Business objects EXPLORER FOR IPHONE-IPAD V1.0 User Manual

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer version 4

Copyright © 2007 Business Objects. All rights reserved. Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents, which may cover products that are offered and licensed by Business Objects: 5,555,403; 6,247,008; 6,289,352; 6,490,593; 6,578,027; 6,768,986; 6,772,409; 6,831,668; 6,882,998; 7,139,766; 7,181,435; 7,181,440 and 7,194,465. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Xcelsius, Crystal Decisions, Intelligent Question, Desktop Intelligence, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Analysis, Web Intelligence, RapidMarts, and BusinessQuery are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Third-party contributors

Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at:

http://www.businessobjects.com/thirdparty

Chapter 1 Introduction to the documentation 5

Content and target audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Target audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

How to access and use the documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Accessing the User Guide and the Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

How to use the User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Software Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 2 What's new 11

Chapter 3 Getting started 17

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics . . . . . . . . . 18

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer . 19

Connecting to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer . . . . . . . . . 20

Main steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 4 Solutions 23

Introduction to solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Creating a solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Opening a solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Renaming a solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Deleting a solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Selecting the languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Exporting /importing a solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 1

Contents

Chapter 5 Views 31

Introduction to views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Creating a view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Choosing the languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Selecting and defining measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Multi-measures behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Single measure behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Viewing scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Defining dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Defining merged dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Defining standard dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Changing and translating the names of standard dimensions . . . . 49

Naming the members of standard dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Defining the start and end date for periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Naming the members of the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions 52

Selecting the members of standard dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Selecting hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Selecting SSAS attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Excluding standard dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Hiding excluded dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Synchronizing the database and cube structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Copying a view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Renaming a view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Chapter 6 Cube Deployment 71

Introduction to cube deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Creating an SSAS deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Entering deployment and cube information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Synchronizing database and cube data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Calculating members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

2 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Contents

Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics

and filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Resolving issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube . . 80

Deploying and processing a cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Updating a deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Removing a cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Removing a database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Copying a deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Renaming a deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Chapter 7 Star Schema Deployment 87

Introduction to star schemas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Creating a star schema deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Provider tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Connection tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

SQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Oracle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Advanced and All tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Defining the prefix name for tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Defining several fact tables (partitions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Resolving issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Deploying a star schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Using iAnalysis reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Aggregating members when excluding a dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Appendix A Batches 101

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Deploying a cube or a star schema, updating a cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

AnalyticsBatch messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Information message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Deployer Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 3

Contents

Information message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Exporting solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Confirmation message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Importing solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Confirmation message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Appendix B Glossary 115

4 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Introduction to the documentation

chapter

Introduction to the documentation

Content and target audience

• “Content” on page 6

• “Target audience” on page 6

• “Formatting” on page 6

Content

The User Guide enables users to quickly learn how to use BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

Several levels of information are available:

• General explanations about the product.

• Specific information for in-depth knowledge of the product.

• Procedures enabling users to perform required actions immediately.

Target audience

The User Guide has been designed for people who want to use BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

All these users can find the information they require and the procedures for the operations they must perform.

To find out more about the installation and administration of the product, refer to the following documentation: BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Architecture and recommendations and BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Installation guide. These documents are available in PDF format on the installation CD.

Formatting

The different formatting standards are described in the table below:

6 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Introduction to the documentation

How to access and use the documentation

Formatting Type of information Example



Blue arrow + text in bold Procedure: series of actions to be

performed step by step.

Bold Names of the windows, dialog boxes,

tabs and buttons that appear in the application.

Menu > Option Command path the user should follow. Administration >

To print a report

Click on Add.

Templates

How to access and use the documentation

• “Accessing the User Guide and the Help” on page 7

• “How to use the User Guide” on page8

Accessing the User Guide and the Help

You can access the User Guide and the Online Help in two different formats:

• The User Guide is available in PDF format on the installation CD and via

the Online Help. You can print this guide.

• The Help in HTML format can be accessed via the product.

To access the Help



• Select Help > Help Topics....

The Help homepage will appear.

To print the User Guide



1. Select Help > Help Topics....

The Help homepage will appear.

2. At the bottom of the table of contents, click on Printable version (PDF).

The Printable version (PDF) page appears.

3. Click on the Open the printable version in PDF format.

The User Guide will open in Acrobat Reader.

4. You can then print the PDF file.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 7

Introduction to the documentation

Software Support

How to use the User Guide

Finding a procedure or specific information

To search for information in the PDF format User Guide, you can use:

• The Contents page. The table of contents appears at the beginning of

the document and can also be accessed from the left hand side of the window. The table of contents is clickable. To access a paragraph, click on the title.

• The Search function. This Acrobat Reader function (which can be

accessed using the button), enables you to search for one or more words in the whole User Guide.

Finding the definition of a term

A number of terms are defined in the User Guide. You can consult the definitions in the Glossary.

The Glossary appears at the end of the document and can also be accessed from the Contents page.

Printing the guide You can print the User Guide using the Acrobat Reader print function (File >

Print...).

Software Support

If you do not find the answers you need in the documentation, inform your internal corporate correspondent. This correspondent groups users' questions and presents them to Business Objects Software Support.

Your correspondent must be able to provide the following information:

• The software version installed on your workstation.

• The computer environment used (Web, Citrix, Windows, etc.).

• The type of database and the version (Oracle, MSSQL Server, IBM DB2,

etc.).

• The server and client workstation operating systems.

• The network connection (RNIS, WAN, LAN, etc.) and any other software

components used, such as Internet Explorer, IIS, Apache, etc.

• The exact content of the messages that appeared on your screen when

the error occurred.

• A description of what happened and what you were doing when the error

occurred.

8 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Introduction to the documentation

Software Support

• How you tried to solve the problem.

Do not hesitate to send us any screen shots, reports, error messages or any other item you believe may help us to solve the problem.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 9

Introduction to the documentation

Software Support

10 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

What's new

chapter

What's new

• New features

• New in this documentation

New features Copying and pasting a view in a solution, and a deployment in a view

It is now possible to copy and paste views and deployments directly from the Administrator user interface. You can also copy and paste a deployment in a view.

The principle is the same as for Windows folders in Windows Explorer. To find out more, see “Copying a view” on page 70. To find out more, see “Copying a deployment” on page 85.

Deleting solutions

Previously, the only way to delete solutions was to access the Analytics Solutions tables stored in BusinessObjects Finance. This new functionality enables the end user to delete solutions directly from Administrator.

To find out more, see “Deleting a solution” on page 25.

Hiding excluded dimensions

The end user can now hide or show the excluded dimensions that will not be deployed in the cube.

To find out more, see “Hiding excluded dimensions” on page 68.

Merging dimensions

In previous versions of Administrator, only the following dimensions could be merged: Variant, Data entry period, Consolidation currency, Category, Scope.

