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 versionsA: 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 Client10. 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 kb25. 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 data-load 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 editor2) Set the file delimiter for you data source.3) Perform operations on records.4) Perform operations on fields5) 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 – MonthLevel 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 Date74. 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 together3) 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 DimensionMust be sparse their base dim must also be sparse

Can be dense or sparse

Dynamic calc only, therefore not stored in the database, the outline does not display in this property

Can be store data, Dynamic calc and store, Dynamic calc, never share and label only

Attributes must be the last dimension in the outline

Must be a head of all attributes in the 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 through the attribute calculations, dimension members: Sum, Count, Min, Max and Avg…

Consolidation operation indicated by assigning the desired consolidation symbol to each member.

Association: must be associated with a base dim

Not available

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 themA: 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 re-calculated 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, RESETDB119. 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, OUTPCalculation 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 (<).Formatting Commands: Allow for customization of the report format and appearance, the creation of new columns and calculation of columns and rows. These commands are generally contained within braces ({}), although same begin with less than sign (<).126. What are the main components in Hyperion Essbase report writer?A: Report Editor: Report editor is an ASCII text editor to use write the report scripts. The report editor features a text editing window and customized menus.Report Extractor: Report extractor retrieves the data information from the Hyperion Essbase database when you run a report script. Report Viewer: It displays the complete report saved reports have the file extension Rpt.127. List some report writer commands?A: ANCESTORS: ANCESTORS ‘mbrname’ ASYM, ATTRIBUTE, {BLOCKHEADERS} Reports 128. What are the different types of reports you can produce using report scripts?A: Sym, asym.129. What is difference between symmetric reports and asymmetric reports?A: A symmetric report is characterized by reporting, identical group of members. An asymmetric report is characterized by groups of nested members that differ by at least one member in the nested group. There can be difference in the number of members or the names of members.130. What are Report member selections?A: The Report member selections define the values for the values for any dimensions not in the grid’s row, column, or page axis or set in the grid POV for all reports in a specific report in the book. 131. What is an ad-hoc Report?A: Report that is created on the fly. 132. Types of database restructure?A: Full Restructure: If a member of a dense dimension is moved, deleted, or added, essbase restructures the blocks in a data file and create new data files. When Essbase restructures the data blocks, it regenerates the index automatically so that index entries point to new data blocks. Essbase marks all restructured block as dirty, so after a full restructure you need to recalculate

the database. Full restructure is the most time consuming of the restructures and, for large databases, can take a very long time t complete.Sparse Restructure: If a member of a sparse dimension or a member of an attribute dimension is moved, deleted, or added, Essbase restructures the index and create new index files. Restructuring the index is relatively fast; the amount of time depends on the size of the index.Outline-only Restructure: If a change affects only the database outline, Essbase does not restructure the index or data files. Member name changes, creation of aliases, and dynamic calculation formula changes are examples of changes that affect only the database outline.133. What is Dense restructure and why does this happen?A: whenever we add/remove a dense dimension member from the outline, the outline has to restructure itself so as to accommodate the changes happened to the outline. This is called as dense restructure.134. What are the files Essbase uses while sparse restructures?A: •ESSxxxxx.IND•dbname.OTL•dbname.ESM135. What are the optimization steps and techniques?A: Optimizing data loads, calculations with intelligent calculation, reports and other types. In data load optimization first make sure that the columns in the source file are ordered as order of sparse dimensions on the outline enabling the parallel data loading, check the cache settings and all the techniques.136. Optimization for hourglass model, Outline, members?A: OPTIMIZATION BY Restructuring the outline:* Specifying the dimensions as dense or sparse * Hourglass design technique placing the different dimensions in the outline.* Highly dense dimensions are placed on the top of the outline. Then comes less dense. Then comes less sparse. Then comes highly sparse.During Data Loads: * Grouping sparse member combinations * Parallel data load processing * Re-size (Reducing) data source size.* Positioning the data source in the same order as the outline.* Load from server.* Pre-aggregate data before loading While Calculating:* Using parallel calculation* Using Formula * Using bottom-up calculation* Using Intelligent Calculation * Using two-pass calculation ( Calc All, Set update calc off, Calc two pass)* Aggregating # Missing values* Removing # Missing blocks* Managing caches to improve the performance UT, IMPORT, EXPORT, LOADDATA, RESETDB, LOGIN, SELECT, CALCDEFAULT AND RUNCALC etc.,…

