Monitoring Performance

This chapter describes the Essbase OLAP Server diagnostic information and tells you how to display that information. Use this information to monitor Essbase configuration or performance.

This chapter contains the following sections:

For information about logs, see Using Essbase Logs. For information about error messages, see Error Handling and Troubleshooting for Essbase.

Finding Diagnostic Information

Essbase provides information dialog boxes at the application, server, and database level. Use Application Manager to view important performance information before completing any of these tasks:

The following sections provide instructions for how to open the dialog boxes from Application Manager, and lists other ways to obtain the same information if other ways are available. For a quick reference table to help you find specific information, see Quick Reference to Diagnostic Information.

Remember these hints as you work with the information dialog boxes for server, application, and database:

Viewing Server Information

The Server Information dialog box displays information about server license, configuration, operating system, disk drives, and applications for the server where you are connected.

To open the Server Information dialog box, use this procedure:

  1. Open Application Manager and connect to a server.
  2. From the Application Manager menu bar, select Server Information. A dialog box is displayed with several tabs.

Each of these sections describes one of the tabs:

Viewing License Information

In Application Manager, use the License Info tab of the Server Information dialog box to view information about the Essbase installation. The information presented includes version and license information, installed options, and a list of Essbase system files:

Figure 526: License Info Tab of the Server Information Dialog Box

You can also select the License tab from the OLAP Server Properties window in Essbase Administration Services. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Viewing Configuration Information

In Application Manager, use the Essbase Config tab of the Server Information dialog box to see information about Essbase status and configuration:

Figure 527: Essbase Config Tab of the Server Information Dialog Box

Note: See the Technical Reference in the docs directory for information on how to create an ESSBASE.CFG file.

You can also see information about Essbase status and configuration using Essbase Administration Services. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Viewing System Information

Use the System Info tab of the Server Information dialog box to review information about the operating system and about resource usage. You can use this information to determine whether machine or operating system constraints are affecting Essbase performance.

Figure 528: System Info Tab of the Server Information Dialog Box

For example, if Essbase is running too slowly, check the Memory and Disk Swapping groups to see how much free space is available. If the Free space value in Disk Swapping is very low, you could take one of the following actions, depending your platform:

You can also review information about the operating system and about resource usage with Essbase Administration Services. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Viewing Disk Drive Information

The Disk Drives tab of the Server Information dialog box contains information about disk drive types, disk drive usage, and file system types:

Figure 529: Disk DriveT tab of the Server Information Dialog Box

Use this information to determine whether lack of disk space or incompatibility of file system types is affecting Essbase performance.

For example, if information on the System Info tab indicates that swap space is low, you can use the Disk Drives tab to see which drives have space available.

Also, if you want to allocate space on another drive, use the Disk Drives tab to see which drives have space available. See Specifying Disk Volumes for information about disk spanning using the Disk Volumes setting.

You can also see information about disk drive types, disk drive usage, and file system types with Essbase Administration Services. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Viewing Application Status Information

Use the Applications tab of the Server Information dialog box to see which applications and databases are loaded.

Figure 530: Applications Tab of the Server Information Dialog Box

Essbase lists only the applications that you are authorized to use.

Viewing Application Information

Use the Application Information dialog box to identify which databases are running in the application and to check access, security, and start-up information.

To display the Application Information dialog box, use this procedure:

  1. Open the Application Manager and click on an application name to select it.
  2. Select Application>Information from the menu bar. The Application Information dialog box is displayed:
  3. Figure 531: Application Information Dialog Box

  4. Click the Database Information button to display the Database Information dialog box. This is the same information described in Viewing Database Information.

To customize your application, change the settings in the Application Settings dialog box, as described in Managing Security for Users and Applications.

Tip: You can access application information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Use the Application Properties window.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

display application

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETAPPSTATE

GETPERFSTATS

Technical Reference in the docs directory



Viewing Database Information

The Database Information dialog box provides information about database storage, database statistics, and lock contention.This information may help you identify activities or operations that affect performance.

To see the Database Information dialog box, use this procedure:

  1. From the Application Manager, connect to a server.
  2. Select an application and database from the lists that is displayed.
  3. From the Application Manager menu bar, select Database > Information. The Database Information dialog box appears, with information sorted on several tabs. The relevant server, application, and database name is displayed on every tab.