In version 4, any combination of dimensions can be merged. The resulting merged dimension members can be renamed.

To find out more, see “Creating a view” on page 32.

Automatically selecting members added in BusinessObjects Finance

The new option Select all members in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer enables you to automatically select the newly added members in BusinessObjects Finance.

To find out more, see “Naming and selecting the members of a merged

dimension” on page 42.

Choosing the aggregation when excluding a dimension

12 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

What's new

As a consequence of the new Select all members option, when you choose to exclude a dimension, you no longer need to select either of the two options Aggregate selected elements or Aggregate all elements. You simply select the Select all members option or manually select the members.

To find out more, see “Excluding standard dimensions” on page 67.

Deploying single measures

In the previous versions, you could use multi-measures. Single measure mode is now available. It enables you to view all detailed and non-detailed data on the same measure.

To find out more, see “Selecting and defining measures” on page 35.

Deploying both fiscal and calendar time hierarchies

Both fiscal and calendar presentation of data are now available. This presentation mode can also be applied to the data entry period hierarchies.

For a fiscal hierarchy, the starting period can be different from January. Time aggregations will be calculated based on this new starting period.

It is now also possible to select the range of Periods and Data entry periods directly in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

To find out more, see “Defining the start and end date for periods” on page 52 and see “Selecting and defining hierarchies in the Period and Data Entry

Period dimensions” on page 63

Creating SSAS attributes based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and properties

Before version 4, BusinessObjects Finance characteristics were interpreted as hierarchies only. The only way to retrieve information based on characteristics was to deploy these hierarchies in the cube.

It is now possible to load the cube with BusinessObjects Finance characteristics or properties that are treated as attributes. The benefits are:

• Ability to perform advanced selections based on attributes and filtering

expressions such as is / is not, combined conditions, etc.

• Presentation enhancement such as the ability to create a calculated

description of a member plus a characteristic.

The attribute name can be customized by the user to fit with OLAP analysis needs.

To find out more, see “Selecting SSAS attributes” on page 66.

Defining default number format

You choose the default number format that will be taken into account in the entire SSAS cube.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 13

What's new

A set of predefined formats is proposed but you can enter custom number formats.

This format is defined at the deployment level, allowing you to apply different formats to different deployments.

To find out more, see “Entering deployment and cube information” on

page 73.

Adding comments to calculated members

You can now enter comments to keep track of what issue the calculated members are designed to resolve: content, etc.

To find out more, see “Calculating members” on page 76.

Using your own MDX scripts for a deployment

You can now use your own MDX scripts in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. A script will therefore be attached to a specific deployment and will be deployed along with the cube.

An MDX script is saved as a custom calculated member. To find out more, see “Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment” on

page 78.

Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and filters

You can now create SSAS Named sets from BusinessObjects Finance characteristics, filters, or any manual selection.

A Named set is a selection of dimension members that will be used as a flat list to create reports. It is the equivalent of BusinessObjects Finance filters.

To find out more, see “Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects

Finance characteristics and filters” on page 79.

Deploying several BusinessObjects Finance descriptions for each dimension member

You can now customize descriptions to satisfy analysis requirements. This new functionality is important because end users often want to display

metadata in the data retrieval applications with different formatting (code, description, etc). For instance, a controller is used to working with codes, while other users want to publish reports with short descriptions.

To find out more, see “Naming the members of standard dimensions” on

page 50.

Including the NA member in a dynamic selection for detailed dimension members

14 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

What's new

In the previous versions, you were able to include for each detailed dimension, the NA member only when using the manual selection.

You can now include the NA member in a dynamic selection, which is a selection using BusinessObjects Finance filters or characteristics.

To find out more, see “Including the NA member in a dynamic selection for

detailed dimension members” on page 59.

Updating a deployment

It is now possible to update a deployment. The following items will be updated:

• Calculated members

• Named sets

• Live access settings

To find out more, see “Updating a deployment” on page 84.

Enabling aggregation on hierarchies

It is now possible to activate or deactivate the aggregation on nodes independently for Parent Child and Named level hierarchies. The Dimension supports aggregation option has been replaced by two new options.

Concurrently , for aggregatable hierarchies, it is now possible to deactivate the calculation at the “All” node level when not relevant.

To find out more, see “Selecting hierarchies” on page 59.

Enabling automatic aggregations on the Period and Data entry period dimension hierarchies

You can choose to apply a different behavior on time aggregation by activating the automatic time aggregation based on BusinessObjects Finance flow types.

To find out more, see “Enabling automatic aggregations on the Period and

Data entry period dimension hierarchies” on page 61.

Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube

It is possible to load data that are not stored in BusinessObjects Finance directly into the cube.

To find out more, see “Loading external data into a BusinessObjects

Extended Analytics cube” on page 80.

Connection to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

In previous versions, you connected to the application when creating a solution.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 15

What's new

Now, you first connect to a BusinessObject s Finance database, then you can create several solutions on the same data source.

To find out more, see “Connecting to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

Designer” on page 20.

Oracle star schema server

In the previous version, if you where using an Oracle BusinessObjects Finance database and you wanted to generate an Oracle star schema, both must be stored in the same Oracle instance, but in two distinct Oracle schemas.

This limitation does not exist anymore.

Batches

Three exe files enable you to perform the following actions without using Cartesis Analytics Administrator interface:

• Deploy a cube or a star schema, update a cube.

• Export solutions.

• Import solutions.

To find out more, see “Batches” on page 101.

New in this documentation

There is a new section on the following functions.

Renaming a view

To find out more, see “Renaming a view” on page 70.

Renaming a deployment

To find out more, see “Renaming a deployment” on page 85.

16 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Getting started

chapter

Getting started

Overview

• “General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics” on page 18

• “General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer” on

page 19

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

The diagram below shows how the different applications (BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Analyzer and BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Reporter) that make up BusinessObjects Extended Analytics function together along with BusinessObjects Finance.

18 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Getting started

Overview

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer is an application which enables authorized users to map the two following types of structured data:

• Data stored in a BusinessObjects Finance database.

• Data to be stored in SSAS cubes and/or star schemas.

In the above diagram, the steps are as follows:

Phase 1 - Creating a solution

When you create a solution, the BusinessObjects Finance database security parameters are loaded in the solution.

Phase 2 - Creating a view

When you create a view, the following BusinessObjects Finance database elements are loaded in the solution:

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 19

Getting started

Connecting to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

dimensions, members, characteristics and filters.

Phase 3 - Creating a cube deployment or a star schema deployment

• Creating a cube deployment. When you create a cube deployment, you

specify on which server you want to create the cube.

• Creating a star schema deployment. When you create a star schema

deployment, you specify on which database server you want to create the star schema.

Phase 4 - Generating a cube or a star schema

• Deploying and processing a cube.