137. What is the optimized way to structure your outline?A: Hour-glass method is best optimized way to structure the outline. 138. What are two ways to improve dataload speed in block storage? A: 1) Load the file from the server.2) Sort data files in order by Sparse Dimensions.3) load the file from the client.4) Sort data files in order by Dense Dimension. Ans: 1 and 2139. What is optimizing data loads?A: To seed up a data load it is important to * Minimize the time spent reading and parsing the data source.* Minimize the time spend reading and writing to the database.140. Do you like optimization or design better?A: I like to design the cube as much as I like to optimize it. 141 What is the format of a security file? ESSBASE.sec and ESSBASE.bakA: Whenever a security file gets corrupted. The security.bak could be renamed as security.sec and used as security. Go the agent and dump security file to view its contents.* The ESSBASE.SEC security file All the information about users, groups, passwords, privileges, filters, applications, database and their corresponding directories is stored in the ESSBASE.SEC file in your $ARBERPATH\Bin directory. Each time you successfully start the Agent, a backup copy of the security file is created as ESSBASE.BAK. If you attempt to start the agent and can’t get a password prompt or your password is rejected no.BAK file is created. You can restore from the last successful startup by copying ESSBASE.BAK to ESSBASE.SEC. Both files are in the BIN directory where you installed the Hyperion Essbase server. You can open a security file by using DUMP command from the server.142. What type of server information can you access through Hyperion Essbase Application ManagerA: Server information accessible from application manager includes system configuration, license information, system information, application information, Database information and security information.143. How will you transfer or deploy the cubes from one environment to another environment like production to testing environment?A: We can move the whole application directory (CSC, rul, otl, db, esm, tct, ind and pag files) we can move the .otl file and the level 0 data and segregate the level 0 data.144. How will you create the backups for you Essbase project (for outline, for dimensions, for data and for files)?A: We have two types of backups 1) We take the whole Essbase directory backup 2) Essbase objects and level 0 data backup.145. Explain in detailed how the working environment is? What are different working environments available in client place?* Development (DEV) – Here the applications are developed.* User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – Application is migrated from DEV to UAT for users satisfaction testing. * Quality Assurance (QA) – Load Run and validation

* Production (PROD) – The developed and tested application gets locked here and could not be changed in this section.146. What is a database filter? How specifically can a filter designate access to database values? A: A database filter is applied to a user profile it modifies the user from their basic level of access. It lets a user see individual cells within a database. It allows read, write or no access to member ranges and member combinations.147. What is a filter and why do you use them?A: Filters are used for security purposes so that the users can only do what they are permitted to do with an application or a database.148. In what situation you will use compression?A: If the block density is less than 90%149. What is the Block density?A: From the sampling of existing data blocks indicates the average percentage fill of data with in each data block. Dense – Sparse configuration should maximize the block density.150. What is the advantage of compression and which method is useful and which method is not useful much?A: Compression will reduce the disk space. Based upon the data we use the type of compression it can be Bitmap or RLE or no compression. By default we will use bitmap. 151. What are the types of data Compressions?A: 1) Bitmap data Compression 2) Run-length Encoding data Compression.Bitmap: Hyperion Essbase uses a bitmap to represent data cells and stores only the bitmap, the block header and the other control information. A bitmap uses one bit for each cell in the data block, whether the cell value is missing or non-missing. When a data block is not compressed, Hyperion Essbase uses eight bytes to store every non-missing cell.RLE: When using RLE compression schema Hyperion Essbase compress any consecutive, repetitive values any values that repeats three or more times consecutively, including zero. 152. What is partitioning? What are the types of partitioning? A: Partitioning is a collection of features that makes it easy to design and administer database that span Hyperion Essbase application server.Replicated Partition: It is a copy of a portion of the data source, that is stored in the data target.Transparent Partition: It allows users to access data from the data source as through it were stored in the data target.Linked Partition: Sends users from a cell in one database to a cell in another database. This gives users a different prospective on the data 153. Is it possible to update source data from target of transparent partition?A: Yes we can do that (True) 154. Which partition method will significantly increase disk usage? A: Replicated Partition 155. Which partitioning scenario is supported by aggregate storage database?A: Aggregate storage source transparent to a block storage target.156. What are the parts of partition?A: Data source, Data target, Login, Password, shared area Member Mapping.157. What is difference between to-down and bottom-up partitions?A: Top-down partition allows you to split a database into multiple processors, Servers or Computers. It can improve the scalability, reliability and performance of your data.

