Hyperion Essbase Faq's

HYPERION ESSBASE FAQ’S 1. Explain the Essbase Architecture and its features? A: Administration Service works with Analytic Servers in a three-tiered system that consists of a client user interface, a middle-tire server and one or more Analytic servers. The middle tire coordinates interaction and resources between the user interface and analytic servers. Client Tier (Administration Services Console) A Java-based client console provides a user interface to manage the Analytic Services environment. Middle Tier (Administration Server) A Java-based server maintains communication session and security information for connections to Analytic Servers. Database Tier (Analytic Server) One or more analytic servers store and process multidimensional database information. Analytic Servers are installed separately from Administration Services. 2. What is Hyperion Analyzer? How it will works? Is this feature available in latest versions A: Hyperion Analyzer enables organizations around the world to turn raw data into valuable information. With Hyperion analyzer you analyze sophisticated multidimensional and relational data in an easy-to-use graphical interface. Hyperion Analyzer provide a set of advanced analysis tools and enables you to leverage hyperion Essbase server features. 3. What is Report Scripts? What is its usage? A: An analytic services report enables you retrieve formatted summaries from an analytic services database. It is text-based script language that you can use to report on data in multidimensional database. We can use the report writer to define formatted reports on multidimensional data, Export data from an analytic services database, produce free-form reports. 4. What is Calculation Scripts? Explain it in-detailed? A: Calculation Scripts are used to define calculation that differ from those defined in the database outline. Calculation scripts can calculate either all or part of a database rather than the whole-database calculation required by the outline. 5. What is MAXL ? and where is it used? A: A multidimensional database access language that is part of Analytic server provides a flexible way to automate analytic services administration and maintenance tasks. 6. What is MDX? A: MDX is a data-manipulation language it provides advanced data extraction capability, advanced reporting capability includes functions for identifying and manipulating very specific subsets of data. 7. What are different Essbase Family Products? A: * Essbase Administration Services – To migrate the applications from one environment to another environment * Essbase Deployment Services * Essbase Integration Services – To integrate ORACLE and ESSBASE for loading data from the former to the latter.

* Essbase Spreadsheet Services * Essbase Application Manager – Not applicable from Essbase 7.0 version instead EIS is used. * Hyperion Essbase OLAP Server. * Hyperion Essbase Spreadsheet Add-In. * Hyperion Essbase Partitioning. Essbase is the back-end for all the above front-end application tools. 8. Define multithreaded design and SMP? A: * For each user request a separated thread is created in multithreaded design which enables multiple users to work on the database simultaneously. * SMP is symmetric multiprocessing where multiple processors run concurrently on single server. 9. Describe the Essbase architecture and name what are the components to be installed on Server and on Client machines? A: SERVER COMPONENTS * Hyperion Essbase OLAP Server software and sample applications * Application Programming Interface (API) * Multiprocessor (SMP) Support, SQL Drill-through, SQL Interface, Currency Conversion, Essbase web Gateway, Partitioning option. CLIENT COMPONENTS * Hyperion Essbase Application Manager * Hyperion Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in * Hyperion Essbase Runtime Client 10. What is Multidimensional Database? How it is Working? A: Multidimensional Database contains outline, dimensions and members it consolidates and calculate data they also provide retrieval and calculation of a variety of data subsets. A multidimensional database supports multiple views of data set for users who need to analyze the relationships between data categories. 11. How can you say that a multi-dimensional database is faster? A: Data is stored in multi-dimensional arrays which makes it faster to process. 12. Define dimensions and members? A: Dimension represent the highest consolidation level in the database outline. Members are the individual components of a dimension. 13. What are the types of dimensions? A: Standard Dimension: Standard Dimension represents the core component of a business plan and often related to departmental functions. Typical Standard dimensions are Time, Account, Product line, Market and Division. Attribute Dimension: Attribute dimensions are special type of dimension that are associated with base standard dimensions. 14. What is Outline? A: The database structure of a multi dimension database, including all dimensions, members, tags, types, consolidation and mathematical relationships. Data is stored in the database according to the structure defined in the outline. 15. What is Locking and Unlocking of Outline? How it will work ? A: In outline editor an outline is always locked when it is opened in edit mode Analytic services unlock the outline when the outline is closed. When an outline is locked analytic services does not allow other users to save over, rename, delete or edit the outline.