• When you deploy a cube, the following BusinessObjects Finance

database elements are loaded in the cube: dimensions, characteristics and, for BusinessObjects Finance only, rollup hierarchies.

• When you process a cube, the BusinessObjects Finance database

members and data are loaded in the cube.

• Deploying a star schema. When you deploy a star schema, the following

tables are created:

• Dimension tables

• Characteristic tables

• Fact table(s) containing data

Users will then be able to view and analyze the data contained in the cubes using other applications that are part of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics.

Connecting to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

The following procedure describes how to connect to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

T o co nne ct to Bus ines sOb je cts Extended Analytics Designer



1. Select Start > Program Files > BusinessObjects EPM > Extended

Analytics > Designer. The Designer Logon dialog box opens.

2. From the Data Source drop-down menu, select the data source you want

to use.

3. In the Authentication area, enter the user name and the password of the

BusinessObjects Finance data source.

20 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

4. Click the OK button.

Main steps

When working with BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, you must deal with the following:

• “Solutions” on page 23

• “Views” on page 31

• “Cube Deployment” on page 71

• “Star Schema Deployment” on page 87

Getting started

Main steps

Note: If the application is run in a Windows environment, you can use

the same login and password used to open the Windows session. If you check this option, the User Name, Password and Save password boxes are grayed out.

Note: If you want the system to remember the password for the next

connection, select the Save password option.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer opens. The name of the data source appears below the window title bar.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 21

Getting started

Main steps

22 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Solutions

chapter

Solutions

Introduction to solutions

A solution contains one or more views and a view contains one or more deployments.

A solution is stored in the BusinessObjects Finance database. A solution is connected to one BusinessObjects Finance data source only.

Creating a solution

The following procedure will help you create a solution.

T o crea te a so lution



1. In the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer window, select

File > New. The New Solution dialog box opens.

2. In the Name field, enter the name you want to give the solution.

3. In the Description field, enter a brief description explaining the solution.

The description is optional.

4. Click the OK button.

The new solution opens.

Opening a solution

You can open an existing solution.

T o open a solution



1. In the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer window, select

File > Open. The Open Solution dialog box opens.

2. Select the solution you want to open.

3. Click the Open button.

The solution opens.

Renaming a solution

You can rename an existing solution.

24 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide



To rename a solution

1. In the left part of the Analytics Administrator window , right-click on the

name of the solution you want to rename, then select Rename.

2. Enter the name you want.

Deleting a solution

You can delete one or several existing solutions. Before they are deleted, you can save the solutions in external XML files, so

that you will be able to re-import them later.

To delete one or several solutions



1. Select File > Delete Solutions.

The Delete Solutions dialog box appears.

2. Select the checkbox(es) for the solution(s) you want to delete. Tip: You can select all the solutions at the same time by clicking the

Select all button.

Tip: You can save the solution(s) you delete in an XML file by selecting

the Archive deleted solutions to external XML option. This way, you will be able to re-import the solutions later if needed.

3. Click the Delete button.

A confirmation message appears.

4. Click the OK button.

Note: If you have selected the Archive deleted solutions to external XML

option, a dialog box opens where you can choose the filename(s) and location(s) of where you want to save the deleted solution(s).

Solutions

Deleting a solution

Selecting the languages

There are two types of language:

• Interface language. The interface language is the language used for

menus, commands, buttons, etc, that make up the interface.

• Data language. The data language is the language in which all of the

translatable text and descriptions appear.

You can change both languages at any time using the Interface Language and Data Language drop-down menus located in the upper part of the window.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 25

Solutions

Exporting /importing a solution

If you want to create a solution based on an existing one, and modify some other information, you can do the following, using the solution import and export functions:

• Export the solution.

• Edit the exported solution and modify it so that you have a new solution.

• Import the new solution.

The import and export files are in .xml format. To use these functions, two files are available in the Administrator

installation directory:

• To export a solution, use the

’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.SolutionExporter.exe’ file.

• To import a solution, use the

’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.SolutionImporter.exe’ file.

You can also import or export solutions without using BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer interface. To find out more, see “Exporting

solutions” on page 109 and see “Importing solutions” on page 111.

T o export a solution



1. Open the \Program Files\Business Objects\Extended

Analytics\Designer directory.

2. Execute the Cartesis.InformationDelivery.SolutionExporter.exe file.

The Designer Logon dialog box opens.

3. From the Data Source drop-down menu, select the data source you want

to use.

4. In the Authentication area, enter the user name and the password of the

BusinessObjects Finance data source.

Note: If the application is run in a Windows environment, you can use

the same login and password used to open the Windows session. If you check this option, the User Name, Password and Save password boxes are grayed out.

Note: If you want the system to remember the password for the next

connection, select the Save password option.

5. Click the OK button.

26 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

The Export Solutions dialog box opens.

Solutions

Exporting /importing a solution

6. In the Solutions to export groupbox, select which solutions you want to

migrate.

7. In the Export Location groupbox, select the target folder and enter the

name for the XML file.

8. Click on Export.

To import a solution



1. Open the Program Files\Business Objects\Extended

Analytics\Designer directory.

2. Execute the Cartesis.InformationDelivery.SolutionImporter.exe file.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 27

Solutions

Exporting /importing a solution

The Designer Logon dialog box opens.

3. From the Data Source drop-down menu, select the data source you want

to use.

4. In the Authentication area, enter the user name and the password of the

BusinessObjects Finance data source.

Note: If the application is run in a Windows environment, you can use

the same login and password used to open the Windows session. If you check this option, the User Name, Password and Save password boxes are grayed out.

Note: If you want the system to remember the password for the next

connection, select the Save password option.

5. Click the OK button.

The Import Solutions dialog box opens.

6. In the Import File groupbox, select the XML file containing the solutions

you want to import.

7. If you want to overwrite solutions with the same name, check the

Overwrite Existing Solutions box.

8. Click on Import.

28 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Solutions

Exporting /importing a solution

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 29

Solutions

Exporting /importing a solution

30 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

chapter

Views

Introduction to views

You will first create a view for a specific solution.

• “Creating a view” on page 32

Once the view is created, you will carry out the following operations:

• “Choosing the languages” on page 35

• “Selecting and defining measures” on page 35

• “Viewing scopes” on page 39

• “Defining dimensions” on page 40

Creating a view

Creating a view consists of the following main steps:

• Selecting the type of data from the BusinessObjects Finance database:

Package or Consolidated.

• Retrieving the standard dimensions from the BusinessObjects Finance

database. The dimensions available depend on the data level you choose.

• For the package data level, the following dimensions are available:

Account, Reporting Unit, Original Reporting Unit, Data Entry Period, Period, Category, Flow, Audit ID, Currency, Share, Partner and custom dimensions which are indicated by a blue cube.

• For the consolidated data level, all the package dimensions plus the

following dimensions are available: Scope, Consolidation currency, Elimination and Variant.