Bottom-up partition allows you to manage the flow of data between multiple related Database. It can improve the quality and accessibility of the data in your databases. 158. Transparent Partition?A: A form of shared partition that provides the ability and manipulates the remote data transparently as though is a part of your local database. The remote data id retrieved from the data source each time you request. Any updates that are made to the data are written back to the data source and become immediately accessible to both local data target users and transparent data source users. 159. Replicated partition?A: A portion of a database defined through partition manager that you use to propagate an update to data that is mastered at one site to copy of data that is store at another site. Users are able to access the data as though it was the part of the local database. 160. Partitioning?A: The process of defining areas of data that or shared or linked between data models. Partitioning can affect the performance and scalability of essbase applications. 161. Linked partition?A: A form of shared partition that provides the ability to use a data cell to link together two different databases. When a user clicks on a linked cell in a worksheet, for example, Essbase opens a new sheet displaying the dimensions in the second database. The user can then drill down in to the available dimension sin the second database. 162. Currency partition?A: A dimension type that separates local currency members for a base currency, as defined in an application. A currency partition identifies currency types such as Actual, Budget and forecast. 163. What is linked report? What type of linked objects Hyperion Essbase supports?A: Linked report objects are objects that you associate with specific data cells in a Hyperion Essbase database. It supports following types of linked objects.Cell note: a text annotation of up to 599 characters.File: An external file such as MS word document, an excel spread sheet, a scanned image, an audio clip or an html file.URL: A string that identifies the location of resources on the www, such as a document, image, downloadable file, service electronic mailbox or other sources.Linked Partition: A set of data cells that you can link to in another Hyperion Essbase database.164. Linked reporting object (LRO)?A: An external file that is linked to a data cell in an Essbase database. Linked reporting objects (LROs) can be cell notes, URLs, or files that contain text, audio, video, or pictures. 165. What cannot be linked to a cell with linked reporting objects? (LRO)A: A link to another cell in same database. 166. What are the different caches in Essbase?A: Index cache, Data cache, data file cache, calculator cache and buffer cache.167. What are different types of memory caches? What are their optimal memory settings?A: Data file, pagefile 8kb, (page 1024)168. How do you differ index cache and data file cache?A: Index cache: A buffer in memory that holds index pages. Analytic services allocate memory to the index cache at startup of database.

