This chapter describes the files that are associated with Essbase and describes operations that you can perform to maintain Essbase applications, databases, and database objects.
This chapter contains the following sections:
An application is a management structure that contains one or more Essbase databases and related files. Essbase applications and databases usually reside on the OLAP Server. The server computer can store multiple applications. Applications and databases created on client computers are used only to store database objects, such as outlines and calculation scripts. You cannot load data or calculate data on a client computer.
An Essbase database is a data repository that contains a multidimensional data storage array. A multidimensional database supports multiple views of data so that users can analyze the data and make meaningful business decisions.
Files that are related to Essbase databases are called objects. Database objects perform actions against one or more Essbase databases, such as defining calculations or reporting against data. By default, objects are stored in their associated database folder on the server. They can also be saved to a client computer or to other available network directories. For more information about how Essbase stores files, see How Essbase Files Are Stored.
In Essbase, the common types of database objects include the following:
Some of these objects are optional, such as calculation scripts, filters, and linked reporting objects.
For a complete description of each database object, see Database Objects.
In order to manage applications and databases, you need to know how Essbase stores server, application, database, and database object files. In particular, there are a few key directories that you should know about.
These directories are created under the root directory of the Essbase installation (the directory path named by the value of ARBORPATH):
Each database in an application is stored in a subdirectory under the application subdirectory (for example, \ESSBASE\app\appname\dbname). Database objects, such as outlines, calculation scripts, report scripts, rules files, and data sources, are typically stored on the server in the appname or dbname directory or on the client computer.
See Table 52 for a list of application and database files.
Note: On Windows platforms, these directory names may appear with different case.
For more information about all directories created on the server and for information about platform differences, see the Essbase Installation Guide.
This table lists the types of OLAP Server files that are stored in the \essbase\bin directory:
File Extension |
Description |
---|---|
12a |
|
bak |
|
bnd |
Microsoft ODBC file for SQL Interface installation using a DB2 database |
cfg |
|
cnt |
|
cpl |
|
dll |
|
eqd |
|
exe |
|
hlp |
|
lck |
|
lic |
|
pl |
|
pm |
|
mdb |
|
sec |
|
sl |
|
so |
|
xll |
This table lists the file types that Essbase uses to store applications, databases, and their related objects.
This table lists the types of Essbase files that are stored in the \essbase\api sub-directories:
This section explains how to perform the following operations on applications, databases, and database objects:
For a description of Essbase applications, databases, and database objects, see About Applications and Databases.
You should not use your platform's file system to copy, move, rename, or delete applications and databases. When an application or database is altered through the file system, the Essbase security file is unable to recognize the changes. This situation creates a mismatch between what actually exists on the hard drive and what exists according to Essbase.
Caution: Do not move, copy, modify, or delete any of these files: essn.ind, essn.pag, dbname.ind, dbname.esm, dbname.tct. Doing so may result in data corruption.
The only time the file system should be used to manage applications and databases is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere. For information about backups, see Backing Up and Restoring Data.
Certain application and database files can be successfully managed through the file system:
To copy or move an outline file (.otl), you must use Essbase Application Manager to open the outline file and save it to the new location. For more information, see Copying Outlines. For information about copying outlines on a UNIX system, see Transferring Compatible Files.
Each application that is loaded is an open task or process in the operating system. On Windows platforms, the application is displayed in an Essbase server window. On UNIX platforms, the application server is a child process of ESSBASE. When the application starts, ESSBASE starts the esssvr process.
The application server records its activities (such as writing data to an application log file, appname.LOG) in the appname directory below the Essbase installation directory, for example, the \essbase\app\appname directory. You can open and view this text file when you need to troubleshoot problems or view application activity. You can also use Administration Services Log Analyzer to view and analyze logs.
On Windows platforms you can also view application activities as they occur in the Essbase server window. On UNIX, you can view application activities with the tail -f logfile command.
On Windows platforms, when an application starts, a new icon is displayed in the taskbar. You can double-click the icon to view the server window.
This section describes how to use Application Manager, MaxL, or ESSCMD to copy, rename, and delete applications:
Caution: The only time the file system should be used to manage applications is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere. For information about backups, see Backing Up and Restoring Data.
When you copy an application, Essbase copies all files associated with the application to the destination application. Before copying, make sure that you have enough disk space to contain a full copy of the application, databases, and related files.
To copy an application using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Application Copy dialog box:
Tip: You can copy an application using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
When you rename an application, the application and its associated directory (essbase\app\appname) are renamed. All objects within the application (for example, databases or calculation scripts) with the same name as the application are not renamed.
To rename an application using EssbaseApplication Manager:
Essbase displays the Rename Application dialog box:
Tip: You can rename an application using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
When you delete an application, all objects within the application are also deleted. The \essbase\app\appname directory and all files located in the directory are deleted.
To delete an application using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Confirm Delete dialog box:
Tip: You can delete an application using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
Enterprise View > select application > right-click > select Delete Application. |
||
This section describes using Application Manager and ESSCMD to copy, rename, and delete databases:
Caution: The only time the file system should be used to manage databases is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere. For information about backups, see Backing Up and Restoring Data.
When you copy a database, all files associated with the database are also copied to the destination application. Before copying, make sure you have enough disk space to contain a full copy of the database and its related files.
To copy a database using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Database Copy dialog box:
Tip: You can copy a database using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
When you rename a database, the database and its associated directory (essbase\app\appname\dbname), and the outline file (.otl) are renamed. All other objects in the database (for example, calculation scripts) with the same name as the database are not renamed.
