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Website	gr8 website jonno, love it
Re: Website	hear hear! what happens now?
Re: Website	Thanks guys, the next task on the project plan is to recruit a few more Hyperion experts prior to the launch on 15/9.<br /><br />We have a few moderators lined up as well as a few already registered. Hopefully we can recruit a few more CHPs before the Go-Live date.<br /><br />Thanks again for signing up!
Re: Website	Why not post on network54?  Great board.
Re: Website	I agree Aleck, the Network54 sites, especially the Essbase forum have immense traffic. Yet to see what the search and navigation is like here, but first impressions are that this is long overdue - especially for people who are looking to monitor multiple applications.<br /><br />It would be great to see if we can entice discussion on how people are deploying cross products (and 3rd party non Hyperion), as well as getting Hyperion to offer advise and next generation options to assist in deployment decisions.<br /><br />Noel
Re: Website	Thanks for the feedback NG. My thoughts exactly. The HYPEd team believe in providing a free and general facility that would help users:<br /><br />-seek help<br />-retain knowledge<br />-interact<br />-enhance use of Hyperion products<br /><br />It's still early days yet and the layout/lookf-feel of this forum is by no means complete. But I guess a line in the sand has been drawn and we'd sure like to see if we can complement HDN as well as Network54 - it's not a competition. All three forums are great places to read up on Hyperion and all have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. <br /><br />Welcome aboard!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Jon
Re: Website	I'd like to offer my own humble opinion on two things that were suggested on another forum (regarding this one).<br /><br />1) That it takes too many clicks to get to a message.  This is complete nonsense.  The format of network 54 would simply not be appropriate here.  The ability to quickly narrow your search down to a specific subset of messages is well defined here, and poorly defined there.  In both cases, you can do a search, but in this forum, you have the ability to wade through a significant number of categories and track issues of interest -- without wading through all those that are not of interest to you.<br /><br />2) That the site is too "colorful".  Again, complete nonsense.  A spreadsheet sitting on any analysts desktop will at various times be more bright/colorful than this site is.  However, I do agree that the selection of colors for 'solved' threads could use a little tweaking.  Toning it down wouldn't be a bad idea, I suppose.<br /><br />My question about #2 -- is it possible to leave the topic text the same and change just the title bar color?  If so, I'd say a slightly darker blue would be good, along with the "thumbs up", you have enough of a signal to "highlight" the thread.  I don't know if this is possible, though.<br /><br />The bottom line is that I like this format much better than HDN and Network54.  They all have their good points, but in terms of thread organization, this one is easier to navigate [i]in a useful manner[/i].<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Website	I like the fact that there are other Hyperion products listed.  Even though people say Network54 is for all the Hyperion products, in my opinion, it's all about Essbase..
Re: Website	Thanks guys.<br /><br />First things first - I've amended the 'topics solved' background colour to an unobtrusive lavender(?I'm no graphic designer). Let me know what you think. That bright green was quite a shocker I must admit (it was the default setting) - not good for hangovers at all. Will see what I can do with the header and thumbsup gif.<br /><br />Thanks for the feedback on search and categorisation. We humbly concur. The criteria we used to determine forum software, style and all the touchy-feely stuff were:<br />- coverage for all Hyperion products (recognising that all requests for help are weighted equally and not biased by number of licenses or age of product)<br />- search functionality (as much as possible, allow users to quickly narrow down on product)<br />- cheap to run (obviously)<br />- easy to maintain/administer<br />- affords a few bells and whistles like Topics Solved and Applaud/Warn<br /><br /><br />The bottom line, however, is that all Hyperion forum users usually do so from work and as such have considerations such as firewalls, webpatrols and bandwidth. We thought that between the three or four forums already available for Hyperion, we could add a few more options so that any Hyperion user anywhere, can still seek help regardless of setup restrictions.<br /><br />Our thinking was always to co-exist. It's not about being better or worse, it's really about whether requests for help are answered and problems are solved.<br /><br />Love to hear more feedback.<br /><br />Jon
Re: Website	The multiple sections for different Hypeiron products was long overdue. This looks great!<br /><br />The only comment from my side will be, if it is possible to disable all the smilies and other formatting but only show up as text (i.e.) SMILIES...click on that all smilies will pop-up in a new window and so on. Since many contractors if they want to post and the smilies make it look like we are chatting, but that might just be @ my place. Anyways...if it is possible to add this option then that would be an great add-on....great job folks! :)
Re: Website	Thanks hypess. (btw I've updated your profile - thanks for your email)<br /><br />Will see what we can do with the forum software re emoticons. garycris was of the same opinion but we're a little hamstrung on tweaking this annoying little feature.<br /><br />I've re-ordered the categories placing BI before Apps as it seems the bulk of posts at the moment are in the BI section. Saves you from having to scroll down [u]although [/u] if you click on the arrowhead next to the Category header (twice) you can bookmark the resulting URL so it takes you there straightaway at launch. (how's that for a tip?)<br /><br />Appreciate all the support and feedback from the guys that have come over from Network54 to help out. We can only aspire to building a forum of such content quality.<br /><br />Don't forget to surf the posts for cries of HELP!
Re: Website	This change is really good as I feel that at any given time at least two-third's or more number of posts will be essbase centric. Also IMHO I thing the idea of separate sections for Analyzer, Reports, Visual Explorer, SQR and other reports based apps is a littkel too congested. If we can combine the reports forum into one and based on the volume of posts in the next three months you can decidee whether there is a need for separate forum or they can stay at one place. I like the idea of separate sections for every app, but I believe it is a little too congested. Just my 2 cents!<br /><br />Thanks Admin for the profile change. :)
Re: Website	Big day today....<br /><br />The HYPEd dashboard says:<br />7 new posts<br />12 new members<br />26 users online today<br /><br />[color=Orange][url]http://hyped.biz/community/index.php?action=stats;expand=200509#200509[/url][/color]
New section	Hi<br /><br />Can I suggest that a new board for scripts or downloads be made available?