Data file cache: a buffer in memory that holds data files. When direct I/O is used, analytic services allocates memory to the data file cache during data load, calculation and retrieval operations as needed.169. What is a calculator cache and why is it used?A: Calculator cache is the buffer zone in the memory which is used to track the data or create the data blocks at the time of calculation; calculator cache enables the centralized control of the memory in the calculator cache and also reduces the space and improves the performance of the cube. Essbase default is 20mb. 170. What is paging?A: Paging occurs when the limits of the index cache and the data cache have been exceeded. When the memory limit is reached the requested page replaces an older page and the older page drops from the memory.171. What is an agent? If the agent hangs what should be done?A: The agent allows communication between the Hyperion Essbase server and its client.* Reboot the server.172. What is spanning of drives and when is it done?A: Whenever a drive is filled with applications and is running out of space the spanning is done to identify which drive has enough memory for the next application.173. What is start value used for? A: Start value is used for two cases1) The attribute dimension is dynamically created in the rules file. That is, the attribute dimension does not yet exist when build is run. You can specify a start value and range size.The start value becomes the first member of the new attribute dimension the next member is the sum of the start value and the range size and so on….2) We are using check box property for deleting attributes when we enable the check box all the members (and associates) are deleted in the attribute dimension at the start of the build at this point the attribute dimension is rebuilt beginning with the start value as the first member.174. What is fragmentation ? A: When data compression is enabled a small amount of fragmentation can occur when Hyperion Essbase writes a data block to a new location on disk and leaves unused space in the former location of the data block at this time by the using of fragmentation method we can change (bring) un-used disk space to be re-used.175. How we are setting the error log file?A: You can set a file to record errors during the data load or dimension build if you are using a rules file by default the error log is in the \ESSBASE\CLIENT directory and is named DATALOAD.ERR.176. What is application log file?A: A record of user actions performed on an application.177. What does it member if a member is tagged as no consolidate? A: A member tagged as no consolidate is not used in the consolidation of the parent above it. How ever a member tagged as no consolidate still contains a value and is a consolidation itself of the children which consolidate in to it.178. What is bang (!) character? A: The bang character terminates a series of commands and request information from the database. You must terminate a report script with a bang character.179. How to identify the no of Blocks?

A: Sparse * Sparse180. How to identify the no of Cells?A: Dense * Dense181. How to identify the Block Size?A: Number of Cells * 8 bytes.182. Is it possible to create more than one application and two databases on the personal Essbase server?A: Not possible.183. What is ODBC?A: * Open database connectivity * It is the middle layer, called database driver, between an application and the DBMS.* It translates the application’s data queries into commands that the DBMS understands. * It is an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows a programmer to abstract a program from the a database. 184. What are DBA Activities? A: Creating users, password settings, automation and maintenance, migrating Essbase to latest versions and newer environments. Worked on spanning drives, monitoring of users / functions, exports and imports of data and testing latest updates and patches to the existing versions of Hyperion products.185. What is committed and Uncommitted Access?A: Committed access provides a high level of data consistency because only one transaction at a time is written to data block. Under committed access, Essbase allows transactions to hold read/write locks on all data blocks involved with the transaction until the transaction completes and commits. However, you can still allow read-only access to the last committed data values. It is time consuming if the data size is too large. Uncommitted access (enabled by default), the Essbase kernel allows transactions to hold read/write locks on a block-by-block basis; Essbase releases a block after it is updated but does not commit blocks until the transaction completes or until a specified limit (a “synchronization point”) has been reached. You can set this limit, as described below. It is faster, but in case of catastrophic conditions loads data again. Concurrent users accessing the same data blocks might experience unexpected results under uncommitted access, because Essbase allows read-only access to data at its last commit point. With uncommitted access, you can control when Essbase performs an explicit commit operation by specifying synchronization point parameters: Commit Blocks (number of blocks modified before a synchronization point occurs). The default is 3,000. 186. What is a PS command?A: PS command can be used to find the number of processes running in UNIX environment.187. How do find whether Essbase server is running or not on AIX UNIX?A: ps –es! Grep188. What is the difference between grep and egrep?A: Grep: this statement is used to create or replace the file,Egrep: this statement is used to append the existing file.189. What is VBA?A: VBA: Visual Basic Application Programming Interface (API) used for accessing the data in the cube using the spread sheet add-in. 190. In how many ways can you get a data out of Essbase cube?A: Using Report script, with export command or function and Excel spread sheet add-in.