16. How do you order the outline? A: We order the outline by keeping the dense dimensions before the sparse dimensions and in these dense and sparse dimensions keeping the users requirements like the performance or the retrieval of the cube, we can arrange the sparse dimensions having more members before the sparse dimensions having less members or like the more queried dimension can be in the top than others. But usually we prefer hour-glass order of outline. 17. How will you transfer an outline? A: We can connect to two servers from the AAS console-9.3 (EAS Console-7.1, Application Manager-6.5) and do a save as on the outline to the target server or move the outline from back end. 18. Define the terms Parent, Child, Sibling, Descendants, ancestors, root and leaf members ? A: Parent: Parent is a member that has a branch below it. Eg: Margin is a Parent member for sales and cost of goods sold. Child: Child is a member that has a parent above it. Eg: Sales and Cost of Goods Sold are children of the parent Margin. Siblings: Siblings are child members of the same immediate parent at the same generation Eg: Sales and Cost fo Goods Sold are the siblings (they both have the parent Margin) Descendants: Descendants are all the members in branches below a parent. Eg: Profit, Inventory and Ratios are descendants of Margin Ancestors: ancestors are all the members in branches above a member. Eg: Margin, Profit and Measures are ancestors of sales Root: The root is the top member in branch no member doesn’t above this member. Eg: Measures is the Root member for Profit, Inventory and Ratio. Leaf members: Leaf members have no children these are also called fine detailed vales or members and leaf nodes. 19. Explain Generations, Levels and Parent Child in Detail. A: Generations: Generations are the ordering of members of a dimension and it denotes the hierarchy from top to bottom, starting from the highest consolidation value down to fine detailed values. So the root or top-most member will be Generation 1 and the number increases as proceeding towards the bottom. Levels: Levels are the reverse of generation, starting from leaf nodes or detailed vales and proceeding towards the root member. So the bottom most in the hierarchy is level 0 and increases as one moves up towards the root of the dimension. Parent: Each member that has sub-branches or nodes under them are parents to those branches. Children: Each member that has a main branch and origination from that main branch is called a child to that 20. Distinguish Sparse and Dense dimensions and how they are related in detail? A: A Dense dimension is a dimension with high probability that one or more data positions are occupied in every combination of Dimensions. A Sparse Dimension is a dimension with a low percentage of available data positions filled. 21. How do dense calculations differ from sparse calculations? A: Dense calc are calculations that occur on the dense dimension members. They add data to existing blocks they do not create new blocks. Sparse calc are calculations that occur on the sparse dimension members they result in the creation of new blocks, they do not change the size of existing blocks. 22. What is a block? What does contain?

A: A block is a logical collection of data and corresponds to the dense dimensions. It’s size is directly a product of the sizes of the dense dimensions or a block exists for every sparse combination that has a value. 23. What is a data block? Explain the internal structure Essbase uses for storage and retrieval of data. A: A data block is an internal data storage structure where the data values are stored in cells for each unique combination of sparse standard dimension members. It represents all the dense dimension members for its combination of sparse dimension members. It is a multi-dimensional array containing a fixed, ordered location for each possible combination of dense dimension members. An Index system is another type of internal structure which is used to access and retrieve data from the data blocks. An index entry is created for each data block by the analytic services. 24. What is data block size? (How do you find the size of the block?) A: Data block size is determined by the amount of data in particular combination of dense dimensions. For ex: when you change the dense or sparse configuration of one or more dimensions in the database, the data block size changes. Block size = Number of Cells * 8 bytes Note: Optimal range is 8 to 100 kb 25. How do you calculate number of existing blocks? A: The number of sparse dimensions member combinations having the data will give the number of existing blocks. 26. Is there any option to find out how many potential data blocks are existing? A: Yes, if the database is already loaded we can see the potential number of blocks on the statistics tab -> database properties dialog box. The term existing block prefers to those data blocks that analytic services actually creates. For Essbase to create a block at least one value must exist for a combination of store members for sparse dimensions because many combinations are missing, the number of existing data blocks is usually much less than the potential number of blocks. 27. What are the types of Data Blocks? A: There are 4 types of Data Blocks. Input Blocks: Input blocks are created by loading data to cells in a block. Loads can occur at any level of the database but usually are loaded at level 0 for the entire dimension. Calculated Blocks: These blocks are created through a calculation process. Before the calculation the blocks did not exist. There fore ask the data in the blocks was created by calculation. Level zero Blocks: These blocks are corresponding to level zero members of sparse dimensions. Upper-level Blocks: These blocks are corresponding to one or more sparse members that are not level zero. 28. Is possible for a data block to be a both upper level block and an input-blocks? A: Yes, you could load data values into total product instead of zero level products for select accounts and allocate this value down to the level zero products. Thus it would create by dataload and upper level block and create by calculation a leaf level block. 29. What is data value? A: A data value is stored in a single cell in the database. Or the intersection of one member from one dimension with one member from other dimension represent a data value. 30. How do you express data values? A: Data value can be expressed using the cross-dimensional operator (->) as sales->actual->Jan. 31. How analytic services store data?

