Que 1: What are the two storage options available in Essbase and what are the differences?

Ans: ASO( Aggregate Storage Option) - Used for 1. If we have large number of dimensions(generally more than 10) 2. Most of the dimensions are sparse 3. We cannot write back in ASO. I heard recently that ASO will also have the writeback capability. I don't remember. BSO (Block Storage Option)- 1. Dimensions are less and dense(recommended values for no of dim are between 4 and 8) . 2. We can write back hence much suited for planning applications.

Que 2: Can we build dimensions directly from data sources without using rule files. Ans: No. Que 3: When do we generally use build rules files? Ans: To automate the process of creating dimensions with thousands of members. Que 4: What are the three primary build methods for building dimensions? Ans: 1. Generation references 2. level references 3. Parent-Child references. Que 5: In what case we can define generation 1 to a feild in generation build method. Ans: We cannot define that as Generation 1 is not valid. Que 6: Suppose we have assigned Generation 2 and Generation 4 as of now and think of adding generation 3 later some time. Can we build the dimension. Ans: No. If gen 2 and gen 4 exists, we must assign gen 3. Que 7: Can we create more than 2 dimensions using only one build rule file. Ans: Yes, we can do that but it is recommended to use seperate rule file for each dimension. Que 8: What is UDA( user defined attributes). How are they different than Aliases. Ans: UDA represents the class of the members. Aliases are just another names of the members. both are different and has different usage. Que 9: Can we query a member for its UDA in a calculation script. Ans: Yes. You can query a member for its UDA in a calculation script. Que 10: How does UDA's impact database size? Ans: Absolutely no impact as UDA's do not require additional storage space. Que 11: What is the difference between UDA's and Attribute dimensions? Ans : Attribute dimensions provides more flexibility than UDA's. Attribute calculations dimensions which include five members with the default names sum, count, min, max and avg are automatically created for the attribute dimensions and are calculate dynamically. Que 12: How does Attribute dimensions and UDA's impact batch calculation performance? Ans: UDA's- No Impact as they do not perform any inherent calculations. Attribute dim- No Impact as they perform only dynamic calculations.

Que 13: How can we display UDA's in reports? How do they impact report report performance. Ans: UDA's values are never displayed in the reports and hence do not impact report performance. Que 14: How does Attribute dim impact report performance? Ans: They highly impact the report performance as the attributes are calculated dynamically when referenced in the report. For very large number of att dim displayed in the report, the performance could drastically reduce. Que 15: While loading the data, you have applied both the selection criteria as well as rejection criteria to a same record. What will be the outcome. Ans: Thw record will be rejected. Que 16: How is data stored in the Essbase database? Ans: Essbase is an file based database where the data is stored in PAG files of 2 GB each and grows sequentially. Que 17: Can we have multiple databases in one single application? Ans: Yes. But only one database per application is recommended. Que 18: Can we have one ASO database and one BSO database in one single application. If yes, how and If No, why. Ans 18. No. Because we define ASO or BSO option while creating the appication and not database. Hence if the application is ASO, the databases it contains will be that type only. Que 19: What are the file extensions for an outline, rule file and a calc script. Ans: .OTL, .RUL and .CSC Que 20: What is the role of provider services. Ans: To communicate between Essbase and Microsoft office tools. Que 21: What is an alternative to create metaoutline, rule file and load data. Answer: Integration services and in version 11, we have Essbase studio. Que 22: Can we start and stop an application individually. How ca this be used to increase performance. Ans: Yes. We can manage our server resources by starting only the applications which receive heavy user traffic. When an application is started, all associated atabases are brought to the memory. Que 23: We have created an application as unicode mode. Can we change it later to non-unicode mode. Ans: No. Que 24: How can I migrate an application from my test environment to the production