Note: The Elimination dimension is excluded by default. When you

select a reporting unit rollup hierarchy, the Elimination dimension is automatically included in Designer because it is required to view eliminations at Divisional Level. To view eliminations at group level only, you do not need the Elimination dimension, you can simply use the different audit IDs. The Elimination dimension has the five following members:

• Reported: Consolidated amount without any elimination.

• Eliminated at Group Level : Eliminations done at the level of the

• Consolidated at Group Level: Reported + Eliminated at Group

group.

Level.

32 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Creating a view

• Eliminated at Divisional Level. Eliminations done according to

the reporting unit rollup hierarchies (by levels), that is new eliminations by level from Finance 10. This requires a reporting unit rollup hierarchy in the cube to work.

• Consolidated at Divisional Level: Reported + Eliminated at

Divisional Level.

• Merging dimensions from the BusinessObjects Finance database.

Note: You can also choose to merge these dimensions later on, once

the view has been created. The dimensions available for a merge depend on the data level you

choose.

• For the package data level, the following dimensions are available:

the Category and Data Entry Period contained in the Reporting ID.

• For the consolidated data level, all the package dimensions plus the

following dimensions are available: Scope, Consolidation currency and Variant contained in Conso Definition; Category, Data Entry Period, Scope, Consolidation currency and Variant contained in Consolidations.

If you are working with a BusinessObjects Finance database and if you choose to work with consolidated data, you can also choose to historize the scope hierarchies. See below.

Once you have created the view, you can also merge any combination of dimensions. To find out more, see “Merging dimensions” on page 40.

Historizing scope hierarchies

If you are working with a BusinessObjects Finance 10 SP2 or higher database and with consolidated data, you can historize the scope hierarchies. This way, you will:

• Keep track of changes in scopes.

• Keep consolidated data and not recalculate them in the cube over time.

Scope hierarchies - and only these - will be merged into a single hierarchy.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 33

Views

Creating a view

If you choose to historize the scope hierarchies, once you have selected the members for the merged hierarchy, you will be able to choose the order in which the hierarchies will be taken into account.

You should note the following:

• In the General tab of the view, the Using Historized Scopes option is

checked by default and cannot be unchecked.

• The Historization tab (included in the Members tab) is available for the

"Consolidations" merged dimension and will enable you to choose the order in which the hierarchies will be taken into account.

• In the Reporting Unit dimension, the Historized scope hierarchy is

selected as a Parent child hierarchy and cannot be modified.

• The Live Access tab for the Reporting Unit dimension is disabled.

T o crea te a view



1. In the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer window, right-

click on the Solution name, then select Add View. The New View dialog box opens.

2. In the View groupbox, enter the following information:

• In the Name field, enter the name you want for the view.

• In the Description field, enter a brief description explaining the view.

The description is optional.

3. In the Data Level groupbox, select one of the following options,

depending on what type of data you want:

• Package

• Consolidated. This option is selected by default.

Warning: The choice you make here is definitive. Once you have clicked

on the OK button, you will no longer be able to change the data level.

4. In the Dimension Merges groupbox, you can perform the following:

• If you want to use all the dimensions contained in the

BusinessObjects Finance database (depending on the chosen data level), select [No Merged Dimensions] from the drop-down menu.

• You can choose one of the available merged dimensions from the

drop-down menu: Conso Definition, Reporting ID or Consolidations.

• If you want to historize the scope hierarchies, check the Historize

Scopes Hierarchies option and Consolidations will automatically appear in the drop-down menu. Consolidations cannot be changed.

5. Click the OK button.

34 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

The view appears below the solution with its dimensions.

Choosing the languages

You can choose the data languages you want to make available in the future cube, i.e. the languages in which all of the translatable text and descriptions will appear.

When defining a cube, you will have to choose the default language from all the languages which have been selected for this view. To find out more about the default language, see “Entering deployment and cube information” on

page 73.

To choose the languages for the cube



1. Select the appropriate view.

2. In the Languages groupbox of the General tab, select the languages

you require.

Selecting and defining measures

Views

Choosing the languages

A measure is an SSAS dimension that you can customize. The available amounts for the measure dimension depend on the data level

selected when creating the view.

• If the Package data level has been selected, the Local amount will be

available.

• If the Consolidation data level has been selected, the Local, Converted

and Consolidated amounts will be available.

Multi- or single measure modes

Depending on how you want the data to be retrieved in the data retrieval tools, you can choose one of the following measure modes:

• multi-measures. This is the default mode.

• single measure.

The mode activated is defined in the ’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config’ file, which is located in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer installation directory.

The command is the following:

• <add key=“MultiMeasureGroupAnalysis” value=“true”/>: ’true’ means the

multi-measures mode is activated.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 35

Views

Selecting and defining measures

• <add key=“MultiMeasureGroupAnalysis” value=“false”/>: ’false’ means

the single measure mode is activated.

As opposed to the multi-measure mode, the single measure mode enables you to view all detailed and non detailed data on the same measure.

• “Multi-measures behavior” on page 36

• “Single measure behavior” on page 38

Multi-measures behavior

Once you have chosen the data amount(s) you want, you can further detail the measures by including dimensional analyses. The dimensional analyses proposed contain the detailed dimensions used in the BusinessObjects Finance analysis hierarchies for the category selected.

You can select the dimensional analyses you want and you can also create new ones.

Note: If no dimensional analyses appear, this means that no member of the

Category dimension has been selected. Each dimensional analysis you select will be available for selection in the

General tab of the view. Each dimensional analysis selected will become a measure in the future

cube. The name of a measure will appear as follows in the cube : [type of amount] -

[dimensional analysis].

Example: In the Dimensional Analysis tab, the "Partner" dimensional

analysis is selected. In the General tab of the view, the available measures are as follows:

Example: The following example will show you how the detailed measures

will appear in a cube.

36 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Selecting and defining measures

In BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, the following elements are selected:

• Data level selected: Consolidation

• Amounts selected for the Measure dimension: Local and Consolidated

• Dimensional analysis selected: Partner/Product and Activity

In the future cube, the Measure dimension will be detailed as follows:

The Consolidation and the Local members are non-detailed amounts.



To select the data amounts for the Measure dimension

1. Select the view.

2. In the Measures groupbox of the General tab, select the data amounts

you want.

To select a dime n sional analysis



1. Select the view.

2. Select the Dimensional Analysis tab.

3. Select the dimensional analysis you want.



To create a dimensional analysis

1. Select the view.

2. Select the Dimensional Analysis tab.

3. Under Custom Measure Groups, double-click on <Double-Click here

to add a new Custom Measure Group>. The Custom Dimensional Analyses dialog box appears.

