1. Configuring Essbase Server

2. Objectives After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
Set up runtime and connection options for Essbase
Configure block storage and aggregate storage disk allocation
Identify the primary information logs available to Essbase system administrators
Create an essbase.cfg server configuration file
Configure Smart View for Office

3. About Configuring Essbase
Runtime configuration
Running Essbase Servers as background processes and Windows services
Connection options
Disk allocation
Transaction and lock settings
Information logs

4. Running Essbase Servers as Background Processes
Windows service*
UNIX
essbase.exe –service install
essbase.exe –service remove
#!/bin/sh PASS=$1 Essbase -b -secure << EOF & ${PASS} EOF
essbase.secure <password>
* Prior to Release 9.3

5. Windows Service Considerations
Advantages:
Cannot accidentally close windows (no visible agent window)
Can shutdown client processes without affecting server
Can give priority to foreground services
Disadvantages:
Cannot use agent commands
Cannot observe server activity directly
Cannot monitor running applications
Cannot shut down Essbase Server from the server console window—must use command-line interface or stop Windows service

6. Running Multiple Essbase Servers as Windows Services (Release 9)
Effective with release 9.3, you can run multiple Essbase Servers as Windows services using the following method:
If you start Analytic Server in the background, these conditions apply:
● You do not have access to Agent commands.
● You cannot shut down Essbase Server from the Agent. You must use MaxL or ESSCMD to
shut down Essbase Server.
● You cannot access the application server window to monitor a running application. You
must access this information from the application log ( ARBORPATH/app/ appname/
appname.log).
● You cannot monitor Essbase Server activity using the Agent. You must access this
information from the Essbase Server log ( ARBORPATH/essbase.log).
You can run one or more instances of the Essbase Agent as Windows services. You must first use the Configuration Utility to register the service. For additional information, see the Essbase Installation Guide. [DBAG93, p.695]
Primary instance
All other instances
Run window command
BAT files

7. Running Multiple Essbase Servers as Windows Services (Release 11)
Effective with release 11.1, you can run multiple Essbase Servers as Windows services using the following method:
Install primary instance
Configure primary instance
If you start Analytic Server in the background, these conditions apply:
● You do not have access to Agent commands.
● You cannot shut down Essbase Server from the Agent. You must use MaxL or ESSCMD to
shut down Essbase Server.
● You cannot access the application server window to monitor a running application. You
must access this information from the application log ( ARBORPATH/app/ appname/
appname.log).
● You cannot monitor Essbase Server activity using the Agent. You must access this
information from the Essbase Server log ( ARBORPATH/essbase.log).
You can run one or more instances of the Essbase Agent as Windows services. You must first use the Configuration Utility to register the service. For additional information, see the Essbase Installation Guide. [DBAG93, p.695]
EPM System Installer
EPM System Configurator
Install other instances
Configure other instances

8. Connection Options Use these to eliminate network timeouts: NETDELAY
Network request delay time in milliseconds
Default value: 200 milliseconds
NETRETRYCOUNT
Number of times Essbase tries to make a network connection before reporting an error
Default value: 600 retries

9. Disk Allocation
Block storage
Aggregate storage

10. Block Storage Disk Allocation
Default directory is ARBORPATH/apps directory
Maximum file size is 2GB (ess00001.ind, ess00001.pag,…)
Can span volumes, for example:
12 GB allocated for Essbase files
16 GB allocated for Essbase files
16 GB allocated for Essbase files

11. Aggregate Storage Disk Allocation
Four tablespaces
Tablespace
Contains
Change location/size?
default
Database structure and data
Yes, if empty
temp
Temporary work space
log
Transaction log No
metadata
File locations

12. Aggregate Storage Load Buffers
Administration Services Console
Essbase Server
Aggregate Storage Load Data Process
Data will inevitably need to be loaded to your database. The data source can be a file, such as a text file or spreadsheet file, or a relational database.
An aggregate storage data load operation can load one or more data sources with or without rules files. Data is typically loaded and accumulated into a load buffer that is used by Analytic Services to improve the data load performance. To load data you can choose from the following two methods: Essbase Administration Services or MaxL DDL scripts.
Aggregate storage databases facilitate analysis of very large dimensions containing up to a million or more members. To efficiently support loading data values into such large databases, Analytic Services enables you to combine the processing of multiple data sources through a temporary aggregate storage data load buffer.
MaxL DDL scripts
Load buffer(s)
Data sources
MaxL shell
Rules files
ASO MDB

13. Data Slices
Incremental commits of the data load buffer to aggregate storage databases
Create in Administration Services Console…
…or MaxL
import database HyptekAS.HyptekAS
data from load_buffer with buffer_id 1
override values create slice;

14. Starting Log Viewer for an application
Information Logs
Server log
Application log
Outline Change log
Starting Log Viewer for an application

15. Outline Change Log File
Outline modification information
Date/Time/User
Type of modification
Details
Outline Change Log file size limits
Minimum/Maximum/Default
Maintain settings in essbase.cfg file

16. Log Analyzer Provides a graphical analysis tool for log information
Is accessed from Administration Services Console

17. Essbase Configuration File
Is an ASCII file located in ARBORPATH\bin
Specifies server-wide application and database settings
Requires Essbase server restart after changing essbase.cfg

18. Smart View Smart View Client Connection Data Source Data Model XML
Planning Provider
Financial Management Provider
Analytic Provider
Java API
Infrastructure
Planning Application Server
Financial Management Application Server
Client Tier
Application Tier
Web Tier
HTTP(s)
TCPIP / DCOM
Essbase
RDBMS
Data Tier

19. Quiz
In Release 11.1, you can run more than one instance of the Essbase agent as a Windows service.
True
False
Answers: 1

20. Quiz Select the advantages of running Essbase as a Windows Service.
You cannot accidentally close the agent window.
When Essbase Server is started from a client process, the agent does not automatically shut down when the client process is shut down.
You cannot use the agent commands.
You can give priority to foreground services.
Answers: 1, 2, 4

21. Quiz Select the Essbase log files. Server log Application log
Outline change log
Captain's log
Answers: 1, 2, 3

22. Quiz
The Essbase configuration file (essbase.cfg) specifies server-wide application and database settings.
True
False
Answers: 1

23. Summary In this lesson, you should have learned to:
Set up runtime and connection options for Essbase
Configure block storage and aggregate storage disk allocation
Identify the primary information logs available to Essbase system administrators
Create an essbase.cfg server configuration file
Configure Smart View for Office