191. How do you clear a specific block in the cube?A: CLEARBLOCK OR CLEARDATA with or without using FIX command. FIX (Actual)CLEARBLOCK NONINPUT; ENDFIX 192. what is meaning of cold backup?A: This is nothing but an O/S backup.193. What is the limit on the name of app and database?A: App: 8 bites and database: 8 bites 194. How do you zoom only to the next level in the report?A: we need to go to view menu and click on the zoom in to the next level 195. What is expense reporting and why do you use it?A: Expense reporting is tagged to the accounts dimension such that variance, profit etc. member will not show the negative value when we calculate it. 196. What is consolidation and why is it done?A: Consolidation, the data of all the children/descendants will be added and that will be rolled up to the parent member… 197. What is MASK and why is it used?A: Mask is Essbase command. It is used if Essbase data is imported into a program that requires delimiters. Use INCMASK to re-enable the display. Use SUPMASK to disable the display. 198. Differentiate between default calc and intelligent calc?A: Default calc is used to calculate the whole cube and intelligent calc is used to calculate the updated values only or the dirty cells. 199. Can you override default column grouping?Yes.1. Use the "SYM" command when the selection of column members meets the requirements of the rule for asymmetry, but you want to produce a symmetric report. The "SYM" command always produces a symmetric report, creating all combinations of each column dimension.2. Turn off the symmetric format and restore the rules for asymmetric reports with the "ASYM" command. 200. What is the maximum number of parallel threads used to calculate?A: Four threads. 201. How does Report Extractor Retrieves Data?The Report Extractor processes the report script and retrieves data in the following Order:Composes the member list, based on all possible member combinations.For example, the following command retrieves member East and all of its Descendants:1. IDESCENDANTS East2. Applies member restrictions. For example, the following command refines the member selection: LINK3. Orders the member output. For example, the following command determines the order in which members are sorted: SORT4. Extracts data from the following areas:● Local regions● Partitioned regions● Dynamically calculated data5. Restricts data. For example, the following command suppresses the display of all rows that contain only missing values: {SUPMISSINGROWS}6. Sorts data. For example, the following command returns rows with the highest Values of a

specified data column: TOP7. Formats output. For example, the following command skips one or more lines in the final output report: {SKIP}The order in which the Report Extractor retrieves data is important when using complex extraction and formatting commands. For example, because the Extractor restricts data (step 5) before sorting data (step 6), if you place conditional retrieval Commands in the wrong order, the report output results could be unexpected. Be aware of the data retrieval process when designing your report scripts. 202. What is a batch POV (Point of View)?A: The batch POV is a collection of all dimensions on the user POV of every report And book in the batch. While scheduling the batch the members selected on the batch POV’s may be set. 203. Point of View (POV)?A: A Unique set of dimension members that define specific intersection of data. 204. Extensible Markup Language (XML)?A: A Language comprised of set of tags used to assign attributes to data that can be interpreted between the applications based on the schema used. 205. What is a Grid POV?A: The Grid POV enables designers to specify the members for a dimension on a grid with out placing the dimension on the row, column or page intersection. The report designer can set the POV Values at the grid level, preventing the user POV from affecting the particular grid. If a dimension has only one value for the entire grid, the dimensions should be put in to the grid POV instead of the row, column or page.206. Why do you need a batch POV?A: It allows anyone scheduling the batch to use the same default values for all the grids in all reports in the batch simultaneously when the batch is run. It is specific to a data source for a single batch, but not specific to any report or grid to a report in a batch. Since the batch POV values are only saved when the batch is scheduled, you can set different values for the same batch. Changes to the batch POV do not effect the designers POV the changes to the designers POV do not effect the users POV. 207. Why do you need a book POV?A: It allows anyone running the batch to use the same default values for all the grids in all reports in the book simultaneously each time the book is run. It is specific to a data source for a single book, but not specific to any report or grid object in a report in that book. As the book POV values are saved with the book itself, changes to the book POV does not affect the designers POV.208. What is Metadata?A: A set of data that defines and describes the properties and attributes of the data stored in a database or used by an application. Examples of metadata are dimension names, member names, properties, timeperiods and security. 209. Repository?A: A container of report objects, report designs, and report instances available to the user. 210. Snapshot report?A: A report that has been generated and stores the static data. Any subsequent change of data in a data source doesn’t affect the report content. A snapshot report is portable and can be stored on the network, locally, or e-mailed. 211. Report object?