4. Enter a name for the analysis.

5. Select all the dimensions you want. Tip: Use the Ctrl keyboard button to select more than one dimension.

6. Click the OK button.

The new analysis appears in the list under Custom Measure Groups and is selected by default.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 37

Views

Selecting and defining measures

Single measure behavior

The dimensional analyses are automatically selected if the analysis dimensions are included in the cube.

As a consequence, if no dimensional analysis is selected in the Dimensional

Analysis tab of the view, this means that no analysis dimension is included.

Note: To include a dimension in the cube, right-click on the dimension in the

tree structure part of the window and select Include.

Note: If no dimensional analyses appear, this means that no member of the

Category dimension has been selected.

Example: In the Dimensional Analysis tab, the "Partner" dimensional

analysis is selected. In the General tab of the view, the available measures are as follows:

Each dimensional analysis will be aggregated in the Local, Converted and Consolidated amounts.

Example: The following example will show you how the detailed measures

will appear in a cube. In BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, the following elements are

selected:

• Data level selected: Consolidation

• Amounts selected for the Measure dimension: Local and Consolidated

• Dimensional analysis selected: Partner/Product and Activity

In the future cube, the Measure dimension will be detailed as follows:

38 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Viewing scopes

As a general rule, the data for a single measure will appear on the detailed hierarchies as follows:

The amount on the node is the result of the sum of the detail: that is, members 1, 2 and 3. The ’No detail’ amount is not part of the sum.

The default name for the node is: All detailed <name of the analysis dimension>. You can rename the node.

Note: To rename this node, select the analysis dimension, then select the

Hierarchies tab. In the Selected Hierarchies area, right-click on the first

node and select Set All Member Caption. Rename the node in the dialog box that appears.

Warning: It is highly recommended that you set the default member to “No

detail”. Otherwise, you will always see the analyzed data in the reports. To find out how to choose the default member for a hierarchy, see “To select a

default member for a hierarchy” on page 65.

To select the data amounts for the Measure dimension



1. Select the view.

2. In the Measures groupbox of the General tab, select the data amounts

you want.

Viewing scopes

If you are working with a BusinessObjects Finance database and you have chosen to work with consolidated data, the Scopes tab appears.

The scopes displayed in the tab are related to the members selected in the Scope dimension.

The tab enables you to view the scope hierarchies. To find out more about hierarchies, see “Selecting hierarchies” on page 59.



To view a scope hierarchy

1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate view.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 39

Views

Defining dimensions

2. Select the Scopes tab.

3. In the Scopes section, select the scope you want to view.

In the Scope Hierarchy section, the hierarchy appears.

Tip: You can use the Show All button to display all the levels of the

hierarchy.

Defining dimensions

You have chosen dimensions (standard and/or merged dimensions) while creating the view. For each dimension of t he view, you are now able to define additional settings.

• “Defining merged dimensions” on page 40

• “Defining standard dimensions” on page 49

Defining merged dimensions

Defining merged dimensions consists of the following steps:

• “Merging dimensions” on page 40

• “Changing and translating the name of a merged dimension” on page42

• “Naming and selecting the members of a merged dimension” on page 42

• “Ordering scope hierarchies” on page 46

Merging dimensions Pre-defined merges

When creating the view, you may have chosen to merge a pre-defined combination of dimensions. If this is not the case, you can now merge them.

Depending on the data level you have chosen when creating the view, you can merge the following dimension combination: Conso Definitions,

Reporting ID or Consolidations. Customized merges

You can merge other dimensions of your choice. You can then rename the resulting merged dimension members.

Merging dimensions can result in a high volume of metadata.

Example: For instance, merging the following dimensions:

• Products : P1, P2

• Geography: France, UK

• Activity: A5, A6

40 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Defining dimensions

would generate the following combinations: P1 France A5, P1 France A6, P1 UK A5, P1 UK A6, P2 France A5, P2 France A6, P2 UK A5, P2 UK A6.

On a large set of members, this behavior can lead to a cumbersome selection process. This is why you can select the members to be merged, therefore producing a smaller set of combinations.

To merge a pre-defined combination of dimensions



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click the Merged

Dimensions node and select one of the following: Merge ’Conso Definitions’, Merge ’Reporting ID’ or Merge ’Consolidations’.

Some of them may not be available. Two reasons are possible:

• The merge has already been defined and appears in the Merged

Dimensions node.

• The merge cannot be performed because of the data level you have

already chosen when creating the view.

Note: By default, none of the members are selected.

2. To select the members that will appear in the cube, see “To select the

members of a merged dimension” on page 47.

Tip: To rename the newly merged dimension, right-click on it and select

Rename.

T o merge the dimensions of your choice



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click the Merged

Dimensions node and select Add Custom merge. The Create New Merge Definition dialog box appears.

2. In the Available Dimensions area, select one of the dimensions you

want to merge and click the button.

3. The dimension you have selected appears in the Included Dimensions

area.

4. Repeat actions 2 and 3 for each dimension. Note: Each time you insert a dimension in the Included Dimensions

area, the Estimated Member Count is updated. It indicates the estimated number of members that will be retrieved in the future cube if you select all members of each dimension.

5. Click the OK button.

The merged dimension appears under the Merged Dimensions node. By default, the dimension name is the concatenated names of the dimensions you have merged.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 41

Views

Defining dimensions

Example: If you have merged the Account and the Flow dimensions,

the merge will be named ’AccountFlow’.

Note: By default, none of the members are selected.

6. To select the members that will appear in the cube, see “To select the

members of a merged dimension” on page 47.

Tip: To rename the newly merged dimension, right-click on it and select

Rename. Changing and translating the name of a merged dimension

You can change the name of the dimension as it will appear in the future deployment.

You can also translate the name of the dimension.



To change and translate the name of a merged dimension

1. In the Dimension Identity groupbox of the General tab, click the button

next to the Deployment Name field. The Merged Dimension Translations dialog box appears.

2. Enter the text for each language.

3. Click the OK button. Tip: You can also rename a merged dimension in the current language by

right-clicking on it in the left part of the window and selecting Rename in the context menu.

Naming and selecting the members of a merged dimension

While creating the view, you may have chosen merged dimensions. For each merged dimension, you will now:

• Choose how the name of the members should appear in the future

deployment (in the General tab).

• Choose the dimension members you want to take into account for each

dimension composing the merged dimension (this is a pre-selection), then for the merged dimension itself (in the Members tab).

Note: By default, none of the members are selected.

42 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Defining dimensions

Figure 6-1 :View > Merged dimension > General tab

A member name can appear in three ways:

• Concatenated. This is the default naming type of a member. A

concatenated name is created by grouping together the codes of the members (from the BusinessObjects Finance database) contained in the merged dimension.

• BusinessObjects Finance descriptions. This is available for selection for

the ’Reporting ID’ and ’Conso Definitions’ merged dimensions. In this case, the members will appear with the same description as in the BusinessObjects Finance database (if this merge exists in BusinessObjects Finance: Category + Data entry period = Category scenario).