A: Analytic Services stores data values in data blocks in data files Named Essxxxxx.pag where xxxx is a number. Analytic services increments the number, starting with Ess00001.pag on each disk volume. 32. How Analytic services retrieve data blocks? A: Analytic services uses to retrieve data blocks from data files named Essxxxx.ind where xxxx is a number. Analytic services increments the number, starting with Ess00001.ind on each disk volume. 33. What is an Application & Database? A: An analytic Services application is a container for a database and its related files. An analytic Services application is a management structure that contain one or more analytic services database and related files. A multidimensional database supports multiple views of data so that users can analyze the data and make meaningful business decisions. 34. What are different database objects? A: * Database outline that stores the structure * Data source (Text file or excel or SQL files) * Rules specifying the type for loading of data and dynamic building of dimensions. Rules File * Scripts defining the calculation of data (Calc Scripts) * Scripts to generate reports on the data (Report Scripts) * Security definitions. * Linked Report Objects * Partition definitions. 35. What is Data Source file? A: A Data source is an external data that is loaded into an analytic services database. The common types of data sources include the following: Text file, Spread sheet files and external database such as an SQL database. 36. How do you determine when to use generation, level and Parent/Child build? A: The selection of the build method is depends upon the layout of the source file. If the source file is generally top-down, use generation. If the file is organized bottom-up use a level builds. Parent/child build method is when the source file has two main columns expressing every parent/child relationship in the hierarchy from top to bottom. 37. What is a rules file, A source file? How do these two different from each other? A: A rules file is a binary file that corresponds to a particular source file. A source file contains metadata (member names and member attributes). A rules file contains rules to alter the source file as it is scanned by the Hyperion Essbase server. It can contain dimension names and member names. 38. When do we generally use build rules files? A: To automate the process of creating dimensions with thousands of members. 39. What are data load rules and why do we need them? A: * To format the data for matching the data with the database with out changing the data source during mapping the data into the Database. * Rules files are needed to build dimensions and members dynamically. 40. What are the steps to follow while create a dimension build rules files? A: 1) Determine whether to use the same rules file for data loading and dimension building. 2) Create a new rules file. 3) Set the file delimiters for the data source. 4) If you are creating a new dimension name the dimension.

5) Select the build method. 6) If necessary change or set the properties of members and dimensions you are building. 7) If necessary set record and field operations to change the members in the data source during loading. 8) Set field type information, including field type field number and dimension. 9) Validate and save the rules file. 41. Why do you use a load rule? A: Load rule is used to create or update outline and/or load the data in the outline. 42. How to create the data load Rules? A: 1) Select the data source from the data prep editor 2) Set the file delimiter for you data source. 3) Perform operations on records. 4) Perform operations on fields 5) Map fields in the data source to dimensions and members in the database. 6) Save and validate the data load rules. 43. What is meant by dynamic dimension building? A: Dynamic dimension building is the structuring / adding of the members to dimensions in the outline using data source file and rule file created based on the format of the 44. Name different dimension build types and explain each of them? A: Generation Reference: If data source has top-down data like Year – Quarter – Month Level Reference: If data is bottom-up like Month – Quarter – Year Parent / Child Reference: If each parent data is followed by its child data. Adding new members: To the existing build dimensions, new members can be added as follows depending on where the members are to be featured. * Child of specified parent. * Sibling of the lowest level * Sibling of member with matching string 45. Can we build dimensions directly from data sources without using rule files. A: No. 46. In what case we can define generation 1 to a field in generation build method. A: We cannot define that as Generation 1 is not valid. 47. 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. A: No. If gen 2 and gen 4 exists, we must assign gen 3. 48. Can we create more than 2 dimensions using only one build rule file. A: Yes, we can do that but it is recommended to use separate rule file for each dimension. 49. 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. A: The record will be rejected. 50. How is data stored in the Essbase database? A: Essbase is an file based database where the data is stored in PAG files of 2 GB each and grows sequentially. 51. What is data Loading? A: Data loading is the process of copying data from external data sources, Such as spreadsheets or SQL databases into a Hyperion Essbase OLAP server database. 52. What is Free-Form data loading?