environment. Can I still do this if my test environment is a windows one and my production env is UNIX one. Also can I still do it if my test env and prod env versions are different. Ans: Hyperion Administrative services console provides a migration utility to do this but onluy the application, database objects are migrated and no data is transferred. the answers to other two questions are Yes. Que 25: A customer wants to run two instances of an Essbase server on a same machine to have both test env and Development env on the same server. Can he do that? Ans: Yes. We can have multiple instances of an Essbase server on a single machine and there will be dfferent sets of windows services for all these instances. Que: 26 suppose I have a dimension A with members B and C and I do not want B and C to roll up to A. how can I do this. Ans: Using (~) exclude from consolidation operator. Que 27: What does never consolidate operator(^) do? Ans: It prevents members from being consolidate across any dimension. Que 28: Can we have multiple metaoutlines based on one OLAP model in Integration services? Ans: Yes Que 29: Can we have an metaoutline based on two different OLAp models. Ans: No. Que 30: What is hybrid analysis? Ans: Lower level members and associated data remains in relational database where as upper level members and associated data resides in Essbase database. Que 31: Why top-down calculation less efficient than a bottom-up calculation?Being less efficient, why do we use them. Ans: In the process it calculates more blocks than is necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to perform top-down calculation to get the correct calculation results. Que 32: On what basis you will decide to invoke a serial or parellel calculation method. Ans: If we have a single processor, we will use serial calculation but if we have multiple processors we can break the task into threads and make them run on different processors. Que 33: What is block locking system? Ans: Analytic services(or Essbase Services) locks the block and all other blocks which contain the childs of that block while calculating this block is block locking system. Que 34: What are the types of partitioning options available in Essbase? Ans: 1. Replicated partition. 2. Transparent partition 3. Linked partition. Que 35: Dynamic calc decreases the retreival time and increases batch database calculation time. How true is the statement?

Ans: The statement should be just opposite. As dynamic calc members are calculated when requested, the retreival time should increase. Que 36: A customer has a cube with 13 dimensions and the performance was fine. Now they have added two more dimensions in the existing cube and the performance becomes very very slow. Customer said logically nothing wrong with the two new dimensions they have added. What could be the reason for slowdown. Ans: Even I dont have any clue. I experienced this few days back with a customer. If you can throw some light on this, please post your answer.
Que:1 What are LRO's( Linked Reporting Objects)? Answer: They are specific objects like files, cell notes or URL's associated with specific data cells of Essbase database. You can link multiple objects to a single data cell. These linked objects are stored in the server. These LRO's can be exported or imported with the database for backup and migtarion activities. Que:2 What are the specified roles other than Aministrator to view sessions, disconnect sessions or kill users requests for a particular application? Answer: You should have the role of Application manager for the specified application. Que:3 What are the three options specified in Username and Password management under security tab in Essbase server proprties. Answer: 1. Login attempts allowed before username is disabled. 2. Number of inactive days before username is diabled. 3. Number of days before user must change password. Que:4 Why do objects gets locked and when does this happens? Answer: Objects gets locked to prevent users to make simultaneous and conflicting changes to Essbase database objects. By default whenever an object is accessed through Aministrative services console or Excel spreadsheet add-in, it gets locked. Que: 5 I have created an application with one database in Essbase at test environment and now needs to copy the entire application with all security permissions to the production server which is not connected to the test server. How can I do that? Answer: You can acheive this using migration wizard to migrate an application to a text file which you can take physically to the production server. To know how you can do that, take a look at this post Essbase Application Migration. Que:6 From the above question, When I migrated the application to the production server I do not see any data in the Essbase database. What has gone wrong and how to correct this? Answer: Nothing has gone wrong. Migration utility does not migrate the actual data. If you want to copy the exact data from the test machine, get it exported using export utility and import it on production machine.

Que:7 Referring to the above question, Can I still do this if my production server and test server are two different operation systems. Explain. Answer: While exporting the database, you can write the database data to an ASCII text file which enables you to load data on different platforms. Que:8 How can we backup an aggregate storage database? Answer: To back up an aggregate storage database, copy the application directory ARBORPATH/app/appname. Que:9 How does Essbase recover from a database crash? Answer: After a database crash or server interruption, Essbase automatically recovers a database after rolling back the transactions that were active at that time. Que:10 How can you make a Max L script run at a specified time? Answer: MaxL scripts can be called from a BAT file which is used for scheduling.