• Custom names. In this case, you will enter the name you want for the

member in each language available.

You can define the default member that will be displayed in the retrieval tool connected to the future cube. This can be done in the Default Element field of the General tab.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 43

Views

Defining dimensions

You can also specify that you do not want the name of the dimension to appear in the retrieval tool by selecting the Hide dimension name option. In this case, only the selected hierarchy name will appear.

Note: By default, 5 000 members can be displayed for a merged dimension.

You can change this number in the ’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config’ file: <add key="MergeMemberMaxDisplay" value="5000"/>.

To name the members of a merged dimension



1. Select the appropriate merged dimension.

2. Select the General tab.

3. In the Options groupbox, select the naming type you want from the

Element Naming drop-down menu:

• Concatenate Member Codes.

• Use Finance Descriptions.

Note: This is available for selection for the ’Reporting ID’ and

’Conso Definitions’ merged dimensions.

• Enter Custom Names Manually. If you choose this option, the

Member Renaming tab appears. Select the tab and enter the names you want for the members in each available language.

The member names appear in the Members groupbox of the Members tab.

44 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Defining dimensions

Figure 6-2 :View > Merged dimension > Members tab > Selection tab

The Selection tab includes:

• The Member Display Filter groupbox.

The following elements can be used to limit which members are displayed:

• To display members containing the same text, enter the text in the

Search for members containing field. Next, open the Match against column drop-down menu and select the column in which the entered text should appear. Finally, click the Apply button.

Note: To find out more about the characters you can use in the Search

for members containing field, see “Characters you can use in the

Search for members containing field” on page 56.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 45

Views

Defining dimensions

Tip: If you want the search to be case sensitive, select the Filtering is

case sensitive option.

• To display only the members you have selected in the Elements

groupbox, select the Display selected members only option.

• You can sort a column in ascending or descending order . This can be

done by selecting the column name from the Sort column dropdown menu.

• The Members groupbox. This part displays the members,

depending on the filtering applied. This is where you select the members you want to take into account.

• The Select all members box. This option enables you to select all

the members belonging to the dimension, and not just the members that are displayed in the Members groupbox. By default, any member added to the BusinessObjects Finance structure is retrieved in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. However, these new members are not automatically selected in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, which means that they do not factor into the existing cube definition. To avoid having to manually select these new members, click the Select all members option. This way , the members will be added to the cube in the next deployment.

Ordering scope hierarchies

If you are using a BusinessObjects Finance 10 SP2 or higher database and you chose to historize the scope hierarchies when creating the view, the Historization tab is also available next to the Selection tab.

46 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Views

Defining dimensions

The Historization tab includes:

• The Scope Hierarchy Deployment Order groupbox. This

groupbox displays the members selected in section of the current tab or of the Selection tab. The buttons available will enable you to

choose the order in which the hierarchies will be taken into account.

• The Members groupbox. This groupbox displays the members of

the merged dimension. Y ou can select the members you want to take into account using this groupbox or in the Selection tab.

Note: The consolidations without scope hierarchies are not displayed.

To select the members of a merged dimension



1. Open the node for the appropriate merged dimension.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 47

Views

Defining dimensions

2. Select one of the dimensions belonging to the merge.

3. Select the Members tab.

4. Select the Selection tab. Note: By default, none of the members are selected.

5. In the Members groupbox, check the boxes corresponding to the

members you want to take into account.

Tip: Following are some tips for selecting members:

• To select all the members displayed, click the Select Visible button.

• To deselect all the members displayed, click the Deselect Visible

button.

• To select the deselected members and deselect the selected ones,

click the Invert Selection button.

• To reset the selection to its default setting, click the Reset button.

• T o select all the members (not just the ones that are displayed but all

the members belonging to the dimension, in particular the newly added members in BusinessObjects Finance), check the Select all

members box.

Tip: You can use filtering criteria to limit which members are displayed.

To find out more about filtering, see above.

6. Repeat action 2 to 5 for each dimension belonging to the merge.

7. In the tree structure part of the window, select the merged dimension.

8. Select the Members tab.

All the members that appear are a result of the members you have selected for each dimension.

Note: If the Members area is empty , it means that no member has been

selected in any dimension.

9. Select the members you want to be taken into account in the cube.



T o choose the order of the scope hierarchies for a cons olidation

merged dimension

1. Select the appropriate merged dimension.

2. Select the Elements tab.

3. Select the Historization tab.

4. If you have not already chosen the members in the Selection tab, you

can do so in the current tab by checking the ones you want to take into account.

48 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

5. Use the different buttons on the right side to order the members as you

like.

Defining standard dimensions

Defining standard dimensions consists of the following steps:

• “Changing and translating the names of standard dimensions” on

page 49

• “Naming the members of standard dimensions” on page 50

• “Defining the start and end date for periods” on page 52

• “Naming the members of the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions”

on page 52

• “Selecting the members of standard dimensions” on page 54

• “Selecting hierarchies” on page 59

• “Selecting SSAS attributes” on page 66

• “Excluding standard dimensions” on page 67

• “Hiding excluded dimensions” on page 68

• “Synchronizing the database and cube structure” on page 68

Views

Defining dimensions

Changing and translating the names of standard dimensions

Y ou choose a type of name for all the standard dimensions as they will appear in the future deployment: [code], [short description], [long description], [code]

- [short description], [code] - [long description], [short description] - [code], [long description] - [code], or a custom name.

The name chosen will be applied by default to each dimension. You can then change the name of each dimension as it will appear in the

future deployment.

To choose a name for all the standard dimensions



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select Dimensions.

2. Select the General tab.

3. Select the naming type you want from the Dimension Format drop-down

menu.

To change the name of one standard dimension



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate dimension.

2. Select the General tab.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 49

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Defining dimensions

3. The Naming Format drop-down menu displays Use default format,

which represents the default name chosen for all the standard dimensions.

4. If you want to change it, select the naming type you want from the

Naming Format drop-down menu.

5. If you have selected Custom Format, the Rename as field is activated

and you can enter text of your choosing for the current dimension.

Note: You can also enter text of your choosing in each available

language by clicking the button.

Naming the members of standard dimensions

While creating the view, you may have chosen standard dimensions. For each dimension, you will now choose how the name of the members should appear in the future deployment.

You choose a type of name for all the members of all the dimensions as they will appear in the future deployment: [code], [short description], [long description], [code] - [short description], [code] - [long description], [short description] - [code], [long description] - [code].

The name chosen will be applied by default to each dimension. You can then add a prefix and/or a suffix to the default name of the members

for each dimension and for each language as they will appear in the future cube.

Note: If you have duplicated members in the cube, you may have some

difficulty reading them in the data retrieval tool. In order to avoid duplicating members, you should do as follows:

• You should include the code in naming your members, as the code is

unique.

