Oracle Essbase 9 Implementation Guide- P62 pot

Automating your Essbase Cube[ 292 ] In the first section, we discuss the Essbase command scripts, or Ess-Commands, or simply EssCmds.. The Essbase command scripting functionality is a ho

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Summary

Well, there you have it! In this chapter we have learned how you can generate

reports using the Essbase Add-in for Microsoft Excel or Visual Explorer or Essbase

Query Designer, as well as the capabilities of each type of reporting What we

recommend now is to just start playing with the add-in Try creating custom data

sheets by first performing simple retrieves Then, as you become more comfortable

and confident, you can begin setting up advanced row and column headings by

using the double-click and pivoting functions or by using the fully functional Essbase Member Selection tool to populate your spreadsheet's row and column headings

Once you've become adept at setting up good looking spreadsheets and reports,

you can start playing around with retrieving data into your sheets, then Locking

and Sending the data back to the database.

Next up, is how to automate your Essbase database system We will show you

an assortment of functionality options included in your Essbase package that

allow you to automate routine tasks, from the very basic and menial, to the large

and complex You can turn everyday chores into automatically running batch jobs

that do everything from dynamically adding dimension members to the database

outline, to loading and calculation data, to actually building presentation and

analysis cubes

Automating your Essbase

Cube

If you've made it this far and you're still coherent, congratulations! Upto now there

has been a tremendous amount of information for you to absorb, all of it necessary With all that we have presented to you to this point you should be able to take your Essbase journey from a complete installation to a fully functioning Essbase database Complimenting your fully functioning Essbase database is your knowledge of the

many ways to load and calculate the data in your Essbase database You also have

a good understanding of how to utilize the powerful Essbase Add-in for Microsoft

Excel, allowing you to interact with your database and the data contained in it

In this chapter you will learn that many of the routine tasks required to keep

your Essbase system functioning at its best can be automated Further, many

of the routine administrative tasks can be automated and the functionality then

provided to your business customers so they can perform for themselves many

of the administrative duties that pertain to their business operations Some of

these types of tasks include adding new users, granting permissions, executing

data loads, and running database calculations

This chapter is divided into three main sections and each section speaks to a

different method that can be used to automate Essbase functions and commands

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In the first section, we discuss the Essbase command scripts, or Ess-Commands, or

simply EssCmds The Essbase command scripting functionality is a holdover from

the very earliest versions of Essbase and was rumored to be phased out completely

in Essbase versions higher than version 9.x We have since found out that Essbase

version 11.x will now contain EssCmd functionality to give you more time to

convert your scripts to the newer MaxL scripting language The new MaxL scripting language has replaced EssCmd and provides superior functionality and ease of use Although we are covering Essbase command scripts here we recommend you use

the new MaxL scripting language and the Essbase API instead, especially if you are developing a new system

The second section is where we discuss the Essbase MaxL scripting language

which has been developed to not only replace the aging Essbase command

scripting language, but also offer enhanced functionality while providing less

cryptic and easier to use command words

In the third section, we discuss the Essbase Application Programming Interface or

API The Essbase API has evolved over the successive versions into a very powerful set of tools for the developer What top of the line application package does not

include a complete array of API tools? You just have to figure that Essbase would

have one of the best available

The Essbase API can be accessed from Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications,

known as VBA, and included with all Microsoft Office components The API

can also be accessed from Visual Basic and COM+ applications, and the API can

also be accessed from Java programs All in all it is a very versatile and extremely

useful tool to have in your Essbase toolbox!

Essbase command scripts (EssCmd)

EssCmd is a command-line Essbase interface that can perform operations interactively through a command-line window or through a batch or script file EssCmd operates

independently of any other Essbase analytic services interface, including the EAS tool, the Essbase add-in, or any custom-built application programs

The Essbase command scripting language, affectionately known as Ess-Command or just EssCmd, is a highly functional set of tools that are used to automate many tasks

in the world of Essbase Although EssCmd has been phased out in the latest versions

of Essbase it's still a good idea that you become familiar with EssCmd and what

you can do with it If you ever inherit an existing system that is still using an older

version of Essbase chances are that it will have lots of EssCmds in use

For starters an Essbase command script file object is actually an ASCII text file with

a file extension of scr As with all Essbase objects you must follow the naming

conventions we have previously discussed

All Essbase file objects can be named using upto 8 characters, can have no spaces in the name, and must be located in a folder or directory path that does not contain spaces

Creating an Essbase command script

There is only one way to create a usable EssCmd Because an EssCmd file object

is actually an ASCII text file you can open any text editor and begin entering

commands The text editor is also how you would modify an existing Essbase

command script

Although there is no formal EssCmd script editor supplied with Essbase there is

comprehensive help included in the online help that is supplied with the EAS tool

To access this excellent EssCmd resource simply click Help | Information Map

to open your web browser and bring up the following screenshot:

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From the Essbase Administration Services Information Map screen, click

the Technical Reference link under the Reference column, to bring up the

following screenshot:

On the Technical Reference Overview screen you will see help topics listed for most

of the technical aspects of Essbase, its peripheral functions, and its services From this

screen you can click on the EssCmd link to access step-by-step instructions on how

to create, edit, and execute an Essbase command script

Begin by opening a blank text file and saving it with the scr file extension

Please use these files with caution In a Windows-based system, a file with the scr extension is usually associated with a screensaver file type

When opening an EssCmd file, it is best to open your text

editor and use the File | Open method to open an Essbase

command script