Re: New section	I concur.<br /><br />The existing downloads section doesn't split out by product/purpose/type.  It would be nice to have a section that allows people to look for, say, MAXL scripts, or such.  There is also a big difference between a download section for utilities (like the stuff I tend to focus on), and downloads for patches and the like.<br />
Re: New section	OOps - sorry Dougware. Missed this post. Happy to re-structure the Downloads section. As the reigning 'Don of Downloads', you should have the major say in how you'd like to see it laid out.<br /><br />Let me know, and if the forum software allows it, then consider it done!<br /><br />Cheers
Newbie	I'm a newbie to Hyperion products having worked more with Oracle Financials. My introduction was to Essbase which I find a very good product.<br /><br />I like HDN but find the interface a little unfriendly so I am looking forward to making this my new Hyperion tech home  ;D<br />
Essbase vs Cognos	How does Essbase stack up against Cognos? (esp with their new reportnet product - has anyone used it?)
Re: Essbase vs Cognos	I've used contributor (cognos) and i find it a little clunky
Re: Essbase vs Cognos	i saw the demo from cognos (for powerplay and reportnett) - pretty good i think. quite flexible. commentary is easy to add
Re: Essbase vs Cognos	The two products exist in slightly different spaces within the B.I. architecture.  Cognos does overlap a lot with what Essbase offers, and so a comparison isn't completely out of the question, but most of the time, the full needs will determine which one is more appropriate.<br /><br />For instance, if you use an existing tool for data warehousing, and want a report tool that can handle multiple layers within an environment, Cognos is a slightly better fit.  On the other hand, if you have a lot of incoming data from various places, and need to give analysts write-back capability with less extensive reporting needs, Essbase is a better fit.  When you want "best of breed" in any one category, Essbase provides this within the analytical and consolidation stages, but leaves gaps on both ends that have to be filled.<br /><br />In the end, most companies will find Essbase to be more adaptible to analytical needs, and cognos more adaptible for reporting needs.  The current market favors Essbase because the gaps are easier to fill than overcoming the lack of a solid write-back capability.<br /><br />The question really isn't about which tool, but what the company is trying to use it for (where's the pain at?).  Knowing this, you can target the tool to the need, and then deal with the problem as a whole instead of as a selection of elements.<br /><br />Political issues can also weigh more heavily than technical choices.  Taking the "single supplier" approach has merit, leaving Cognos a bit short in comparison.  On the other hand, if you are a true blue "Microsoft shop", Cognos may be easier to slap into existing applications.  So no matter how you look at it, the answer isn't a slam dunk one or the other.<br /><br />However: with 2/3rds of the top 100 U.S. companies using Essbase, and a much smaller number using Cognos, you have to consider Essbase ahead on the popularity poll.  :)<br />
Re: Essbase vs Cognos	Did you guys read the article in the news box (top-right of screen) - Hyperion Essbase named as top ten technology innovation of the decade?
Re: Essbase vs Cognos	How about pricing ? <br /><br />I mean generally speaking !<br /><br />
Cancelled queries	We've just installed Essbase at work having migraetd from another tool - so we are all newbies. If a user closes the excel spreadsheet after kicking off a big query, will essbase know to cancel the query request?
Re: Cancelled queries	afraid not - the query will keep on running in the background even after Excel has been closed. If the query is a big one you might want to kill the request at the server end.<br /><br />hope it helps.
Re: Cancelled queries	A quick add-on to dummyhalf's post.  Essbase is a client-server configuration.  Users initiate from the client but the work is done on the server.  So if a user kicks off a query/report, calc script, or something like that, they can turn off their machine and go home while the process runs.  If you want to kill the request, you need to do it from App Manager or EAS (server side)<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Gary Crisci, C.H.P.<br />Senior Consultant<br />Pinnacle Group Worldwide<br />gcrisci@pgww.com<br />www.pgww.com<br />AIM: GaryPGWW<br />(800)403-0795 x8734<br />
Re: Cancelled queries	In order to prevent queries from running forever, there are configuration settings in the Essbase.cfg file - one of  them is QRYGOVEXECTIME - it allows you to set a maximum query duration.  You can also kill queries using EAS or MaxL, if one is running past a certain time.<br /><br />Hope That Helps.<br /><br />Jade
Re: Cancelled queries	Thanks everyone I will pass on all your comments to my team.
Error msg	"Analytic Services timed out while trying to perform an operation"<br /><br />this error happens every second or third day and is not consistent<br /><br />HELP! ???
Re: Error msg	This one could be a number of things:<br />- network issues<br />- installation/configuration<br />- bad data<br /><br />Have you any more information? Was there a recent software/hardware upgrade? etc?
Re: Error msg	It seems to occur on one particular workstation albeit in a random pattern. PC is running the SOE without any strange additional software that I can see.<br /><br />We can probably rule out data corruption as other workstations can access the reports/data.<br /><br />Thanks for the tip re network issue - never occurred to me. Will run some tests in this regard.<br /><br />THANKS!
Re: Error msg	Have a look at this link:<br />[url]http://essbase.com/techdocs/essbase/essbase_71/Docs/errmsgs/erhelp.htm[/url]<br /><br />It might be your NETDELAY and NETRETRYCOUNT settings, but the article has a few other suggestions.
Re: Error msg	thanks dummyhalf
ETL functionality in Essbase?	our company got taken over recently and in the resulting integration, essbase was picked as the reporting tool-of-choice. it currently sources its data from our largish sales datamart via our existing (shonky)proprietary reporting tool. does essbase have any ETL functionality that we might be able to use and so bypass our in house tool?
