How do you optimize outline?

Usually the outline is optimized using the hourglass design for dimension ordering i.e,
Dimension with Accounts tag
Dimension with Time tag
Largest Dense dimension
Smallest dense dimension
Smallest Sparse dimension
Largest Sparse dimension
What are the ways to improve performance during data loads?
There are several ways to optimize load
1. Grouping of Sparse member combinations
2. Making the data source as small as possible
3.Making source fields as small as possible
4.Positioning the data in the same order as the outline
5.Loading from Essbase Server
6. Managing parallel data load processing
What are the design considerations for calculation optimization?
You can configure a database to optimize calculation performance. The best configuration for the
site depends on the nature and size of the database.
Block Size(8Kb to 100Kb) and Block Density
Order of Sparse Dimensions
Incremental Data Loading
Database Outlines with Two or More Flat Dimensions
Formulas and Calculation Scripts
When does Fragmentation occur?
Fragmentation is likely to occur with the following:
Read/write databases that users are constantly updating with data
Databases that execute calculations around the clock
Databases that frequently update and recalculate dense members
Data loads that are poorly designed
Databases that contain a significant number of Dynamic Calc and Store members
Databases that use an isolation level of uncommitted access with commit block set to zero

How can you measure fragmentation?

You can measure fragmentation using the average clustering ratio or average fragmentation
Quotient.
Using the average fragmentation quotient
Any quotient above the high end of the range indicates that reducing fragmentation may help
performance
Small (up to 200 MB) 60% or higher
Medium (up to 2 GB) 40% or higher
Large (greater than 2 GB) 30% or higher
Using the average clustering ratio:
The average clustering ratio database statistic indicates the fragmentation level of the data (.pag)
files. The maximum value, 1, indicates no fragmentation.
How do you can prevent and remove fragmentation?
You can prevent and remove fragmentation:
To prevent fragmentation, optimize data loads by sorting load records based upon sparse
dimension members. For a comprehensive discussion of optimizing data load by grouping sparse
members.
To remove fragmentation, perform an export of the database, delete all data in the database with
CLEARDATA, and reload the export file.
To remove fragmentation, force a dense restructure of the database.
Why is database restructuring?
As your business changes, you change the Essbase database outline to capture new product lines,
provide information on new scenarios, reflect new time periods, etc. Some changes to a database
outline affect the data storage arrangement, forcing Essbase to restructure the database.

What are the types of database restructuring?

The two ways by which a database restructure is triggered:
Implicit Restructures
Dense restructure
Sparse restructure
Outline-only restructure
Explicit Restructures
What are the conditions affecting Database restructuring?
Intelligent Calculation, name changes, and formula changes affect database restructuring:
If you use Intelligent Calculation in the database, all restructured blocks are marked as dirty
whenever data blocks are restructured. Marking the blocks as dirty forces the next default
Intelligent Calculation to be a full calculation.
If you change a name or a formula, Essbase does not mark the affected blocks as dirty.
Therefore, you must use a method other than full calculation to recalculate the member or the
database.
What are the files used during Restructuring?
When Essbase restructures both the data blocks and the index, it uses the files described
essxxxxx.pag
Essbase data fileessxxxxx.ind
Essbase index filedbname.esm
Essbase kernel file that contains control information used for dbrecoverydbname.tct
Transaction control tabledbname.ind
Free fragment file for data and index free fragmentsdbname.otl
Outline file in which is defined all metadata for a database and how data is stored
What are the actions that improve performance for restructuring?

There are a number of things you can do to improve performance related to database
restructuring:
If you change a dimension frequently, make it sparse. Use incremental restructuring to control
when Essbase performs a required database restructuring. Select options when you save a
modified outline that reduce the amount of restructuring required.
Which restructure operations are faster?
These types of restructure operations are listed from fastest to slowest: Outline only (no index or
data files) Sparse (only index files) Dense (index files and datafiles) as a result of adding,
deleting, or moving members and other operations Dense (indexand data files) as a result of
changing a dense dimension to sparse or changing a sparsedimension to dense
What is Implicit Restructures?
Essbase initiates an implicit restructure of the database files after an outline is changed using
Outline Editor or Dimension Build. The type of restructure that is performed depends on the type
of changes made to the outline
What is Explicit Restructures?
When you manually initiate a database restructure, you perform an explicit restructure. An
explicit restructure forces a full restructure of the database. A full restructure comprises a dense
restructure plus removal of empty blocks.
What is Dense restructure?
If a member of a dense dimension is moved, deleted, or added, Essbase restructures the blocks in
the data files and creates new data files. When Essbase restructures the data blocks, it regenerates
the index automatically so that index entries point to the new data blocks. Empty blocks are not
removed. Essbase marks all restructured blocks as dirty, so after a dense restructure you need to
recalculate the database.
What is Sparse restructure?
If a member of a sparse dimension is moved, deleted, or added, Essbase restructures the index
and creates new index files. Restructuring the index is relatively fast; the amount of time
required depends on the size of the index.
What is Outline-only restructure?
Can we create more than 2 dimensions using only one build rule file.
Ans: Yes, we can do that but it is recommended to use seperate rule file for each dimension.
What is UDA( user defined attributes). How are they different than Aliases.
Ans: UDA represents the class of the members. Aliases are just another names of the members. both are

different and has different usage.