A: Loading data without using any rules file is called free-form data loading. 53. What are the sequential order of steps to create the dimensions and members? A: Create dimensions, members and assign properties. 54. Distinguish Stored member, Dynamic member and store & dynamic member A: Stored member: The default storage property of any member is stored and it stores the calculated value in it. Dynamic Member: The value for this member is calculated only upon user request and is not stored and discarded after processing the request. Store and Dynamic member: The for this member is calculated only after receiving user request and then that value is stored in the member. 55. What is Dynamic Calc? A: Dynamic calc members are defined by tags set within the outline editor. It reduces batch calculation and lower disk usage. There are two types of dynamic calc storage tags you can set dynamic calc (non store) and dynamic calc and store. 56. Why do you use Dynamic Calc? A: Dynamic calc is used so as to save the space in the data block, when member is tagged as a dynamic calc then that member is not calculated during the regular calculation like calc all but it calculates when that member is retrieved in a spreadsheet add-in or running a report script for that member. 57. What members in the outline cannot be Dynamic Calc? A: level 0 members and the label only tagged members cannot be Dynamic calc. With one exception of label only member with on-member formula. 58. Dynamic calc decreases the retrieval time and increases batch database calculation time. How true is the statement? A: The statement should be just opposite. As dynamic calc members are calculated when requested, the retrieval time should increase. 59. What is Label only member? How it will works? A: Label only member have no data associated with them. Use them to group members or to easy navigation and reporting from the spreadsheet add-in. We can tag label only on non-level 0 members only. When we tag a parent member as label only the parent will not get calculated from its child and there is storage space reserved for the parent member also. We can save some time during default calculations and also we can save some storage space. 60. How does a label only member affect block size? A: A label only member on a dense dimension reduces the size of the block by 1xAxB where A and B are the size of the remaining dense dimensions. A label only member on a sparse dimensions reduces the potential size of the db by eliminating the 1xCxD blocks from ever being created. Whereas C and D are the size of remaining sparse dimensions. 61. What does a Label only do? When you retrieve a Label Only tagged member in a report which has three children what value would you see? A: It just carries the first child’s value… Label only tag will be used so that the data is not consolidated to the higher level or generation member or to the parent and we don’t see any value if we retrieve a label only tagged member. 62. What is shared member?

A: A shared member is used to create alternate hierarchies. It is a duplicate copy of a member name in the same dimension. The data for shared members comes from the original member. There is no storage space reserved for the shared member. 63. What is the advantage in having Shared member? A: They are used for grouping purpose which reduces the storage space. * They do not add-up while consolidation and roll-ups. * Avoid redundancy of data. 64. Distinguish the difference between a shared member and stored member? A: Stored member: They themselves contain calculated values that are stored with the member after calculation. Shared members: They get the values or point to the values from a different member of a different parent. The data value is stored only once but displays at different member locations. 65. When would you select shared member functionality as opposed to Attribute dimension functionality? A: * When desiring pre calculated totals * When associating with a dense dimension. * When using alternate consolidation properties for member. 66. What is Implied Sharing ? A: When a parent has only one child then the parent and child contain the same data. Analytic services ignores the consolidation property on the child and stores the data only once thus the parent has an implied shared relationship with the child. 67. What is the Never Share property? A: Never share property is a tag set when you don’t want the values of child to be implicitly shared with the parent members even though there is an explicit relationship exits but the data is just duplicated. 68. What is an alias? Explain how it is related to member in detail? A: Usually Aliases are used for creating long names. Alias is a alternate names or aliases to a member or shared member. They improve the readability of an outline or report. You can set more than one alias for a member using alias table. Relationship with member: The naming convention for an alias is the same as that for a member. Different kinds of alias can be used for the same member for different sets of reports using those members. 69. How many Alias Tables can be created? A: When a database is created by default an alias table named ‘default’ gets created. We can create 9 more alias tables in the outline. 70. Location alias? A: A location alias is a descriptor that identifies s data source. The location alias specifies a server, application, database, username, and password. Location alias are set by the database administrator at the database level using APP Manager, ESSCMD, or the API. 71. What is an Attribute dimensions? A: These dimensions are characteristics of other standard dimensions. Attributes cannot exists on its own always must be associated with a base standard dimension. Through attributes you can group and analyze members of dimensions based on their characteristics. Attributes are always sparse in nature.

