Quick Start for Implementing Essbase

If you want to get started as quickly as possible, use Table 3 to identify the steps to get up and running with Essbase. This table also tells you where you can find more information about each step. Unless otherwise specified, the chapters refer to this Essbase Database Administrator's Guide.

Note: This chapter assumes you are a new Essbase user. If you used Version 5.x, you need to migrate your applications and databases. See the Essbase Installation Guide for important migration information.

Table 3: A Process Map  

Process step
Reference

Install Essbase.

Decide what components you want to install. Be aware that the license your company purchased might not include all options.

Essbase Installation Guide

Assess your needs and requirements.

Have a clear idea of your data analysis needs and of what types of calculations and reports you want to run.

Your budget, forecasting, and other financial reports with notes on how you want to improve them

Analyze your data from a multidimensional perspective.

Consider:

  • Where are your data sources?
  • What type is the data? Is it detailed, relational data or is it higher-level, hierarchical data that can be used for analysis?
  • In what format is the data?
  • How will you access the data? If you need to access relational data, you may need SQL Interface or Integration Server (a separately purchasable product).

Learn the fundamentals of Essbase and distributed OLAP.

Design your application and database.

Think about which dimensions you will designate as sparse and which as dense, which dimensions you will designate as time and which as account, and where you will include attribute dimensions.

Case Study: Designing a Single-Server Application

Estimate the size of your database.

Estimating Disk and Memory Requirements

Allocate storage and specify Essbase kernel settings for your database.

Learn about Partitioning. Think about whether your data can benefit from being decentralized into connected databases.

Learn about dynamic calculations and how they can greatly improve performance.

Dynamically Calculating Data Values

Create an application and a database.

Creating Applications and Databases

Design security for your database. Think about who needs access to the data, who should have update authority, and who should have read-only access?

Designing and Building a Security System

Build an outline for your database.

Creating and Changing Database Outlines

Build the dimensions. Decide whether your data loads will introduce new members into the outline. If so, set up dynamic dimension building. If not, set up regular data loads.

Load your data.

Building Dimensions and Loading Data

Calculate your database.

Calculating Data

Run a report.

Storing and Protecting Data

Use Spreadsheet Add-in to retrieve data.

The Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in User's Guide for your spreadsheet application

Link files or cell notes to data cells.

Linking Objects to Essbase Data

Assign alias names to your members.

Creating and Managing Aliases

Copy or export data subsets.

Copying Data Subsets and Exporting Data to Other Programs

Back up and restore your data.

Backing Up and Restoring Data

Design a currency application.

Designing and Building Currency Conversion Applications

Fine-tune your database performance and storage settings.

Automate routine operations by using ESSCMD.

Automating the Production Environment

Maintain your applications.

Maintaining and Automating Hyperion Essbase

Analyze and improve performance and troubleshoot errors if they occur.

Optimizing and Troubleshooting Essbase






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