What is the Extension of Cal Scripts, Batch files, outline, and Rule File?
Ans: Rule file is .rul
Calc Script is - .csc
Batch files - .bat
outline - .otl
Why are Filters used?
Ans: If you want to grant access to all dimensions then you wouldn't use a filter. Just grant read access
for the database to the user and/or group. The only reason you would use a filter is if you wanted to
restrict access.
What are Dense and Sparse Dimensions?
Ans: Dense: A dimension which has the high probability that data exists for every combination of
dimension members
Sparse: A dimension which has low probability that data exists for every combination of dimension
members
Can we query a member for its UDA in a calculation script.
Ans: Yes. You can query a member for its UDA in a calculation script.
How does UDA's impact database size?
Ans: Absolutely no impact as UDA's do not require additional storage space.
How does Essbase recover from a database crash?
Ans: After a database crash or server interruption, Essbase automatically recovers a database after
rolling back the transactions that were active at that time.
Can we build dimensions directly from data sources without using rule files.
Ans: No.
When do we generally use build rules files?
Ans: To automate the process of creating dimensions with thousands of members.
What are the three primary build methods for building dimensions?
Ans: 1. Generation references
2. level references
3. Parent-Child references.
What is the difference between ASO & BSO?
Ans:i. We cannot create more than 1 database in ASO, but we can create more than 1 db per application.
If we have more dimensions (generally more than 10) then we will go for ASO
ii. we cannot write back in ASO, but we can write back in BSO.
iii. Most of the dimensions are sparse in ASO whereas in BSO most of them are dense.
How can we backup an aggregate storage database?
Ans: To back up an aggregate storage database, copy the application directory
ARBORPATH/app/appname.
How can you make a Max L script run at a specified time?
Ans:MaxL scripts can be called from a BAT file which is used for scheduling.
I have created an application with one database in Essbase at test environment and now needs to
copy the entire application with all security permissions to the production server which is not
connected to the test server. How can I do that?

Ans: You can acheive this using migration wizard to migrate an application to a text file which you can
take physically to the production server.
To know how you can do that, take a look at this post Essbase Application Migration.
In what case we can define generation 1 to a feild in generation build method.
Ans: We cannot define that as Generation 1 is not valid.
What is Incremental Dimensional Built and one time Dimension Built?
Ans: Incremental Dimensional Build: Builds and reads from different data sources for dimension builds
and delay restructuring until all data sources have been processed.

Can we have multiple metaoutlines based on one OLAP model in Integration services?
Ans: Yes
What are LROs( Linked Reporting Objects)?
Ans: They are specific objects like files, cell notes or URLs associated with specific data cells of
Essbase database. You can link multiple objects to a single data cell. These linked objects are
stored in the server. These LROs can be exported or imported with the database for backup and
migration activities.
What are the three primary build methods for building dimensions?
Ans:
1. Generation references
2. Level references
3. Parent-Child references
How does UDAs impact database size?
Ans: There will be no impact on the database as the UDAs doesnt store data in the database.
Can we have anmetaoutline based on two different OLAp models.
Ans: No.
Can we create UDAs and apply it to Dense as well as Sparse dimensions?
Ans: Yes
Types of Partitions available in Essbase?
Ans: Three types of partitions are there.
1. Transparent partition: A form of shared partition that provides the ability to access and
manipulate remote data transparently as though it is part of your local database. The remote data
is retrieved from the data source each time you request it. Any updates 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

2. Replicated Partition:
3. Linked Partition:
What is hybrid analysis?
Ans: Lower level members and associated data remains in relational database where as upper
level members and associated data resides in Essbase database.
Why top-down calculation less efficient than a bottom-up calculation?Being less efficient,
why do we use them.
Ans: 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.
On what basis you will decide to invoke a serial or parellel calculation method.
Ans: 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.
How can you display UDAs in reports?
Ans: UDAs values are never displayed in the reports and hence do not impact report
performance.
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?
Ans: The record will be rejected.
What are the specified roles other than Aministrator to view sessions, disconnect sessions or
kill users requests for a particular application?
Ans: You should have the role of Application manager for the specified application.
What is block locking system?
Ans: 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.
What are the three options specified in Username and Password management under
security tab in Essbase server proprties.
Ans: 1. Login attempts allowed before username is disabled.
2. Number of inactive days before username is diabled.
3. Number of days before user must change password.
Can we have multiple databases in one single application?
Ans: Yes. But only one database per application is recommended.
Depend on which database that you are going to create. For Example: If you are creating ASO

then we cant create more that 1 db per application. If you are creating BSO then you can create
more than 1 db per application
How is data stored in the Essbase database?
Ans: Essbase is an file based database where the data is stored in PAG files of 2 GB each and
grows sequentially.
We have created an application as unicode mode. Can we change it later to nonunicodemode.
Ans: No
What are the types of partitioning options available in Essbase?
Ans: 1. Replicated partition. 2. Transparent partition 3. Linked partition.
Dynamic calc decreases the retreival time and increases batch database calculation time.
How true is the statement?
Ans: The statement should be just opposite. As dynamic calc members are calculated when
requested, the retreival time should increase.
What is the role of provider services.
Ans: To communicate between Essbase and Microsoft office tools.
A customer wants to run two instances of an Essbase server on a same machine to have
both test environment and Development environment on the same server. Can he do that?
Ans: 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.
Why top-down calculation less efficient than a bottom-up calculation?Being less efficient,
why do we use them.
Ans: 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.
Can we have multiple databases in one single application?
Ans: Yes. But only one database per application is recommended.
Can we have one ASO database and one BSO database in one single application.If yes, how
and If No, why.
Ans: 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.
What are the file extensions for an outline, rule file and a calcscript.
Ans: .OTL, .RUL and .CSC

What is the role of provider services.

Ans: To communicate between Essbase and Microsoft office tools.
What is an alternative to create metaoutline, rule file and load data.
Ans: Integration services and in version 11, we have Essbase studio.