72. What are the major steps needed to setup attribute dimension? A: 1) Create a dimension and add members to be your attribute. 2) Set the dimensions as an attribute dimension and select the type. 3) Associate the attribute dimension with base dimension. 4) Assign the attribute members to members in the base dimension. 73. What are the types of Attributes do we have? (Types of Attributes) A: There are 4 types of Attributes. They are Text, Numeric, Boolean and Date 74. What is an attribute? Explain the difference between attribute and UDA? A:* Attribute is a feature which is used to retrieve and analyze the data in terms of characteristics or attributes of those base standard Dimensions. * UDA – while both attribute and UDA have the same features but attributes are much more capable than UDA in creation features like.\ 1) Attributes can be used only on Sparse dimensions. UDA can be used on both the sparse and dense dimensions. 2) Attributes can be used for retrieving data. UDAs are mainly used to group related items together 3) Attribute have in-built functions like sum, min, max, count and average etc.. but UDAs doesn’t have any predefined in-built functions. 4) Powerful conditional and value based selections possible with attribute but with UDA it is limited to text string matches only. 75. What is the difference between Attribute dimension and Standard dimension? A: Attribute Dimension Standard Dimension Must be sparse their base dim must also be Can be dense or sparse sparse Dynamic calc only, therefore not stored in the Can be store data, Dynamic calc and store, database, the outline does not display in this Dynamic calc, never share and label only property Attributes must be the last dimension in the Must be a head of all attributes in the outline outline Formulas cannot be associated Can be associated Shared members not allowed Allowed Two-pass calculation not available Available UDA not allowed Allowed Consolidations: for all members, calculated Consolidation operation indicated by assigning through the attribute calculations, dimension the desired consolidation symbol to each members: Sum, Count, Min, Max and Avg… member. Association: must be associated with a base Not available dim 76. What is attribute reporting? A: A process of defining reports that is based on the attributes of the base members in the database outline. 77. What level must member of attribute dimension be in order for them to be associated with member of base dimensions? A: Level 0 members.

78. How does Attribute dimensions and UDA's impact batch calculation performance? A: UDA's- No Impact as they do not perform any inherent calculations. Attribute dim- No Impact as they perform only dynamic calculations. 79. How does Attribute dim impact report performance? A: 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. 80. What is UDA (User Defined attribute)? A: UDA’s are enabling you to calculate and report on specific subset of data. They essentially provide a way to group members together. These attributes are particularly useful when performing member selection from the outline with unbalanced hierarchy. 81. How does UDA's impact database size? A: Absolutely no impact as UDA's do not require additional storage space. 82. How can we display UDA's in reports? How do they impact report and report performance. A: UDA's values are never displayed in the reports and hence do not impact report performance. 83. What is UDA( user defined attributes). How are they different than Aliases. A: UDA represents the class of the members. Aliases are just another names of the members. both are different and has different usage. 84. Can we query a member for its UDA in a calculation script. A: Yes. You can query a member for its UDA in a calculation script. 85. Substitution variable? A: A variable that acts as a global place holder for information that changes regularly. You set the variable and a corresponding string value; the value can then be changed at any time. Substitution variables can be used in calculation scripts, report scripts, Spread Sheet Add-in, and Essbase API. 86. What is substitution variable in calculation script used for? A: To decrease overall system maintenance. 87. What is Time Dimension Tag? What is its use? A: It is a tag set when a dimension is tagged as “TIME” we get additional functions like Dynamic time series and also it enables several accounts dimension properties. Only one dimension in the outline can be tagged as time. 88. What is Dynamic Time Series (DTS)? A: With DTS you can perform dynamic to-date reporting such as year-to-date, quarter-to-date and month-to-date… 89. What is Accounts Dimension Tag Set? A: When a dimension is tagged as accounts dimension analytic services provide additional features such as Time balance functions, variance reporting and Two-pass calculations. Only one dimension cab be tagged as Accounts in the outline. 90. What is Time Balancing and why is it used? A: When we set time balance property to a member in accounts dimension, it affects how Essbase affects the calculation of that parent member in the time dimension. We need to tag the accounts dimension as expenses and should have time dimension, we can calculate ending inventory and opening inventory using this. 91. What is the time balance Properties? Explain them A: TB First: Set the time balance as first when you want the parent value to represents the value of the first member in the branch (often at the beginning of a time period)