Re: ETL functionality in Essbase?	Well, load rules have limited ETL capability, but Essbase is not an ETL tool.  They can do character replaces, change case, do basic sorting, but that is about it.  Depending on what kind of data manipulation you are needing, you might have to look at using a staging database or some other ETL products like Informatica, etc.<br /><br />Most ETL processes can be handled using SQL and perhaps even other scripting languages like Perl, but some of the ETL products out there make it a lot easier.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Jade
Re: ETL functionality in Essbase?	There are a couple of options.  <br />Essbase uses load rules to take text files from any source and manipulate them to be loaded into your cube.<br />There is an SQL interface that lets you query SQL databases and load the results directly into your cube.<br />Hyperion offers a data integration connector for SAP, but this requires you use Essbase Integration Services as well, so that starts to get into a really large initiative.<br />Then there is Hyperion Application Link (HAL) an add-on product that uses adapters to link data from multiple sources to Essbase.<br />Lastly, there are third party solutions such as UpStream that will do this for you.  UpStream happens to be an excellent product.<br />Your best bet is to discuss with your sales rep or a qualified consultant to determine what best fits your needs.<br /><br />Hope that helps<br /><br />Gary Crisci, C.H.P.<br />Senior Consultant<br />Pinnacle Group Worldwide<br />gcrisci@pgww.com<br />www.pgww.com<br />AIM: GaryPGWW<br />(800)403-0795 x8734<br />
Re: ETL functionality in Essbase?	Thanks guys - that's a great help. I apologise JCole, for not being able to Accept both replies(!)<br /><br />We have a guy on the team that is keen on Informatica given his background with it but I think Architecture might dictate we keep everything 'integrated' ie. minimise vendors and customisations. But I will also investigate using PERL/SQL. But thanks for that.<br /><br />Garycris - thanks for the tip on HAL. this might end up being the most politically correct choice if it's not too hard to implement.<br /><br />.....many more questions to come.......<br />
Essbase Helper	[b]E[/b]ssbase [b]H[/b]elper ([b]EH[/b]) is a supplemental add-in for Hyperionâ€™s Essbase add-in for Excel. Its primary function is to enhance Essbase connectivity by managing connections transparently (while navigating around your workbooks).Â <br /><br />Templates with multiple retrievals are made "safer" and easier to use because [b]EH[/b] will ensure that you never erroneously perform an operation against the wrong database, such as when a previous connection times out at the server and another current connection is substituted without your knowledge.Â <br /><br />Besides managing the connectivity to the appropriate database, [b]EH[/b] manages multiple template areas within a single tab, and ensures that each area be dealt with without having to manually select the range of cells to act against.Â In addition, each area can be flagged as read-only, and also remembers its own individual Essbase settings.<br /><br />Additional features include the ability to automatically locate the current member when you open the member selection dialog (a mild but common pain when making selection changes), and the ability to disable Essbase menu items that represent inappropriate operations (ie, the lock/send functions when the active area is defined as read-only).<br /><br />[b]EH[/b] was designed for the userâ€™s convenience, and can be fully operated via a simple toolbar, the Essbase menu, and (in the fully registered version) programmatically via a fully documented VBA object model. The key benefits of this add-in are in the simplicity it offers to the user, reducing time, errors, and maintenance effort.<br /><br />[b]NOTE: [/b] The current version has a cosmetic bug in the installer, which causes the documentation file icon to launch the configuration tool instead.Â An updated version will be forthcoming soon.<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Essbase Helper	Great app DougWare!
Re: Essbase Helper	I have had this app for a little while now (from Hyperion forum) and I think it's very good. Love your work.
Re: Essbase Helper	Thanks guys, feel free to let me know what you think about the others.  I take constructive criticism well, so don't hold back.  :)<br /><br />There are a couple of fixes needed in HE, but mostly cosmetic (like errant notices that an area overlaps when it doesn't).  I'm also tempted to roll Zoomer into HE entirely, since Zoomer is such an simple item.  Alas, my evenings and weekends are already too busy for making many changes on these tools (mostly writing game add-ins in small).<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Essbase Zoomer	Essbase Zoomer is a simple add-in that augments the Essbase addin for Excel.  It expands the Zoom menu to allow you to choose the level you are zooming, as well as changing zoom-related toggles -- without going in and out of the Essbase options dialog.<br /><br />For serious ad-hoc operations, Zoomer will allow you to navigate without wearing your finger out (via constant double clicking), making it faster as well as easier.<br /><br />-Doug.<br />
DougB's Outline InfoTool	This is a simple workbook which makes it easy to extract outline information.  No magic, just easy to use convenience.<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: DougB's Outline InfoTool	I tried this utility but kept getting outline errors.  Is there a different instruction sheet available?
Re: DougB's Outline InfoTool	I'm pretty sure this utility won't work with V7.x outlines (saved via EAS, at least).<br /><br />I don't have access to the V7 api yet, but when I do, I'll upload a new version for V7 (I don't know if any new functionality will be added -- it all depends on what changes were made in the API).<br /><br />Sorry -- I was really looking forward to V7, but it's certainly not being kind to me.  ::)
Security Workbook	This is a relatively simple workbook with code to automate retrieving and updating Essbase security information.Â It's very good for documenting the current security state, and even at realligning users and groups.<br /><br />[color=Red]Caution[/color]: Use at your own risk.Â I say this not because it's a risky tool, but because it can be mis-used too easily.<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Security Workbook	It has come to my attention that one of the references to the version above may cause it to not work well on some versions of Office.  The version attached here should remove that issue (please let me know if otherwise).<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Security Workbook	You've been a busy boy dougware!<br /><br />Great output.
Re: Security Workbook	<br /><br />We got error while using this vba application -- 'esbapin.dll can not be found'.  esbapin file is found under hyperion\essbase\bin folder. Wondering if this can be fixed.<br /><br />Thanks a lot.
Re: Security Workbook	sounds more like a local problem than something Doug has done. <br /><br />Check that the X:\hyperion\essbase\bin directory is in your path ... and that system variable ARBORPATH is set ... <br /><br />
Essbase and Adobe compatibility	Has anyone experienced any compatibility issues between the Excel add-in and Adobe add-in? One of my users complains of mysterious machine locking and the only difference I could find in the PC image was Adobe. I have not been able to replicate on another machine and it does not happen 'on-demand'.<br /><br />Thanks in advance.
