic Dimensions (Entity, Account, Scenario, Version, Period)
• Pre-loaded Test Data (hierarchies, formulas, calculations)
• Job Management System (load, calc, extract jobs)
• Audit Trail & Logging

2. MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration

10+ MCP tools for Essbase operations:

• list_databases - Database discovery
• get_dimensions - Dimension structure
• get_members - Member hierarchies
• execute_query - MDX query execution
• load_data - Data import simulation
• run_calculation - Calculation job execution
• extract_data - Report extraction
• get_job_status - Job monitoring
• simulate_error - Error scenario testing
• get_audit_log - Audit trail

3. AI Agent Orchestration

• CrewAI Integration - Multi-agent consolidation workflows
• LangChain Support - AI chain orchestration
• Claude/LLM Compatible - Works with any LLM via MCP

4. Test Scenarios

Pre-built test cases for:

• Monthly consolidation workflows
• Multi-level entity hierarchies
• Intercompany elimination
• Currency translation
• Variance analysis
• Error recovery and retry logic
• Concurrent job handling

Key Features

1. Realistic Financial Data Structure

Entity Hierarchy:

• Corporate (Holding)
  • North America Holding
    • US Operations Holding
      • US-East Operating
      • US-West Operating
    • Canada Operating
  • Europe Holding
    • EMEA Operations Holding
      • UK Operating
      • Germany Operating
      • France Operating
  • Latin America Holding
    • Brazil Operating
    • Mexico Operating

Chart of Accounts:

• 1000: Cash (Asset)
• 1200: Accounts Receivable
• 1500: Inventory
• 1600: PP&E
• 2000: Accounts Payable
• 3000: Common Stock
• 4000: Revenue
• 5000: COGS
• 6000: Operating Expenses
• 7000: Intercompany

Scenarios: Actual, Budget, Forecast, Prior_YearVersions: Initial, Adjusted, Final PostedPeriods: 16 (12 months + 4 quarters + annual)

2. Comprehensive Job Management

• Job Types: Load, Calculation, Extraction, Consolidation
• Job States: Pending, Running, Completed, Failed
• Job Monitoring: Real-time progress, step tracking, error details
• Retry Logic: Automatic and manual retry capabilities
• Audit Trail: Complete execution history with timestamps

3. Error Simulation

Test scenarios include:

• Data validation failures
• Missing required data
• Calculation timeouts
• Hierarchy inconsistencies
• Insufficient permissions
• File format errors
• Resource constraints

Business Value

For Enterprise Customers

• 50-60% faster development cycles for consolidation projects
• Reduced cost - No need to maintain separate test Essbase systems
• Lower risk - Test complex scenarios before production
• Faster time-to-value - AI-powered automation of financial close

For Oracle

• Accelerates Essbase adoption - Lower barrier to entry
• Demonstrates modern integration - Shows Essbase + AI capabilities
• Competitive advantage - First framework connecting Essbase to LLMs
• Expanded market reach - Appeals to mid-market and FinTech segments
• Community engagement - Open-source framework builds developer loyalty

For Developers

• Rapid prototyping - Build consolidation workflows quickly
• Risk-free testing - Test edge cases and error scenarios
• Learning resource - Understand Essbase best practices
• Integration patterns - Examples for AI + OLAP systems

Use Cases

1. Financial Close Automation

Traditional: 10+ business daysWith Test Lab + AI: <1 business day (90% faster)

2. Consolidation Workflow Testing

Use Test Lab to design hierarchies, test rules, validate consolidations

3. AI Agent Development

Develop autonomous financial agents with error recovery

4. Educational Use

Train teams on consolidation concepts and modern automation

Technical Specifications

Runtime: Node.js v18+ or Python 3.10+Protocol: Model Context Protocol (MCP)License: MITImplementation: 6 months (MVP → Production)

Success Metrics

• 1,000+ GitHub stars (6 months)
• 500+ active users (12 months)
• 50+ production implementations (18 months)
• $2M+ in customer cost savings

Lead Developer: Yannis Vossos (15+ years Oracle EPM experience)