• The Reporting Unit and Partner dimensions share the same members

with the same codes. In order to avoid duplication, you should add a prefix or a suffix or both to the members of one of the two dimensions.

In any case, if there are duplicate members, a pop-up message will appear when you deploy the cube, indicating the remaining duplicate members and asking you whether you want to continue or to stop deployment.

Y ou can also define other naming types for all the members of all dimensions. Each standard dimension will inherit the chosen naming type. In addition to that, you can define other naming types for all members of each dimension.

In your data retrieval tool, the user will be able to choose the naming type to be displayed.

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Defining dimensions

Note: The retrieval tool must be able to read several descriptions to make

this functionality effective.

To choose a name for all the members of standard dimensions



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select Dimensions.

2. Select the General tab.

3. Select the naming type you want from the Member Format drop-down

menu.



To change the name and add a prefix and/or a suffix to the name of all

the members for a standard dimension

1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate dimension.

2. Select the General tab.

3. The Member Name Format drop-down menu displays Use default

format, which represents the default name chosen for all the members of

standard dimensions.

4. If you want to change this name, select the naming type you want from

the Member Name Format drop-down menu.

5. If you want to add a prefix to the member, click Member Prefix and click

the button to enter the prefix you want for each language.

6. If you want to add a suffix to the member, click Member Suffix and click

the button to enter the suffix you want for each language.

To add member names for all the members of all standard dimensions



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the Dimensions node.

2. Select the Additional Member Names tab.

3. Click the New button.

A member name row appears.

4. Choose the naming type you want from the Format column drop-down

menu.

5. Enter a name of your choosing in the languages available.

Note: By default, the Include box is checked when creating the row. You will

be able to uncheck it later on if you do not want to use this name anymore.

Note: The names in the ID column cannot be modified, but it will not appear

in the data retrieval tool since it is an internal ID.



To add member names for all the members of a standard dimension

1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate dimension.

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Defining dimensions

2. Select the General tab. Note: If you have already added member names for all the members of

all standard dimensions (see the procedure above), the Additional Member Names area already contains one or several rows. In this case,

you cannot change anything since the information is inherited from what you have already defined for all dimensions.

3. In the Additional Member Names area, click the New button.

A member name row appears.

4. Choose the naming type you want from the Format column drop-down

menu.

5. Enter a name of your choosing in the languages available.

Note: By default, the Include box is checked when creating the row. You will

be able to uncheck it later on if you do not want to use this name anymore.

Note: The names in the ID column cannot be modified, but it will not appear

in the data retrieval tool since it is an internal ID.

Defining the start and end date for periods

You can define all the periods to make available for selection in the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions by choosing the start and the end year.

As far as the fiscal year is concerned, you can also choose the start month.

Note: Once you have defined the dates, all the periods between the start and

the end dates are available for selection in the Members area for the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions.

T o define the dates for periods



1. Select Tools > Options.

2. Select the Periods tab.

3. Define the start month (for the fiscal year), the start and end year.

4. Click the Apply button.

Naming the members of the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions

Note: The Period dimension is considered as ’Time’ type dimension in a

cube. For the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions, you can choose a format

defining how the name of the members should appear in the future deployment. The names can appear differently for each dimension, depending on which dimension you have selected.

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Defining dimensions

You choose a type of name for all the members of the dimension as they will appear in the future deployment, using templates and adding the text you want.

The available templates are the following: [Month], [Mon], [MM], [YYYY] and [YY].

You can combine several templates and add any text, characters or punctuation you want.

Note: If you have chosen a member prefix or suffix or both, they will be

added before and after the text entered in the Period Format field.

In the Period Format field above:

• ’FY’ and ’ - ’ have been entered.

• [YY] and [Month] templates have been dragged and dropped from the

Templates section.

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Defining dimensions

Example: The defined period format ’FY[YY] - [Month]’ will appear as for

example: FY06 - January

Example: With the Period 2006.03 in the BusinessObjects Finance

database, the results using all the different formats will be as follows:

• [Month]: March

• [Mon]: Mar

• [MM]: 03

• [YYYY]: 2006

• [YY]: 06

Selecting the members of standard dimensions

For each dimension, you will now choose the dimension members you want to include in the future deployment.

To make the selection of the members easier:

• Open the Selection tab to use filtering criteria to limit which members are

displayed.

• Open the Filters & Characteristics tab to use the filters or

characteristics defined in the BusinessObjects Finance database.

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Custom filtering

Views

Defining dimensions

Figure 6-3 :View > Dimension > Members tab > Selection tab

The Selection tab includes:

• The Member Display Filter groupbox.

The following elements can be used to limit which members are displayed:

• To display members containing the same text, enter the text in the

Search for members containing field. Next, open the Match against column drop-down menu and select the column in which the entered text should appear. Finally, click the Apply button.

Note: To find out more about the characters you can use in the Search

for members containing field, see “Characters you can use in the

Search for members containing field” on page 56.

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Defining dimensions

Tip: If you want the search to be case sensitive, select the Filtering is

case sensitive option.

• To display only the members you have selected in the Elements

groupbox, select the Display selected members only option.

• You can sort a column in ascending or descending order . This can be

done by selecting the column name from the Sort column dropdown menu.

• The Members groupbox. This groupbox displays the members,

depending on the filtering applied. This is where you select the members you want to take into account.

• The Select all members box. This option enables you to select all

the members belonging to the dimension, and not just the ones that are displayed in the Members groupbox. By default, any member added to the BusinessObjects Finance structure is retrieved in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. However, these new members are not automatically selected in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer, which means that they do not factor into the existing cube definition. To avoid having to manually select these new members, click the Select all members option. This way , the members will be added to the cube in the next deployment.

• For a detailed dimension, the Include NA Member option is available.

This option is available in order to include the NA member in a dynamic selection, which is a selection using Finance filters or characteristics. To find out more, see “BusinessObjects Finance filtering” on page 58.

Characters you can use in the Search for members containing field

• Literals like abc will match any element name containing at least one

occurrence of 'abc'. This is case sensistive.

• * means zero or more, + means one or more. So a+bc will match any

string containing a followed by one or more b followed by a c.

• You can group literals using [] so [ae]will match any string containing a

single a or e. Hence gr[ae]y will match 'gray' or 'grey' (but not 'graey')

• You can use a hyphen to indicate ranges. E.g. [0-9]will match any

number. [0-9]* will match a sequence of zero or more numbers. [A-Za-z] will match any single upper or lower case letter.

• You can connect multiples of these together to form more complex filters.

E.g [A-Za-z]+[0-9]+ will match any element name that starts with 1 or more letters and is followed by 1 or more numbers.

• A carat will negate a matched set, so a[^b]matches an a followed by a

character other than b. [^0-9] therefore matches any non-numeric character.