Re: Essbase and Adobe compatibility	I've run the Essbase addin v6.5 through v7.1.2 with Adobe Acrobat 5 and 6 and haven't had any problem.<br /><br />I can't say it is not responsible for the problem you are having, but I figured I would mention it hasn't been a problem for me.<br /><br />Best of luck trying to resolve.<br />
Re: Essbase and Adobe compatibility	We had users who could not view large pdf docs off the web using adobe.  They were getting the reports from Hyperion Reports, but the problem turned out to be a modification to the windows registry on every machine in the corporation that limited the bandwidth usage of each machine.  <br />This resulted in the PDF not displaying on the user's machine as desired.  It may "look" like a computer lock up situation , but the user could do other things just fine, it's just the PDF never displayed.<br />The fix of course was to remove the windows registry change from their computer so they could view larger PDF documents via internet explorer.<br />Otherwise, our users have used Adobe and Hyperion for years without any conflicts.
Re: Essbase and Adobe compatibility	Thanks very much for your replies. I will definitely try the registry suggestion.
Introduction to Hyperion: Article	Introduction to Hyperion <br /><br />* What is "Hyperion"?<br /><br />Hyperion(r) is the global leader in Business Performance Management<br />Software.Â More than 9,000 customers â€“ including 91 of the Fortune 100<br />â€“ rely on Hyperion software to translate strategies into plans,<br />monitor execution and provide insight to improve financial and<br />Operational performance. Hyperion combines the most complete set of<br />Interoperable applications with the leading Business Intelligence<br />platform to support and create Business Performance Management<br />Solutions. A network of more than 600 partners provides the company's<br />innovative and specialized solutions and services.<br /><br />Named one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For 2004, Hyperion<br />employs approximately 2,500 people in 20 countries. Distributors<br />represent Hyperion in an additional 25 countries. Headquartered in<br />Santa Clara, California, Hyperion generated annual revenues of $622<br />million for the 12 months that ended June 30, 2004.Â Hyperion is<br />traded under the NASDAQ symbol HYSL.<br /><br />For more information, please visit www.hyperion.com,<br />www.hyperion.com/contactus or call 800 286 8000 (U.S. only).<br /><br />Please visit: http://www.hyperion.com/company/overview/<br /><br />* What is BPM?<br /><br />Business Performance Management is one of the fastest growing and most<br />strategic categories of enterprise software today.<br /><br />A category of technologies and practices that enables organizations to<br />translate strategies into plans, monitor execution and provide insight<br />to improve financial and operational performance.<br /><br />* What Is Business Intelligence?<br /><br />Business intelligence is a category of software that enables companies<br />to access, analyze and share information to understand how their<br />business is performing. Business intelligence provides individuals<br />with access to historic information from a wide variety of sources and<br />tools for analysis and statistical predictions. The result is improved<br />decision making, leading to better operational performance.<br /><br />__Please visit: http://www.hyperion.com/products/bpm_suite/glossary.cfm<br /><br />________________________________________<br /><br />* Business Info: Hyperion Solutions Corp. (HYSL)<br /><br />1. CBS MarketWatch (HYSL)<br /><br />http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/quotes.asp?symb=HYSL%20&siteid=mktw&dist=mktwqn&cbsReferrer=www.answers.com<br /><br />2. CNBC MSN Money (HYSL)<br /><br />http://moneycentral.msn.com/scripts/webquote.dll?ipage=qd&Symbol=HYSL<br /><br />3. CNN Money (HYSL)<br /><br />http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?shownav=true&symb=HYSL<br /><br />4. Yahoo (HYSL): Quotes Info<br /><br />http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=HYSL&d=v1<br /><br />5. Hyperion Jobs Average Salary & Contractor Rates <br /> <br />http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/skills_and_rates/hyperion.do<br /><br />___________________________________________<br /><br /><br />* Hyperion News:<br /><br />1. Business Directory<br /><br />http://www.business.com/directory/computers_and_software/software_applications/enterprise_resource_planning_erp/hyperion_solutions_corporation<br /><br />2. Google Latest News<br /><br />http://news.google.com/news?q=Hyperion+Solutions+Corp.&btnG=Search+News&hl=en&edition=us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8<br /><br />3. Market Watch<br /><br />http://aolpf5.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/profile.asp?<br /><br />_____________________________________<br /><br /><br />* Hyperion Products:<br /><br />A.HYPERION BI PLATFORM<br /><br />1. Hyperion Analyzer<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/analyzer/<br /><br />2. Hyperion Application Builder<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/application_builder/<br /><br />3. Hyperion Application Link<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/application_link/<br /><br />4. Hyperion Essbase<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/essbase_analytic_services/<br /><br />5. Hyperion Master Data Management Server<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/mdm/<br /><br />6. Hyperion Metrics Builder<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/metrics_builder/<br /><br />7. Hyperion Objects<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/objects/<br /><br />8. Hyperion Performance Suite Intelligence, SQR<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/performance_suite/<br /><br />9. Hyperion Reports<br /> http://dev.hyperion.com/products/reports/<br /><br />10. Hyperion HUB<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/hub/<br /><br />B.HYPERION APPLICATIONS<br /><br />1. Hyperion Pillar<br />http://www.hyperion.com/products/applications/planning_budgeting_forecasting/pillar/<br /><br />2.Hyperion Planning<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/planning<br /><br />3. Hyperion Financial Management<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/financial_management/<br /><br />4. Hyperion Enterprise<br />http://www.hyperion.com/products/applications/consolidation_reporting/enterprise/<br /><br />5. Hyperion Business Modeling<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/business_modeling/<br /><br />6. Hyperion Business Rules<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/business_rules/<br /><br />7. Hyperion Performance Scorecard<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/performance_scorecard<br /><br />8. Hyperion Strategic Finance<br />http://dev.hyperion.com/products/strategic_finance<br />_________________________________________<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks to:<br /><br />My Family members<br /><br />Jon HYPEd administrator <br /><br />Kimberley Bermender<br />Sr. Manager, Marketing<br />Hyperion Solutions<br /><br />John Kopcke<br />CTO Hyperion Solutions<br /><br />Adam Souza <br />HDN Hyperion Solutions<br /><br /><br />Note: "Portions provided by Hyperion Solutions Corporation are<br />Copyright 1996 to 2005, and are used with permission of Hyperion.<br />Hyperion, the Hyperion "H" logo, and Hyperion product names are<br />Trademarks of Hyperion.Â The views expressed in other than Hyperion<br />Provided materials are not necessarily the views of Hyperion."Â <br /><br />About me:<br /><br />Iâ€™ve Bachelorâ€™s Degree in BS (Computer Science).<br /><br />I've Experience with Hyperion Products Essbase Planning Analyzer HAL Reports HFM etc.<br /><br />Iâ€™m Hyperion Tech Author.<br /><br />Hobbies:<br /><br />Writing Hyperion Tech Articles Yoga Writing Stories PoliticsÂ Â Loving NewEngland PatriotsÂ Cartoonist.<br /><br /><br />
Download Hyperion Technical Documentation	Hyperion provides technical documentation for a number of their products through their developer's website.  Click on the following link to browse the different products and download installation guides, administrator guides, technical references, etc.<br /><br />[u][url]http://dev.hyperion.com/resource_library/technical_documentation/[/url][/u]<br /><br /><br />If you don't find what you are looking for there, post a request and if we have it, we'll forward it to you.<br /><br /><br />Regards,
Problem attaching files/downloading attachments	Hi All,<br /><br />dougware and garcris was kind enough to drop me an email saying that some user groups on the forum did not have permission to view/attach files. I have since found the setting at fault and rectified. Please let me know if there are any other teething problems - great to flush out before official launch!<br /><br />Thanks guys!<br /><br />Jon
Re: Problem attaching files/downloading attachments	Hi there<br />Yesterday I had no problems downloading utilities, but I am having a particular problem downloading Essbase Zoomer today. I log in as normal, and just before clicking on the download file I can see my login name at the top of the screen, so I know that \|I am successfully logged in. As soon as I click on the download file, I get taken to a screen where it asks me to log in again. <br /><br />Regards<br /><br />matthu
Topic solved : the mysterious green color	Query re the mysterious green background on certain posts. 'Topic solved' is functionality that is available on this forum (most boards other than general discussions etc). If you start a new topic in a tech board, you have the option to nominate whether or not a reply has helped fix the problem described (signified by a tick image on your original topic that only the topic starter can see). Once topic has been deemed 'solved' the poster with the most relevant reply will have that post highlighted in green and the big thumbs up icon will show at the board index level.<br /><br />thanks for the query garycris - i see you have a thumbs against your posts already. well done and thanks for helping out!
Essbase as a datasource	Hi,<br /><br />Our reporting setup is DBs = Sybase + mainframe, ETL = Informatica, BI = Business Objects. We have been asked to extend our reoprting framework to include another part of the business that uses Essbase.<br /><br />I was wondering if we can use Essbase as a datasource.<br /><br />thanks
Re: Essbase as a datasource	Is this what you had in mind?
Re: Essbase as a datasource	Perfect!<br /><br />thanks
Apologies for site downtime	The webhost had to reboot the server.<br /><br />Apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Downloads enable/disable	Sorry dougware,<br /><br />I had the master 'attachments' setting set to "disable".<br /><br />Please try again.<br /><br />Apologies for the runaround. We'll get this site running right eventually!!!!<br /><br />Jon
Hyperion Essbase Auto-Processor (HEAP)	Background: <br /><br />One of the departments here runs 3 calc scripts in succession for each organization that updates data, but needs to define substitution variables that are specific to each run.  The need is known up front, but varies in a way that makes it difficult to 'bake' the business logic into an independent process.  As a result, they have to perform as many as 160 seperate manual steps (set variables, run calcs, repeat type stuff).  This process was not just manually exhaustive, it was error prone and time intensive (sometimes spanning 16 hours of effort or more).  To top this off, they needed to run this cycle multiple times each month!<br /><br />HEAP was designed to automate this long sequence of steps.  It was not meant to be a full automation tool, just a client utility to make variable and alias dependent calc scripts easier to manage.  Although this tool was developed rapidly (less than 10 hours, including the instructions and demonstration), it proved to be invaluable to the department mentioned above, saving a significant amount of time as well as effort.<br /><br />Will this benefit your organization?  Possibly, but it's probably more likely to be a good example of how a rapidly developed tool can benefit your own specific needs.  Even though I spent less than a day in coding, it's very well designed and commented, so if you're just getting your feet wet into Essbase automation, it's also a good start.<br /><br />Then again, you may find a good use for it as it is.  :)<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Hyperion Essbase Auto-Processor (HEAP)	Thanks - it's a great case study in scripting an automation function.