A: A basic element in report design. Report objects have separate properties that define their properties of appearance. Report objects include textboxes, grids, images and charts. 212. What are non-dimensional models?A: A type of model in Hyperion hub that includes application objects such as security filters, member lists, calcscripts, and web forms. 213. Visual cue?A: A formatted style, such as font or a color that highlights specific type of data values. Data values may be dimension members; parent, child, or shared members; dynamic calculations; members containing a formula; read only data cells; read/write data cells or linked objects. 214. Time series reporting?A: A Process of reporting data based on a calendar date (for example: year, month, quarter or week). 215. Symmetric multi processing (SMP)?A: A server architecture that enables multi processing and multithreading. Essbase supports multi-threads over SMP servers automatically. Thus performance is not significantly degraded when a large no. of users connect to an essbase server simultaneously. 216. Dirty block?A: A data block containing cells that have been changed since the last calculation .upper level blocks are marked as dirty if their child blocks are dirty(that is have been updated). 217. Arithmetic data load?A: A data load that performs operations on value since the database, such as adding 10 to each value. 218. Base dimension?A: A standard dimension that is associated with one or more dimensions .to Classify a member of base dimension, you associate with member of one or more attribute dimensions that describe the calculation, such as specific flavor. For example, assuming the products have flavors, the product dimension is the base dimension for the flavors attribute dimension. 219. Missing data (#MISSING)?A: A marker indicating that data in the labeled location does not exist, contains no meaningful value, or was never entered or loaded. For example, missing data exists when an account contains data for a previous or a future period but not for the current period. 220. Multithreading?A: Within a single program, concurrent handling of multiple, separately executable sequences of program instructions. 221. Online analytical processing (OLAP)?A: A multidimensional, multi-user, client-server computing environment for users who need to analyze consolidated enterprise data. OLAP systems feature functionality such as drilling down, data pivoting, complex calculations, trend analyses, and modeling. 222. What are Data Locks?A: Essbase issues write (exclusive) locks for blocks that are created, updated, or deleted, and issues read (shared) locks for blocks that needed to be accessed but not modified. By issuing the appropriate locks, essbase ensures that data changed by on operation cannot be corrupted by a concurrent update. Essbase locks data blocks, not objects. 223. Transactions?A: When a database is in read/write mode, essbase considered every update request to the server (such as a data load, a calculation, or a statement in a calculation script) as a transaction. The

transaction file contains an entry for each transaction and tracks the current state of each transaction (Active, committed, or aborted). 224. Isolation Levels?A: It determines how essbase commits data to disk. When data is committed; it is taken from server memory and written to the database on disk. Essbase automatically commits data to disk. There are no explicit commands that users perform to commit data blocks. However setting the isolation level for a database defines how essbase automatically commits data blocks. Essbase offers two isolation levels for transactions: committed access and uncommitted access. You can optimize data integrity by using committed access. 225. Rollback with Committed Access?A: Under Committed Access, if the server crashes, Essbase rolls back all database updated by transaction that were in progress when the server stopped. Thus essbase ensures that changes made by the aborted transactions are undone. If a transaction is aborted due to non-fatal error, all changes made by the transactions are rolled back.226. Hybrid Analysis?A: It offers a means of integrating a relational database with a multidimensional database so that the lower level members and their associated data remain in the relational data base whole upper level members and their associated data reside in the relational data base. This presents additional issue regarding the data consistency and integrity. 227. How does a DW differ from a data-mart?A: DW is at enterprise level has historical data for say like 10 years from which the future trend for say another 3 years could be predicted.* DM is at departmental level and it is a sub-set of DW228. What is standard design of a data warehouse?A: Star Schema229. What is the major difference between the Release 6.0 and Release 7.0 series? A: * 7.0 has no application manager instead EAS is used.* Parallel processing is done in 7.0230. Can we have multiple databases in one single application?A: Yes. But only one database per application is recommended.231. Can we have one ASO database and one BSO database in one single application. If yes, how and If No, why.A. No. Because we define ASO or BSO option while creating the appication and not database. Hence if the application is ASO, the databases it contains will be that type only.232. What are the file extensions for an outline, rule file and a calc script.A: .OTL, .RUL and .CSC233. What is the role of provider services.A: To communicate between Essbase and Microsoft office tools.234. Can we start and stop an application individually. How can this be used to increase performance.A: Yes. We can manage our server resources by starting only the applications which receive heavy user traffic. When an application is started, all associated atabases are brought to the memory.235. We have created an application as unicode mode. Can we change it later to non-unicode mode.A: No.