Understanding How Filters Define Permissions

Filters control security access to data values, or cells. You create filters to accommodate security needs for specific parts of a database. When you define a filter, you designate restrictions on particular database cells. When you save the filter, you give it a unique name to distinguish it from other filters, and the server stores it in essbase.sec, the security file. You can then assign the filters to any users or groups on the server. For example, a manager designs a filter named RED and associates it with a database to limit access to cells containing profit information. The filter is assigned to a visiting group called REVIEWERS, so that they can read, but cannot alter, most of the database; they have no access to Profit data values. Filters comprise one or more access settings for database members. You can specify the following access levels and apply them to data ranging from a list of members to one cell. Access Level None Read Write Metaread Description No data can be retrieved or updated for the specified member list. Data can be retrieved but not updated for the specified member list. Data can be retrieved and updated for the specified member list. Metadata (dimension and member names) can be retrieved and updated for the corresponding member specification.

Note: The metaread access level overrides all other access levels. If additional filters for data are defined, they are enforced within any defined metaread filters.If you have assigned a metaread filter on a substitution variable and then try to retrieve the substitution variable, an unknown member error occurs, but the value of the substitution variable gets displayed. This is expected behavior.Metadata security cannot be completely turned off in partitions. Therefore, do not set metadata security at the source database; otherwise, incorrect data may result at the target partition.When drilling up or retrieving on a member that has metadata security turned on and has shared members in the children, an unknown member error occurs because the original members of the shared members have been filtered. To avoid this error, give the original members of the shared members metadata security access. Any cells that are not specified in the filter definition inherit the database access level. Filters can, however, add or remove access assigned at the database level, because the filter definition, being more data-specific, indicates a greater level of detail than the more general database access level. Data values not covered by filter definitions default first to the access levels defined for users and, when Essbase is in native security mode, second to the global database access levels. Calculation access is controlled by permissions granted to users and groups. Users who have calculate access to the database are not blocked by filtersthey can affect all data elements that the execution of their calculations would update. When Essbase is in native security mode, calculation access is also controlled by minimum global permissions for the application or database.

Creating Filters
You can create a filter for each set of access restrictions you need to place on database values. You need not create separate filters for users with the same access needs. After you have created a filter, you can assign it to multiple users or groups of users. However, only one filter per database can be assigned to a user or group. Note: If you use a calculation function that returns a set of members, such as children or descendants, and it evaluates to an empty set, the security filter is not created. An error is written to the application log stating that the region definition evaluated to an empty set. Before creating a filter, perform the following actions:

Connect to the server and select the database associated with the filter. Check the naming rules for filters in Limits.

To create a filter, use a tool:

Tool Administration Services MaxL

Topic Creating or Editing Filters create filter

Location Oracle Essbase Administration Services Online Help Oracle Essbase Technical Reference

9.1. UDAs and Attributes

Essbase supports two different kinds of attributes, one called UDAs (for historical reasons) and one called simply "attributes." A UDA is just a name, the presence or absence of which is essentially a Boolean flag that can be associated with any member anywhere in the hierarchy from any regular dimension, and many members (even across different dimensions) can share the same UDA. You can associate UDAs with measures/accounts as well as with other members. Several different UDAs can be associated with a member simultaneously. This makes them useful for identifying related groups of members for application purposes. An attribute is more similar to an attribute in the data warehousing sense. Values for an attribute are collected in an attribute dimension, which may form a single hierarchy with a leaf level, a hierarchy root member, and perhaps other attribute members in between the leaf and the root. Attribute values are typed, and Essbase supports types of number, string, Boolean, and date. An attribute is associated with a regular dimension (we'll call it a base dimension in this context). Only the leaf members of the attribute's hierarchy can be associated with regular dimension members. However, either leaf or nonleaf members of the regular dimension can be associated with the attribute values, with the following caveat: When members of a base dimension are associated with the attribute's values, all the members must be from the same height from the leaf level. So, they can all be leaf, or all one step up from the leaf (level 1 in traditional Essbase terminology), and so on. Note that in a block-storage outline, attribute dimensions can only be associated with sparse dimensions, while in an aggregate storage outline (ASO) database, the attributes can be on any nonaccounts dimension. Any member of the base dimension that does not have a leaf-level attribute member associated with it has an empty attribute value (which will show up as NULL when the value is requested, as described later).