Best practice on cube development	We're getting our first few development requests from our users and are looking at building a few cubes. I was wondering if there are any best practice guidelines on:<br />[list]<br />[li]size of cubes[/li]<br />[li]number of dimensions[/li]<br />[li]number of members[/li]<br />[li]any other performance considerations[/li]<br />[/list]
Re: Best practice on cube development	Hi There,<br /><br />That is quite a big question to answer.  We were there about 9-10months ago and there's still plenty to learn.  Is it possible for you to go on a course do you have any manuals?<br /><br />If not go to the Help dropdown and select on the Administrator Guide, this should get you started.<br /><br />As Confucius said....."Every journey starts with a few small steps!"<br /><br />Good luck<br /><br />Mark
Re: Best practice on cube development	Ahh, the perennial question ... one closely related to how long is a piece of string â€¦ and the lack of an answer is precisely what keeps many of us employed. <br /><br />The motherhood replies are along the lines of <br />[list]<br />[li]As small as you can get away with[/li]<br />[li]As few as possible[/li]<br />[li]Ditto[/li]<br />[li]Yes, plenty[/li]<br />[/list]<br />respectively.<br /><br />I often find that a large part of my job is simply to reduce the number of dimensions from what the users initially believe is necessary. To some extent this need has been lessened since attribute dimensions came along, but it still basically holds true.<br /><br />The measurable elements we know improve performance are:<br />[list]<br />[li]block sizes between 32k and 64k (max 128k) bytes[/li]<br />[li]â€œhour glassâ€ dimension order from largest dense to smallest dense, smallest sparse to largest sparse, then the flat sparse dimension like scenario, version, etc, and finally the attribute dimensions[/li]<br />[li]Dynamic calc within blocks and for all non level 0 members of dense dimensions[/li]<br />[li]As few as practicable cross dimensional calculations[/li]<br />[/list]<br />There are many more hints and clues but youâ€™d be better served to ask more specific questions<br /><br />But, it really does depend upon your businesses requirements. Then the bigger task of performance tuning really is an art â€¦ and something for another timeâ€¦<br /><br />It you insist on some hard numbers (and no science) then ...<br />[list]<br />[li]keep the fully populated cube size below 100Mb[/li]<br />[li]"real" dimension to 4-6, "flat" dimensions to 1-3, as many attribute as you want[/li]<br />[li]accounts dimension to up to 500 pysical members[/li]<br />[li]most other ("real") dimensions to less that 100 members[/li]<br />[/list]<br />But I've also had 50Gb cubes with 12 dimensions and 500,000 members in one of them! You do what is necessary.<br /><br />And as mentioned elsewhere ... read the manuals because some of the content is actually quite good. And consider other training or involving experienced help ... a little spent now may save a lot in the future. Good luck.Â :)<br /><br />(There's a term for what I'm calling "flat" dimensions - can't think of what it is.)<br />
Re: Best practice on cube development	Good stuff - it took me a long time to understand why a lot of those points are important.<br /><br />One excellent resource I found early on was IBM's Redbook on DB2 OLAP (DB2 OLAP is the IBM-branded version of Essbase) at [url]http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg246138.html?Open[/url].  It covers a lot of the points Chris raised, plus it has some moderately interesting examples and case studies.<br /><br />BTW, Chris: I think the term you're looking for for "flat" dimensions is "non-aggregating" -- that's what it's called in the training anyway :)
Re: Best practice on cube development	Granted, this is just one caveat of an almost infinite list, but I found this particular one to be often over looked, so I thought I'd use it to make a point.<br /><br />An alternative view on the dynamic calc statements above may apply in several situations (balancing disk size/calc requirements along with retrieval, for one).  Instead of (or in addition to) making all dense dimension roll-ups D-C, you can focus on the smallest dimensions (both sparse and dense).  Typical (if there is such a thing) calc requirements in large dense dimensions, coupled with typical smallest sparse dimension layout, often makes it advantageous in terms of both calc time and disk space.  Then, depending on the largest dense dimension, you might benefit some by keeping it stored.  <br /><br />To understand why this is so, you only need to picture a relatively "ideal", but also somewhat typical, case:<br />  - Dense Dimension 1: 900 Level 0, 90 Upper Level members<br />  - Other dense dimensions<br />  - Sparse Dimension 1: 30 Level 0, 10 Upper Level members<br /><br />The increase in block size (discarding compression) for making the switch is at most 10%, while the overall decrease in page file size (again, discarding compression) is very nearly proportional (or about 25%) to the reduction.  The increase in page size also has much less impact on calc time compared to the sparse reduction, making a similar reduction in calc time (not 25%, but a fairly good proportion of it).  On top of this, the larger dimensions (dense especially) tend to have more complex requirements and calculations tied to them (in particular to the upper level members, or D-C candidates), in my experience, anyway.<br /><br />To summarize, there are no hard and fast rules, and I agree with everything said so far -- the caveat above is only one of a very large number of things learned through hard found experience, which is one good reason why forums on Essbase (in particular) are so popular.<br /><br />Just one side note, then I promise to shut up.  I once had a database that was optimized in such a way that optimum performance was obtained with a layout that did [b]not[/b] follow the "hourglass" layout, and to top it off, it had a block size well over 1 Meg.  All attempts to reduce the block size or reshape the cube caused a significant reduction in performance.  Don't read this as a violation of the "optimum" block size guideline, only that once again, there are really no hard and fast rules for all situations.  In the case of block size recommendations, however, the exceptions are very rare indeed -- but they do exist.<br />
Excel performance enhancement tips	We have been handed this task of optimising the performance of an Excel/Essbase workbook that was built by a power-user from the finance dept (who has since left - sound familiar?) and it's a beast. Multiple worksheets, charts, links, links to links, macros, and calculations.<br /><br />Short of rebuilding it fom scratch, are there any performance enhancement tips? (We run Excel2003)
Re: Excel performance enhancement tips	HDN has an article on optimising calculations:<br /><br />http://dev.hyperion.com/resource_library/tips_faqs/client_and_server_calculations/essbase_optimize.cfm
Re: Excel performance enhancement tips	I have always found charts reduce performance. If there was any way to quarantine the presentation layer type stuff then it allows you to segment the core processes.
Planning/Essbase on Unix/Solaris	Does anyone have Essbase running on Unix/Solaris?<br />We have managed to get Essbase installed and running, but not successfully been able to create applications. This will be the production environment for Essbase and Planning databases.<br />Cameron suggested it could be a permissions issue, but so far nothing has been proven despite multiple cheks.<br />TIA<br /> ???