236. How can I migrate an application from my test environment to the production environment. Can I still do this if my test environment is a windows one and my production env is UNIX one. Also can I still do it if my test env and prod env versions are different.A: Hyperion Administrative services console provides a migration utility to do this but onluy the application, database objects are migrated and no data is transferred. the answers to other two questions are Yes.237. A customer wants to run two instances of an Essbase server on a same machine to have both test env and Development env on the same server. Can he do that?A: Yes. We can have multiple instances of an Essbase server on a single machine and there will be different sets of windows services for all these instances.238. suppose I have a dimension A with members B and C and I do not want B and C to roll up to A. how can I do this.A: Using (~) exclude from consolidation operator.239. What does never consolidate operator(^) do?A: It prevents members from being consolidate across any dimension.240. Why top-down calculation less efficient than a bottom-up calculation?Being less efficient, why do we use them.A: In the process it calculates more blocks than is necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to perform top-down calculation to get the correct calculation results.241. On what basis you will decide to invoke a serial or parellel calculation method.A: If we have a single processor, we will use serial calculation but if we have multiple processors we can break the task into threads and make them run on different processors.242. What is block locking system?A: Analytic services(or Essbase Services) locks the block and all other blocks which contain the Childs of that block while calculating this block is block locking system.243. What is the maximum size of the cube you have worked on so far?A: 35 GB or 30 GB you can say. Over 40 GB performances will be slower.244. How many dimensions do you have generally (6 dimensions)?A: 6 Dimensions.245. Generally how many members does a cube have?A: In thousands Maximum 15 to 20 million members For Example Product can have 2000 members and Market can have millions 246. How big your data file is?A: 2GB maximum A new one is created for every 2GB exceeding.247. What is the configuration setting of Essbase?A: ARBERPATH whose value is C:\Hyperion\EssbaseARBERPATH whose value is C:\Hyperion\Essbase\bin248. What is the default index page size?A: 1 K (1024 bytes).249. Are you currently responsible for Production Essbase Cubes?A: Yes, I did produced Essbase cubes250. What is the max length of filter we can write in Essbase 6.5 and lower version?A: 64kb251. Which one of the following is fixed? Data file size, Data cache size, Page files size, index file size.A: Index file 8kb.