Each of these sections describes one of the tabs:

These dialog boxes are for viewing only. For information on changing database settings, see Customizing Essbase Kernel Settings.

Tip: You can access database information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Use the Database Properties window.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

display database

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETDBINFO



Viewing General Database Information

Use the General tab of the Database Information dialog box to check database status and start-up information.

Viewing Database Storage Information

Use the Storage tab of the Database Information dialog box to check data storage information, including cache sizes and the data compression setting.

Tip: You can access database storage information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Use the Database Properties window. Select the Storage tab.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

display database

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETDBSTATE



Viewing Currency Database Information

Use the Currency tab of the Database Information dialog box to examine the configuration of the currency database associated with the selected database, if the selected database is linked to a currency database.

Note: Currency conversion is an optional module, licensed separately. It may not be installed on your server.

Tip: You can access Currency Database information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Use the Database Properties window. Select the Currency tab.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

display database

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETCRDBINFO



Viewing Database Statistics

Use the Statistics tab of the Database Information dialog box to view dimension information and to see characteristics of data blocks in the selected database.

Figure 532: Statistics Tab of the Database Information Dialog Box

To check on block density and usage, in the Blocks list, scroll down to see the Block Density and Percentage Of Maximum Blocks Existing fields.

Block density is the number of cells containing data in a datablock expressed as a percentage of total cells in the datablock. Percentage Of Maximum Blocks Existing Is A Percentage Comparison between existing blocks and potential blocks.

If you have a low block density and a high percentage of maximum blocks, you may want to increase the number of dense dimensions. See Basic Architectural Elements, for more information about dense and sparse dimensions.

To check block size, look at the "Block size in bytes" field. This field reports the size of the block without data compression, whether or not you have data compression enabled. Ideally, this value should be between eight kilobytes and 100 kilobytes. To alter block size, you need to change at least one dimension from dense to sparse or from sparse to dense .

The Compression Ratio indicates the ratio of compressed block size to expanded block size. For more information about data compression, see Data Compression.

If the database is not started when you choose the Statistics tab, prompts you to start the database.

Tip: You can access database statistics information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Click the Statistics tab from the Database Properties window.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

display database

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETDBSTATS



Viewing Run-Time Information

The Run-time tab of the Database Information dialog box displays run-time information such as lock contention, cache size problems (buffer shortage), hit ratio on index searches (percentage of searches that did not involve retrieving from disk), and the number of read and write operations.

Figure 533: Run-Time Tab of the Database Information Dialog Box

If the database is not started when you choose the Run-time tab, prompts you to start the database.

To find out if your index cache size is large enough, for example, you could check the Hit Ratio On Index Cache Field (You may need to scroll down in the Parameters list box to see it). This value indicates the success rate of Essbase in locating index data in memory without having to retrieve it from the disk. Ideally, this value should be near 100 percent (1.0). If the hit ratio is very low, the index cache (buffer) is too small.

For more information about caches and hit ratios, see Fine Tuning Cache Settings. For information on sizing the index cache, see Sizing the Index Cache.

Tip: You can access database statistics information without using Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

Use the Database Properties window

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

Display Database

Technical Reference in the docs directory

ESSCMD

GETDBINFO



Viewing Database File Information

The Files tab of the Database Information dialog box to view information about the index and data (.PAG) files associated with the selected application and database:

Figure 534: Files Tab of the Database Information Dialog Box

Use this tab to see where index and data (.PAG) files are stored and to see whether the index and page files span multiple volumes.

Check the Applications tab of the Server Information dialog box (see Viewing Application Status Information) to see if the database is loaded. If the database in the Database field is loaded, the index files and data files should display the status Open.

If the files related to the open database display the status Closed, click the Refresh button. If the files still display the status Closed, a problem may have occurred when the database started. Check your application and server logs (see Understanding the Contents of the Application Log and Understanding the Contents of the OLAP Server Log) to see whether you can determine the problem. If you cannot, call the technical support department of your software provider.

You can also use the Database Properties window in Essbase Administration Services to view database file information. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Viewing a Record of Database Modifications

Use the Modifications tab of the Database Information dialog box to see information about the last successful data load, about calculation, and about outline update operations for the current application.

