Developing Essbase Applications

Cameron Lackpour (Chapter 2 and editor) is president and chief bottle washer of CL Solve, an Oracle EPM consulting company. He first worked with OLAP technology in the dinosaur days of mainframe multidimensional databases and saw the Essbase light in 1993. He has been in the consulting business since 1996, creating solutions for customers using Essbase, Planning, and anything else that ties to those two products. An Oracle ACE since 2011, Lackpour is active on OTN’s and Network54’s Essbase message boards, the ODTUG Hyperion Special Interest Group, the ODTUG Board of Directors, and his Essbase Hackers blog.

Building the Foundation: Essbase Infrastructure; John Booth
Introduction
Infrastructure Skill Sets
Foundational Hardware and Software Tips and Tricks
Essbase Architecture and Sizing
An Apple a Day
When It All Goes Wrong
Additional Deployment Considerations
Conclusion

Slay Bad Data in Essbase; Cameron Lackpour
Introduction
Bad Data Kills Essbase Databases
Quality Data Equals a Quality Essbase Database
Four Steps to Data Quality and Success
Conclusion
Appendix: The Code





Finding the Dirt – Tricks for Rapid Prototyping with Essbase Studio; Mike Nader
Introduction
Understanding This Chapter
Mapping the Data Sources
Modeling the Data Source
Building Hierarchies and Custom Nodes
Modeling and Developing the Cube
Additional Thoughts
Seeping Away the Dirt

BSO Will Never Die and Here Is Why; Dave Farnsworth
Who Should Read This Chapter
Prerequisites
Why BSO, Indeed
What is "Good Performance"
Getting the Most from Multiple Processors
Cache Is King; Know the Basics
Check Your Work
BSO Matters and Then Some





BSO Is Dead. Long Live ASO! (Converting BSO to ASO); Angela Wilcox
Why Would I Convert to Using ASO Cubes?
When Should I Not Try to Use ASO Cubes?
What Is the Easiest Way to Convert a BSO Cube to an ASO Cube?
What about Reporting Cubes?
What Great Things Can I Only Do with ASO Cubes?
So What Great Things Can I Do with Both ASO and BSO cubes?





Practical MDX for Essbase Developers; Gary Crisci
Introduction
Objectives
Housekeeping
MDX Basics
Properties
Functions
Query Structure
Advanced MDX
Time Functionality
Tips and Tricks
Closing





How ASO Works and How to Design for Performance; Dan Pressman
Introduction
Summary: Rules of ASO Designing for Performance
ASO Queries: How They Work
The Bitmap: Its Role and Function
Understanding Aggregations and Slices
Design Alternatives and Their Costs
Tips to Improve Data Loading and Aggregation Performance
A Final Word about Rule R1, ASO Cache, and Memory
Summary
Afterward and Caveat to the Reader





Deep Inside the Essbase Java API; Tim Tow
Introduction
Essbase Java API Object Model
Essbase Connections
Retrieving Data from Essbase
Sending Data to Essbase
Calculating Essbase Databases
Member Information
Getting Member Information Using Member Queries
Summary





System Automation the Groovy Way; Joe Aultman
The Importance of Being Automated
The Automation Landscape
How to Make an Outline Extractor in Seven Easy Steps
Groovy Things about Groovy: A Deeper Look at the Language
What’s Cookin’? Groovy Recipes for the Busy Developer
Wrapping It Up





Advanced Smart View; Robb Salzman
Introduction
A Word or Two about the Classic Add-In
Tune Your Reports, Create Efficient Smart View Spreadsheets
Excel Automation
Afterthoughts





How to Successfully Manage an Essbase System; Natalie Delemar and David Anderson
Who Are You?
Purpose
Setting the Stage for an Essbase Project
Go It Alone? Or Not?
Managing Your Partner
Managing Expectations
Managing the Project
Post Go-Live Tasks and Considerations
It Is All about You