252. What files are created when you load a cube with data? How is their structure?A: Index file (.ind file), page file (.pag file), configuration file (.cfg file)253. Which files have .otn extension and why are they used? (Hint: It is not .otl)A .otn is a temporary Hyperion essbase outline file,254. Now you are in support and maintenance suppose you are having the dimension cities and you got the query like to add some more cities to cities and region dimensions how will you add or upload the data in your cube or outline?A: First we will load the data then we will get rejections and all, then we will build a common load rule to build both dimensions and members and to load data.255. Suppose you have got 10 flat files which is approximately 10 gb and you have to load the flat file data in your outline or cube. For doing this job it will take nearly 4 to 5 hours time. Is it possible to do this within an hour? If so how will you do this ?A: by enabling the parallel data load we can do it256.Character X is used to assign the Dynamic calc tag to members in a source file during a dimension build how is it done. A: Add a column to the right of the member column and assign as attribute.257. How should you have Essbase assign a multiplication unary operator to members in a dimension build?A: Add a column to the right of member column and assign “*” as property 258. In the member selection dialogue available in the ESSBASE spreadsheet add-in what should you use to select members based on user defined attributes and attribute dimensions?A: Subset.259. So you said you provided 24 x 7 Essbase technical support what do you mean? To change calculation scripts? If anything goes wrong in the middle of the night? A: No, it’s meant to say the problems with OLAP server if agent hangs up, or ESSCMD window is deactivated and most of the time this is related to the server administration tasks. As I have experience with admin work I was called to rectify such problems… 260. So did you work with Hyperion Support guys any time?A: No No, what I’ve done is from my experience only from the previous projects and previous life cycles. But I guess I remember calling Hyperion tech support guys a couple of times. But for majority of the problems they were not in the picture. I have not worked with them as such but I have contacted them once in a while for technical support. Mostly I got my problems solved by contacting my friends and colleagues of previous projects.261. A customer has a cube with 13 dimensions and the performance was fine. Now they have added two more dimensions in the existing cube and the performance becomes very very slow. Customer said logically nothing wrong with the two new dimensions they have added. What could be the reason for slowdown.A: Even I dont have any clue. I experienced this few days back with a customer. If you can throw some light on this, please post your answer.262. When creating an aggregate storage database which three statements are true about hierarchies? (Choose three)A) The first hierarchy under a dimension must be stored.B) Stored hierarchies within a multiple hierarchies enabled dimension can have shared members. C) While not advisable, shared members can appear in the outline before their stored counterpart.D) Dimensions tagged as Dynamic can contain both shared members and members with formulas.

E) When a hierarchy is tagged as multiple hierarchies enabled it must be label only.Answer: B, D and E263. What are the two storage options available in Essbase and what are the differences?A: ASO( Aggregate Storage Option) - Used for 1. If we have large number of dimensions(generally more than 10) 2. Most of the dimensions are sparse 3. We cannot write back in ASO. I heard recently that ASO will also have the writeback capability. I don't remember.BSO (Block Storage Option)- 1. Dimensions are less and dense(recommended values for no of dim are between 4 and 8) . 2. We can write back hence much suited for planning applications.Financial applications are generally dense structures and normal analytical cubes are sparse. Here we also need to understand what are these dense and sparse members. When the intersections or cells of two dimensions mostly contains a value it is dense. Say for example we have two dimensions period(Month or quarter) and region and we are calculation the sales amount. Generally maximum regions(countries, cities) will have some sales value for a particular month or quarter. Hence we can say that our period dimensions would be dense. But now instead of period, consider another dimension products. Now there are some products which are sold in only some particular regions hence for them there will be no values in other regions or will have very low percentage of data values hence the structure will become sparse.Now the question arises what is the use of calling them dense or sparse. What difference does it make. Do some research and try to find the answer.

How do you optimize outline?

What are the ways to improve performance during data loads?

What are the design considerations for calculation optimization?

When does Fragmentation occur?

How can you measure fragmentation?

How do you can prevent and remove fragmentation?

Why is database restructuring?

What are the types of database restructuring?

What are the conditions affecting Database restructuring?

What are the files used during Restructuring?

What are the actions that improve performance for restructuring?

Which restructure operations are faster?

Explain the process of dense restructure?

Explain the process of sparse restructure?

What are types of data compression?

When do you use RLE over Bitmap Compression?

When do you disable compression?

What are data locks?

What is a transaction?

What is transaction control file?

What is isolation level and what are the types of isolation levels?

What is commited access?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using committed access?

Which transaction is always in committed mode?

What is the structure of currency applications?

What are the three dimension that should be present in main database of currency application?

What are the dimensions that should be present in currency database of currency application?

What are the conversion methods supported by Essbase for currency applications?

What is the process to build a currency conversion application and perform conversions?

When you convert currencies using the CCONV command, are the resulting data blocks are

marked as dirty or clean?

What is CCTRACK?

What are the reasons to turn off CCTRACK?

How can you turn off CCTRACK?

What is the process for designing a partitioned database?

What is the limitation on version and mode during partition?