Figure 535: Modifications Tab of the Database Information Dialog Box

Start Time and End Time include the necessary preparation, such as locking the data, that Essbase does prior to the operation.

To see the duration of the actual operation itself, see the "Elapsed time" entry in the application log. Understanding the Contents of the Application Log describes this log and tells you where to find it.

You can also use the Database Properties window in Essbase Administration Services to view a record of database modifications. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Quick Reference to Diagnostic Information

Table 76 provides detailed Application Manager procedures for accessing information about server, applications, and databases that are commonly used to diagnose performance or other issues.

Table 76: Quick Reference to Diagnostic Information  

Task
Instructions

To see a list of the servers you are currently connected to

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the Server list box.

To view the version of Essbase that is currently running on the server

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the Essbase version information.

To check the license number of your copy of Essbase

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the License number item.

To see the total number of ports that can connect to the server

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the Number of ports item.

To see a list of all features in place when Essbase was installed

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the features list under Installed Options.

To see a list of the system files currently in the server memory, as well as the locations and version numbers for the files

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the License Info tab to view the Hyperion Essbase System Files list box.

To see elapsed time since Hyperion Essbase started

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Hyperion Essbase Config tab to view the Elapsed time since Essbase started item.

To check the type of network protocol that the server is using

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Essbase Config tab to see the Network protocol.

To view environment variables, including source path information

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Essbase Config tab to see the Environment Variables list box.

To view the version of the operating system on which Hyperion Essbase is running

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab to view the Operating System item.

To see the time that has elapsed since the operating system was started or rebooted (in hours:minutes:seconds format)

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab to view the Elapsed time since OS started item.

To see the time and date the server information was retrieved, according to the server

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab to view the Current time item.

To see the number and type of CPUs in the system on which the server is operating

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab to view the CPU group.

To see the amount of available memory on the operating system

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab to view the Memory group.

To see the disk swap path

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab and look in the Disk Swapping box to view the Path item.

To check if disk swapping is enabled

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab and look in the Disk Swapping box to view the Status item.

To see the total swap space

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab and look in the Disk Swapping box to view Total Space.

To see the swap file size

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab and look in the Disk Swapping box to view Used space.

To see available swap space

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the System Info tab and look in the Disk Swapping box to view Free space.

To view the drive type (fixed, removable, RAM, remote, or unknown)

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Disk Drives tab and select a drive from the Drives list box. The Drive type item displays the drive type.

To view the file system used by a drive (FAT, HPFS, NTFS, etc.)

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Disk Drives tab and select a drive from the Drives list box. The File System item displays the type of file system used by the drive.

To view the total amount of space on a drive

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Disk Drives tab and select a drive from the Drives list box. The Total disk space item displays the total disk space.

To view the amount of space being used on a drive

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Disk Drives tab and select a drive from the Drives list box. The Used disk space item displays the amount of space currently being used by the selected drive.

To view the amount of space available on a drive

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Disk Drives tab and select a drive from the Drives list box. The Free disk space item displays the amount of space currently available on the selected drive.

To see which applications and databases are loaded

Select Server > Information to display the Server Information dialog box. Select the Applications tab. The Application list displays the following information for each application/database combination:

  • Application name (only those you are authorized to use)
  • The status of the listed applications (Loaded, Not Loaded, Loading, and Unloading)
  • Database name
  • The status of the database (Loaded, Not Loaded, Loading, and Unloading)

To view your database connections

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Connection box for the name of the server, application, and database currently loaded.

To view your database type

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the database type.

To view the number of dimensions in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the number of dimensions.

To view the status of a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the status (for example, Stopped).

To view the default access level to a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the default access level.

To see whether users may start the database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the Allow Database to Start status.

To see if your database aggregates missing values

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the Aggregate Missing Values status.

To see if your database creates blocks on equations

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab and look in the Settings box for the Create Blocks on Equations status.

To see if a database is set to start automatically when an application is started

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the General tab. The Start When App Starts status is displayed in the Settings group

To view the data file cache size of a database (in kilobytes)

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Storage tab and look in the Size box for the Setting and Current Value of the data file cache.

To view the data cache size of a database (in kilobytes)

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Storage tab and look in the Size box for the Setting and Current value of the data cache.

To view the index page size of a database (in kilobytes)

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Index page size is fixed at 8K.