Re: Planning/Essbase on Unix/Solaris	Its working.<br />We needed to add a pile of variables, which unfortunately were not requested!<br /><br />This was added over what had defaulted:<br />ODBCINI=$HYPERION_HOME/common/ODBC/Merant/4.2/odbc.ini <br />export ODBCINI <br />ESS_JVM_OPTION1=-Xusealtsigs <br />export ESS_JVM_OPTION1 <br />ESS_CSS_JVM_OPTION1=-Xusealtsigs <br />export ESS_CSS_JVM_OPTION1
Re: Planning/Essbase on Unix/Solaris	Care to share? It's an unusual configuration
Re: Planning/Essbase on Unix/Solaris	Have you checked the extra environment variables listed in $ARBORPATH/hyperionenv.doc have been set, and that they point to the right locations?  Has $ARBORPATH/bin been added to the PATH variable for the user that runs the ESSBASE executable?<br /><br />(ODBC is a whole other adventure, but I don't think that ODBCINI value looks right -- you're supposed to write your own odbc.ini to include the data sources you want to have available to Essbase, and the supplied one is just an example.  It shouldn't stop the applications from starting though - you just wont get any data sources listed in the rules file editor after choosing "Open SQL".)
Excel Right Click Cell Menu	please find attached an xla (in the zip) that adds a right click cell menu to excel.<br /><br />needs standard essbase add in and you need to turn of right click in essbase/options.<br /><br />this is a cut down version of a working xla I have which does far too much (specific to clients) to post it all here ... but this is one of the more useful bits. If there are problems please let me know.<br /><br />should work on any V5 or later version of essbase.<br /><br />Chris
Re: Excel Right Click Cell Menu	Thanks for sharing.Â This should really help navigate Excel with Essbase. :D
Re: Excel Right Click Cell Menu	It works great but I do not see a big advantage in comparisment with the Essbase toolbar button. Takes as many clicks as it does with the plug-in you made and has almost the same options. I rather have a small toolbar at the bottom of my excel workbook with some recognisable buttons.
Re: Excel Right Click Cell Menu	Mate, you're missing the point (and I'm trying not to take this personally) <br /><br />1) If you can do the variety of drill options in as many clicks be my guest; <br /><br />2) I'm a big user of the right mouse button and, at least till v7, the essbase addin wanted hold of the mouse too much for my liking<br /><br />3) The code is open - modify it to be whatever you want it to be - like I said this is cut down from the original. It could be used to create a toolbar like you suggest rather than a menu - the code ain't that different.<br /><br />Use, Change, Experiment and if you get stuck or need help ... ask.Â :)
Re: Excel Right Click Cell Menu	Crist,<br />this right menu is interesting option. Is it posible to have both functionality - your right menu and Hyperion functionality?<br /><br />I would like to have your option on right mouse click, but for example pressing Ctrl+right click it would enable Hyperion functionality - pivoting and drill up.<br /><br />So my question: is it posible to have both options?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Grofaty
Re: Excel Right Click Cell Menu	I don't think so, no.<br /><br />The code is not capturing the right click itself so much as changing the menu Excel dispays when it captures a right click in a cell.<br /><br />And I'm not sure if the right click action also passes a control key value, but I think it would be vastly more difficult than what is here. <br /><br />But my code is not protected ... so if you solve it I'm sure others would be interested.<br /><br /> ;) <br />
Outline Comparison Tool	This creates an Excel workbook that shows detail changes between two outlines.  The outlines may be stored anywhere (locally or on any server) to be compared, and it does a very thorough job of listing changes.  <br /><br />This is a "somewhat" matured utility -- I would still like to add the ability to skip specific checks (like comparing formulas, storage attributes, etc.), and add the one "missing piece" to the comparison (it only compares the default alias table, not the others).  But I could probably use some feedback before investing any time on this tool.<br /><br />-Doug<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Seems to have a problem with Attribute dimensions:<br /><br />A1234567 "Changed """" Attribute:<br />Old Value: ""Function F""<br />New Value: ""Company C"""<br /><br />A1234567 "Changed """" Attribute:<br />Old Value: ""Region R""<br />New Value: ""Company C"""<br /><br />A1234567 "Changed """" Attribute:<br />Old Value: ""Area A""<br />New Value: ""Company C"""<br /><br />A1234567 "Changed """" Attribute:<br />Old Value: ""No Line""<br />New Value: ""Company C"""<br /><br />Each of these are different Attribute dimensions (Function, Region, Area, Line, Company) associated with the Organization dimension in my outline.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	I'll check this one out tonight -- obviously it's missing the attribute dimension name (in the empty quotes), so it's comparing each attribute to the same one.  I probably did something to it last night when I tried to make it work with all alias tables (and got too tired to finish, so I ended up commenting a lot of it out).  <br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the heads up.<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Thanks for the quick response. Looks very nice and has already answered a question I had on a particular database today.<br /><br />Do you make your source available also? Not trying to compete with you, just trying to learn more about api coding. No biggie if not, just checking.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	For a lot of my code, I allow people to use it for their own purposes.Â This isn't to prevent them from modifying it to their needs, but to keep warring versions from existing through derivative releases.Â In other words, don't let me catch blame for changes made by others, or let others take credit from the original work done by me.Â Simply put: for personal use only, and sharing is limited to your organization.<br /><br />Some of my code I protect somewhat more.Â The outline comparison "core" is one of these, as there is a whole lot of effort that goes into some of the obscure aspects (for instance, recognizing situations were a member was renamed by matching the alias up).Â It looks simple in english, but the actual logic is anything but.<br /><br />If you are looking for a simple comparison, you could easily modify the code in the Outline Info Tool to do this.Â It's not what I refer to as a "signature tool", so the code is open (although the version available here is slightly dummied up for that purpose, it has what you need to create an OtlComp "light").<br /><br />I created another tool similar to this (OtlSync), which replicates hierarchy changes from one outline to another.Â It uses coded UDA's to allow exceptions for every imaginable situation.Â This tool isn't quite ready for exposure to the public yet, but I may upload it sometime down the road.<br /><br />Yet another "signature tool" is actually a built in utility menu that operates like a DBA "swiss army knife" -- and it contains almost all of the stuff I've uploaded here, and more.Â I'd like to make this available, but it needs a lot of redevelopment for this to happen.Â Still, I tend to let people I trust use it.