TB Last: Set the time balance as last when you want the parent value to represent the value of the last member in the branch (often at the end of a time period). TB Average: Set the time balance as average when you want the parent value to represent the average value of its children. 92. What is Skip Properties? A: If you set the time balance as first, last or average you must set the skip property to tell analytic services what to do when it encounters missing values or values of ‘0’ 93. Using the AVG function, if you want to leave out zeros, what parameter can you use? A: Skip zero. 94. What is Variance Reporting ? How it will works? A: Variance reporting properties determine how analytic services calculates the difference between actual and budget data in a member with the @VAR or @VARPER functions in its member formula. 95. How many account dimensions and how much time dimensions can you have in your outline? A: Accounts should always be there and only one. Account is the first dimension. It is going to give our measures. Even though you don’t have time dimension, a/cs is must. Time if it is there it can be only one. Time is the second dimension. 96. What is Two-pass Calculation? What is its use? A: By default Analytic services calculates outlines from the bottom-up first calculating the values for the children and then the values for the parent. Sometime however the values of the children may be based on the values of the parent or the values of other members in the outline. To obtain the correct values the members that are calculated on the second pass through the outline are called two-pass calculation. 97. If you use two-pass calculation in your outline is it necessary to use intelligent calculation in your cube? A: Yes when we use the two-pass calc script, we use intelligent calc (i.e. SET UPDATECALC ON) otherwise no need. Analytical services calculate the data in one pass. 98. For a member to be Two-Pass, what must exist in the outline? A: Member must to be tagged as accounts or expense and they should be dynamic calc. 99. What is Database calculation in how many you calculate the database? A: Analytic services offers two ways that you can calculate a database 1) Outline calculation 2) Calculation Script Calculation * Outline Calculation: Outline calculation is the simplest method of calculation. Analytic services bases the calculation of the database on the relationships between members in the database outline and on any formulas that are associated with members in the outline. * Calculation Script calculation: Calculation Script calculation is the second method of calculation using a calculation script you can choose exactly how to calculate a database. For example you can calculate part of a database or copy data values between members. 100. What is Calculation Script? A: A set of commands that define how a database is consolidates or aggregated. 101. SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS Commands in Calculation Scripts. A: 1) SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS AFTER; Essbase marks calculated blocks as clean, even if is calculating a subset of a database. 2) SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS ONLY;

Essbase marks the specified data blocks as clean but does not calculate the data blocks. This parameter provides the same result as AFTER, but without calculation. 3) SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS OFF; Essbase calculates the data blocks but does not mark the calculated data blocks as clean. Data blocks are not marked as clean, even on a full calculation (CALC ALL) of a database. The existing clear or dirty status of the calculated data blocks remains unchanged. 102. What type of Calculation Scripts you wrote? A: Dynamic dimension building / data loading / calculation – used commands like login, builddim, loaddata, export and I guess I used every command at least once. Mainly calc scripts are written when the calculation is to a particular subset. For calculating a portion of the member whose attributes are using IF( @ISMBR(@ATTRIBUTE(10A))) ELSE ENDIF and commands for calculating the taxes depending on the member value of the market for doing Intelligent calculations I used set clearupdatestatus. For twopass calc of certain leaf-node members that are factors of performance like % sales values. For calculating a subset of the database I used FIX(Members); ENDFIX calc scripts for currency conversion. 103. What is Default calculation? A: If we are done with the outline design to calculate without any formulas I mean we might have so many calc scripts for numerous calculations, but the basic calculation to rollup the data into Essbase cube, is done with the default calc. but if we have created any formula in the outline itself, these are going to be the part of default calc. It is the CALC ALL, string that is default which rolls up from the bottom and calculates the entire database as defined in the outline. You can set the default calculation to be any other CALC string or a calc script. 104. How do you find the default calc? A: From the pull down menu of data / loaddata and by clicking on calculate. It pulls down a list of calc scripts along with the default calc. Database – pulls down -> Set Default calc, which opens a dialog box where you can set a string as default. Usually CALC ALL is the default string. 105. How will you improve the performance of calculation scripts and how will you reduce the calculation time for calculation scripts? A: Depends upon the complexity of the script we can use intelligent calculation, we have to check the outline whether it is ordered or not, enabling the parallel calculation and check the cache settings in a proper way. 106. What is the order of calculation of the default calculation? A: Accounts, Time Remaining Dense and Remaining Sparse. 107. Why are dense dimensions calculated before sparse dimensions? A: Dense dimensions are calculated before sparse dimensions so that the input blocks can be filled up. Then the new calculated blocks that are created can be calculated all at once. If sparse dimensions are calculated first then all the calculated blocks would have to be recalculated along the dense dimensions again. This require more disk I/O. 108. How do you set dynamic calculated members? A: Dynamic calc members are tags set in the application manager outline editor. 109. Where are calc scripts built? A: in calc Script editor. 110. What is intelligent calculation?