To view the index cache size of a database (in kilobytes)

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Storage tab and look in the Size box for the Setting and Current value of the index cache.

To see if the cache memory locking option is enabled in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Storage tab and look at the Cache Memory Locking status.

To see if the compression option is enabled in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Storage tab and look at the Data Compression status.

To see if a selected database is linked to a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Currency Database. If it is the same name as the selected database, you are connected to the currency database itself.

To see if the currency conversion option is on in a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Conversion option.

To see if a dimension is set to a specific country in a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Country Dimension.

To view the time dimension setting in a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Time Dimension.

To view the category dimension setting in a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Category Dimension.

To view the dimension setting of the currency partition

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Currency Partition Dimension.

To see the default type of currency that a member is set to in a currency database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Currency tab and look in the Currency box for the Default Currency Type Mbr.

To view the number of dimensions in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab and look in the Dimensions box for the Number of dimensions.

To view a list of the dimensions in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab and look in the Dimensions box for a list of all the dimensions.

To see if a dimension is designated as sparse or dense

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. From the Dimensions box, select the specific dimension from the list. The Dimension type (either Sparse or Dense) is displayed.

To see the number of members in a dimension

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. From the Dimensions box, select the specific dimension from the list. The Members in dim item is displayed.

To see the number of stored members in a dimension

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. From the Dimensions box, select the specific dimension from the list. The Members stored item is displayed.

To view the number of existing blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value for Number of existing blocks.

To view the block size in bytes

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Block size in bytes. (Block size varies widely from block to block.)

To view the potential number of blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Potential number of blocks.

To view the number of existing level-0 blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Existing level-0 blocks.

To view the number of existing upper-level blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Existing upper-level blocks.

To view block density in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Block density. (Density varies widely from block to block.)

To view a comparison between the number of existing blocks and the maximum number of possible blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks group, view the value of Percentage of maximum blocks existing.

To view the compression ratio of blocks in a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Statistics tab. In the Blocks box, view the value of Compression Ratio.

To view the run-time that has elapsed since the database was started, according to the server (in hours:minutes:seconds format).

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Run-time tab. In the Statistics box, view the value of Elapsed time.

To view the number of users connected to the database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Run-time tab. In the Statistics box, view the value of the Number of connects.

To view the hit ratio on the data file, data, and index caches (the success rate of Hyperion Essbase in locating data in the appropriate cache, without having to retrieve the data from disk)

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Run-time tab. and view the values for Hit ratio on index cache, Hit ration on data cache, and Hit ratio on data file.

To view the number of index page and data block read and writes (the number of times Hyperion Essbase read index page or data block information from disk or wrote index page or data block information to disk).

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Run-time tab. and view the values for Number of index page read and writes.

To view the size and status of a data (page) file or an index file

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Files tab. In the Page and Index Files box, view the values for Index file or Page (data) file.

To view details about modifications to a database

Select Database > Information to display the Database Information dialog box. Select the Modifications tab. In the Modifications box, view the values for the Operation (type of modification), the User, the Start Time and the End Time.



Monitoring Applications from the Operating System

Each application that is loaded is an open task or process in the operating system. You can use the operating system to view application tasks or processes:

See Understanding Server and Application Logs for more information about these types of logs.

Object Locks

Essbase uses a check-out facility for server-based objects to ensure that no more than one user attempts to modify an object at one time. By default, whenever a user opens a server-based object, Essbase locks the object. If a second user attempts to open the same object, a message is displayed. The message indicates that the object is already locked and notes who has locked it.

Overriding a File Lock

You can override the lock error by unchecking Lock file in the Application Desktop window before attempting to open an object. This action essentially opens the file in read-only mode and you cannot save any changes you make.

Unlocking Objects

There are two ways to unlock a previously locked object:

You can unlock an object only if you originally locked it. If you have supervisor authority you can unlock files that are locked by other users.

Tip: You can unlock an object without the Application Manager:

Tool
Instructions
For More Information

Essbase Administration Services

From Enterprise View, select the object to be unlocked. Right-click and select Unlock from the menu.

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

ESSCMD

UNLOCKOBJECT

Technical Reference in the docs directory



Note: File locking is not the same as block locking. For information about how Essbase locks data blocks, see Ensuring Data Integrity.




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