Â Some of it's functions:<br />Â Â - Display Server/App statistics<br />Â Â - Display Server loading<br />Â Â - Edit server substitution variables<br />Â Â - Display access statistics (from log file, broken down and categorized)<br />Â Â - Display calc statistics (similar to above, different details/focus)<br />Â Â - Display database statistics (this is a summary of database settings)<br />Â Â - Display optimum calc cache size (simple calc from outline)<br />Â Â - Compare outlines (same as this tool)<br />Â Â - Create security dump (similar/more complete than the security workbook)<br />Â Â - Restore security dump (uses output from above)<br />Â Â ... and some misc. toggles and such<br /><br />So although I wouldn't give you the full source code to [color=Blue]otlcomp[/color], there are a lot of tools I've done over the past 10 years that I don't mind people getting the code for -- assuming you promise that it's for your own use.<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Fully understand. I have not pulled down the Outline Info tool yet, so did not know code was visible. I am not so much looking for the internals of the comparison logic; more interested in seeing examples of good Essbase api coding. I have done a little myself (for example wrapped Essmaxl.dll for Python as I don't care for Perl), and have seen some of the stuff from Solutions, but always nice to learn from the work of others who have gone deeper.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	I've tried to replicate a situation similar to what you've reported, and couldn't (it worked as expected on multiple attributes defined).<br /><br />Is it possible this was a one time glitch (some possible error that didn't get trapped, perhaps)?<br /><br />Also, did you use outlines from client, server, or one of each?<br /><br />Finally, which version are you using?Â (I tested this on 5.1 and 6.2 so far).<br /><br />Thanks again,<br /><br />-Doug<br />PS: I've confirmed the code in the outline info tool is not locked.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Server outlines, Essbase 6.5 Patch 6 on Windows 2000. All of the Attribute dimensions are Text attributes. They are the only Attribute dims in the database and all are associated with the Organization dimensions. Seems to be repeatable.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Would it be possible for you to send the outlines to me for debugging/testing?  <br /><br />My (anti-spam mangled) email address is [color=Blue]dbliss (at) wide open west (dot) com[/color].<br /><br />Just do the obvious -- remove the spaces and replace the (at) and (dot).<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Doug,<br /><br />Would it be possible to get some of those tools for use here at my organization. I am not a consultant, just a squirrel trying to get a nut.<br /><br /> :-*<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />Sal
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	I don't want to make this sound like a big deal -- but I'm reluctant to send it to anyone I don't really know.  I've seen people get in trouble when their company finds out they have "unsupported software" installed, and depending on the company and software, it can become an issue.  Most of these utilities are well beneath the radar for all but the most uptight IT policies, but the utility workbook by it's very nature is a bit more of a problem.<br /><br />If you feel this isn't an issue for you, send me an email (address is in another response above), let me know where you plan on using it, what your role is (dba, analyst, developer...?), and I'll send you a copy.<br /><br />Like I said, it's not a big deal, just a little extra caution on this particular tool.<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Hey Doug,<br /><br />Does this utility work on v7.1.2 outlines?  Does the ESSLANG setting matter?<br /><br />I'm having trouble getting to work trying to compare two client based outlines.  I run the exe, I input the path for the outlines, click OK and nothing happens.<br /><br />Thanks,
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Thanks for the heads up.<br /><br />I can't be positive that it's not a version issue.  I know that there are differences in the OTL structure that cause problems with downward compatibility, but my tests were done against outlines that were saved with a V6.2 client against a V7 server (our clients can't migrate until all servers are migrated).<br /><br />Since I'm stuck using a V6 client API for the time being, I don't know when I'll get the chance to migrate any of my utilities to V7.  And, with EAS available, I figured the benefit the tool provides is significantly reduced, so I didn't pay much attention to the need to upgrade it.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I'd like to discuss this with you in more detail some time, I'll send you a note (although I'd recommend you not make your email address quite so public, as spambots have been known to scan this site).<br />
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	Not sure if this the problem, but rumor has it that a lot of API programs are breaking when moving to 7. I am still happily cranking along in 6.5.6 so cannot confirm.
Re: Outline Comparison Tool	[quote author=garycris link=topic=27.msg136#msg136 date=1126189022]<br />Hey Doug,<br /><br />Does this utility work on v7.1.2 outlines?Â Does the ESSLANG setting matter?<br /><br />I'm having trouble getting to work trying to compare two client based outlines.Â I run the exe, I input the path for the outlines, click OK and nothing happens.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I was thinking I had the same thing here but it just took a minute or 5 to finish what it was doing. Now I have a beautifull overview of my changes. The attributes are a mess, thats a shame, but the rest I can check verry easily now. :)
Linking Spreadsheets in different Reports	I have one problem, maybe it is simple to solve:<br /><br />How can one link all(!) dimensions of two spreadsheets in different reports?<br />I want to give over all member selections of a spreadsheet in one report to<br />a spreadsheet in another report.<br /><br />Environment: Hyperion Analyzer  7.2.1.1.03053<br /><br />Best regards and thanks in advance!<br />Michael
Re: Linking Spreadsheets in different Reports	Not positive on this one, but here's my best guess:<br /><br />Create a separate frame with the controls to do the member selections, and link each of the existing reports' selections to those controls.  Changing one should then change all, no matter where it's changed -- in theory.  If I'm way off on this one, forgive me, I haven't worked with Analyzer in a long time (I'm more of an API/utility kind of guy).<br />
Re: Linking Spreadsheets in different Reports	This does also not work, objects of different reports are independent  :(.<br />I also spoke with someone from Hyperion, it is not possible to pass the<br />dimension selections of one whole spreadsheet (rows, columns, filters, pages)<br />over to another spreadsheet in a different report. This is already an <br />enhancement request.<br /><br />Thank you for your help, especially for the very quick response!  :D<br /><br />Kind regards<br />Michael<br />
Error 429 - ActiveX component can't create object	Hello,<br /><br />after successfully configuring Hyperion Business Rules (available in EAS), I get the Error Message "Error 429 - ActiveX component can't create object" when I try to open the busin