A: A calculation method that tracks which data blocks have been updated since the last calculation. 111. What are three ways to focus calculations? A: FIX / ENDFIX, IF / ENDIF AND Cross dimensional operator. 112. What is cross-dimensional Operator? A: The cross-dimensional operator isolates data values for specific member combination. 113. What is the difference between FIX and IF statements? In what situations they are used and what are its pros and cons? A: FIX: this statement restricts the path of outline during calculation/retrieval such that it doesn’t have to go through whole of the outline. IF: this is conditional statement, when used if the given condition is true it takes the given value in the condition and it moves forward or if the given condition is false it takes another value to calculate/retrieval and it moves forward.**With FIX u cannot restrict the members to be checked with, fix u can say which one u need to check. 114. Parallel calculation? A: An optional calculation setting. Essbase divides a calculation into tasks and calculates some of the tasks at the same time. 115. Batch calculation? A: Any calculation on a database that is done in batch; for example, a calculation script or a full database calculation. Dynamic calculations are not considered to be batch calculations sparse and dense 116. What functions are you familiar with (min 8): Name them? A: @VAR, @VARPER, @CHILDREN, @DESCENDENTS, @IDESCENDENTS,@CURRMBR, @ANCESTORS, @UDA, @VARIANCE, @ISGEN,@NAME………..@FIXCOLUMN 117. What is Esscommand ESSCMD? A: A command-line interface that is used to perform analytic services operation interactivity or although a batch file. 118. What are the main advantage of using ESSCMD in the batch scripts? A: * Error handling and redirecting the error details to a specified error log file IFERROR..GOTO. * Dimension building when updating the outline like adding new members BUILDDIM. * Loading Data – IMPORT. * Regular back-ups of data and DB – EXPORT, RESETDB 119. Name 3 Esscmd commands (excluding Login)? And define their functions? A: 1, BUILDDIM: This command dynamically builds one or more dimension from the data file or SQL source.2. COPYAPP: This command copies an application.3. COPYDB: This command copies the database. 120. Is it necessary to use ESSCMD in 7.x version? A: we can use MaxL where we could incorporate Perl Script. 121. How will you automate the jobs? A: We can put the Essbase commands in MaxL or ESSCMD and automate them using shell scripts or bat files. 122. Can you tell some Esscmd scripts and MaxL scripts you have developed? A: I created an Esscmd script for automated daily back-up of data and creating a log of that automation process. Where I used the Esscmds like – BUILDDIM, OUTP Calculation Scripts

123. Batch processing mode? A: A method of using ESSCMD to write a batch or a script file that can be used to automate routine server maintenance and diagnostics tasks. ESSCMD script files can execute multiple commands and can be run from the operating system command line or from within operating system batch files. Batch files can be used to call multiple ESSCMD scripts or run multiple instances of ESSCMD. 124. Give some MaxL statements and their syntax? A: Create application: CREATE APPLICATION News amp as Sample; Create function: CREATE FUNCTION '@COVARIANCE' AS 'com. Hyperion. essbase. calculator. Statistics. covariance' SPEC '@COVARIANCE (expList1, expList2)' COMMENT 'computes covariance of two sequences given as expression lists'; CREATE USER: CREATE OR REPLACE user bala identified by ‘password’ as Recycle Me;Display application: display application; 125. The commands in report writer perform two functions. Give me details about those two functions? A: Data Extraction and Formatting Extraction Commands: Deals with the section, orientation, grouping and ordering of raw data extracted from the database. These commands begin with less than sign (