To rename a database using Essbase Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Rename Database dialog box:
Tip: You can rename an database using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
When you delete a database, all objects within the database are also deleted. The \essbase\app\appname\dbname directory and all files located in the directory are deleted.
To delete a database using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Confirm Delete dialog box:
Tip: You can delete a database using methods other than Application Manager:
Tool |
Instructions |
For more information |
---|---|---|
Enterprise View > select database > right-click > select Delete Database. |
||
This section describes using Application Manager to copy, rename, and delete objects. Objects related to databases or applications include outlines, calculation scripts, report scripts, rules files, and data sources:
You can also manage most application and database objects using MaxL or ESSCMD. For more information, see the Technical Reference in the docs directory.
You can also use Administration Services to manage most application and database objects. For more information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help.
For more information about Essbase database objects, see Database Objects.
Caution: The only time the file system should be used to manage applications is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere. For information about backups, see Backing Up and Restoring Data.
You can copy any database object, except an outline, to another application, database, server, or client location. For information about copying outlines, see Copying Outlines.
To copy an object using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Copy To Server Object dialog box:
You can rename any object, except an outline. An outline always has the same name as the database, so you need to rename the database to rename the outline.
To rename an object using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Rename Object dialog box:
You can delete any object, except an outline. An outlines is a required part of a database, so you need to delete the database to delete the outline.
To delete an object using Application Manager:
Essbase displays the Confirm Delete dialog box:
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. This section describes how to lock and unlock objects.
Note: Locking objects is not the same as locking data blocks. The Essbase Kernel handles locking for data blocks, but not for objects. See Ensuring Data Integrity, for information about locking data blocks.
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 locked and tells the user who locked it.
You can avoid 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.
There are two ways to unlock a previously locked object:
Note: Users can only unlock objects that they have locked themselves. A user with supervisor privileges can unlock any object.
Using Administration Services, you can migrate applications and databases across OLAP Servers, regardless of platform. For example, you can develop and test an application on a Windows server and then migrate it to a production server running UNIX.
When you migrate applications and databases across servers, you can now migrate data, security (including filter associations), and substitution variables. For more information, see the Essbase Administration Services Online Help.
The OLAP Server runs on multiple platforms, including Windows and UNIX. For a list of supported platforms and information on how to install and configure the OLAP Server on each platform, see the Essbase Installation Guide.
After you install an application, you may want to port the application to a server that runs a different operating system. This section describes how to port an installed Essbase application to another OLAP Server computer.
Porting Essbase applications across servers involves these steps:
If you are porting an Essbase application to a server that uses a different operating system, you need to identify which Essbase files are compatible with the new operating system.
The following file types are compatible between operating systems:
The following file types are incompatible between operating systems and need to be redefined or reloaded on the new server:
Note: If you are using the Linked Reporting Objects feature, you need to relink any files or cell notes on the new server. For more information, see Linking Objects to Essbase Data.
When transferring files to a UNIX system, you need to be aware of the case of file names. UNIX is a case-sensitive operating system, and files are recognized only if they have the correct case. For example, in certain ESSCMD operations, you need to specify a file name, and the file name must be entered with the correct case.
The Essbase system files use the following naming conventions on UNIX systems:
Essbase files on UNIX systems are capitalized with proper case: the first letter is uppercase, and the remaining letters are lowercase. This table gives examples of names for different file types:
File Type |
Example |
---|---|
Mydb.db |
|
Mydb.pag |
|
Mydb.ind |
|
Mydb.otl |
|
Atlanta.rul |
|
Atlanta.txt |
|
Mycalc.csc |
|
Myrepo.rep |
|
Mydb.arc |
|
Myapp.log |
Note: The application name is an exception to the above rule. The application name can be in lower case.
This table lists several examples of valid and invalid file names on UNIX systems:
Valid File Names |
Invalid File Names |
Model.csc |
MODEL.CSC |
Monthly.rep |
Monthly.Rep |
Forecast.otl |
forecast.otl |
Actuals.rul |
AcTuAlS.rUl |
My_File.txt |
My_File.Txt |
Note: The Essbase server does not allow long file names for applications, databases, calculation scripts, reports, and other database files. All file names for objects you create must conform to the Windows 8.3 convention.
If two servers are connected, you can create the application and database directories on the new server and use either FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or Application Manager to transfer the compatible application files. If the servers are not connected, you need to redefine server information on the new server before reloading the database.
Using FTP, you can transfer files directly between operating systems. You should transfer only the files that are compatible between operating systems, and you should transfer the files in binary mode.
If you have files with the wrong case on a UNIX server, Application Manager can see these files but cannot open them. After you use FTP to transfer files, you should rename the files on the server to ensure that they are capitalized with proper case. Alternatively, you can use FTP to rename the file when you transfer the file:
ftp>put oldfile Newfile
Using Application Manager, you can transfer files from the client computer to the server by using File > Save As. For example, you can connect to a Windows NT server, open an outline, and then save it to a UNIX server. The file types you can transfer from Application Manager are outline files, report scripts, calculation scripts, and data load rules files.
When you save a file from Application Manager to a UNIX server, proper case is applied automatically regardless of what case you type.
If the server you are porting to is not connected to the existing server, you need to redefine some information on the new server.
To redefine server information, follow these steps:
Database files, such as .db, .pag, .esm, and .ind, are not compatible between operating systems. If you port an application to a server on a different operating system, you need to repopulate the database by reloading the data from a data file and a data load rules file (if applicable). One way you can reload is to export the data to an ASCII text file, transfer the text file to the new server, and then use the text file to load data.
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