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Defining dimensions

• You can do case insensitive matches using /i -- so /iABC will match

'AccountABC', 'AccountAbC' , 'Accountabc', "CompanyABC", "abcDEF", etc.

• ^ means the start of the element name and $ the end of the name. E.g.

^A matches names starting with A, [0-9]$ matches names ending in a number.

• Besides using * and + for repetition you can specify how many occurenes

between n and m times using {n,m}. E.g. A[0-9]{1,3} will match elements containing an A followed by between 1 and 3 numbers.

• The vertical bar | means or. So to match any element containing ABC,

XYZ or 123 use ABC|XYZ|123.

• A (?) matches any single character. For example, to search for the period

2000.12, you type: 2000?12 in the "search" function.

Example: Following are some examples:

• ABC simply matches elements which contain ABC

• ^ABC matches elements starting with ABC

• ^ABC[0-9]* - Matches element names of the form ABCxxx where xxx is a

sequence of numbers

• [A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]* - Matches element names that start with a letter

or underscore followed by zero or more letters, numbers or underscores.

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Defining dimensions

BusinessObjects Finance filtering

Figure 6-4 :View > Dimension > Members tab > Filters & Characteristics tab

The Filters & Characteristics includes:

• The Finance Filters & Characteristics groupbox.

You can use the following elements to help you select the members:

• Filter selection. To select filters, click the By Filter button. In the

Select Filter dialog box that appears, select one or more filters and click the OK button.

• Characteristics selection. To select characteristics, click the By

Characteristic button. In the Select Characteristic dialog box that appears, select one characteristic and the elements you want, then click the OK button.

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Defining dimensions

• Once you have selected a filter or a characteristic, the members that

are included in the filter or characteristic appear in black in the

Members groupbox and the Lock Selection to Filter/ Characteristic option is automatically selected. If you want to select

additional members, deselect the option. You will be able to select other members (which are otherwise grayed out).

• The Members groupbox. This groupbox displays the members

contained in the filter(s) or characteristic(s) selected. This is where you select the members you want to take into account.

Including the NA member in a dynamic selection for detailed dimension members

For a detailed dimension, you can select the Include NA Member option in the Selection tab. This option enables you to include the NA member in a dynamic selection, which is a selection using BusinessObjects Finance filters or characteristics. You can also translate the NA member in the available languages by entering the translations in the dialog box that you access by

clicking on the button.

To select the members of a standard dimension



1. Select the appropriate standard dimension.

2. Select the Members tab.

3. Select the Selection or the Filters & Characteristics tab.

4. In the Members groupbox, check the boxes corresponding to the

members you want to take into account.

Tip: Following are some tips for selecting the members:

• To select all the members displayed, click the Select Visible

button.

• To deselect all the members displayed, click the Deselect

Visible button.

• To select the deselected members and deselect the selected

ones, click the Invert Selection button.

• To reset the selection to its default setting, click the Reset

button.

Tip: You can use filtering criteria to limit which members are displayed.

To find out more about filtering, see above.

Selecting hierarchies

Three types of hierarchy are available:

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Defining dimensions

• Default hierarchy. A default hierarchy consists of one node grouping

together a simple list of elements. However, SSAS considers this to be a hierarchy.

• Parent Child hierarchy. The BusinessObjects Finance characteristics

that belong to the same reference table as the dimension to which they are assigned are changed into "Parent Child hierarchies".

Note: The rollup units and account hierarchies in BusinessObjects

Finance are treated like Parent Child hierarchies.

Note: When you select a rollup unit hierarchy, the Elimination dimension

is automatically included in the cube.

Note: Y ou can select only one Parent Child hierarchy per dimension and

per cube.

Warning: Some BusinessObjects Finance characteristics linked to a

dimension contain circular references. Therefore, they will not be changed into a Parent Child hierarchy. The deployment will then fail.

• Named level hierarchies. The BusinessObjects Finance characteristics

that do not belong to the same reference table as the dimension to which they are assigned are changed into "Named level hierarchies".

• If you are using a BusinessObjects Finance database, other hierarchies

are available for the Account and Reporting Unit dimensions.

• For the Reporting Unit dimension, you can select Scope Entity

Hierarchy. The hierarchies available in the drop-down menu depend on the scopes previously selected. When you select a scope hierarchy, the members of the scope linked to this scope hierarchy will automatically be selected in the Members tab.

• For the Account dimension, you can select a Category Scenario

Account Hierarchy. The hierarchies available in the drop-down menu depend on the members selected in the Category dimension.

Note: If you are using a BusinessObjects Finance 10 SP2 or higher database

and you chose to historize the scope hierarchies, the Parent child hierarchy cannot be changed for the Reporting Unit dimension.

If you do not select a hierarchy or you select the Include default hierarchy option, the default hierarchy will be applied in the future cube.

Note: In order to obtain a simple cube, you should select only one hierarchy

per dimension and per cube.

Note: If you have already selected a hierarchy, you are advised not to select

the Include default hierarchy option.

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Defining dimensions

Defining aggregations

For all dimensions except for Category, Scope, Variant and Consolidation Currency, two options are available. If you select these options, the parent node will contain the aggregated total of its children amounts.

• The Enable Named Level Hierarchy Aggregations option applies to

the named level and the default hierarchies.

• The Enable Parent Child Hierarchy Aggregations option applies to

parent child hierarchies.

Note: For the Period, Data entry period and Account dimensions, this option

does not appear. However, you can activate this option for the Account dimension by setting the following key in the ’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config’ file: <add key="IsAccountDimensionAggregatable" value="true"/>.

Concurrently , for aggregatable hierarchies, you can deactivate the calculation at the “All” node level when not relevant. The Deactivate ’All’ node calculation option applies to all types of hierarchies of the dimension. When the option is selected, the behavior is as follows in your data retrieval tool:

• The ’All’ node is neither displayed nor calculated on a default hierarchy.

• The ’All’ node is displayed but not calculated on the named level and

parent child hierarchies.

Enabling automatic aggregations on the Period and Data entry period dimension hierarchies

You can choose to apply a different behavior on time aggregation by activating the automatic time aggregation based on BusinessObjects Finance flow types. To do so, you will choose from the Flow dimension a BusinessObjects Finance category scenario that will be used as a reference.

The behavior of the flows will be as described in the selected BusinessObjects Finance category scenario.

The time aggregation will apply to both period and data entry period dimensions, provided that they are not merged. This means that the behavior of the accounts will be driven by the selected flow as shown below:

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Defining dimensions

Finance Flow type Aggregation mode in the cube

Year To Date Last non empty period Periodic (Monthly) Sum Opening flow First non empty period Closing flow Last non empty period Movement flows Last non empty period Other flows Last non empty period

Note: The default aggregation mode is the sum. Example: The examples below describe the three different aggregation

modes and therefore, which amounts will be displayed in your data retrieval tool. No amount has been entered in March.

In the table below, the aggregation mode is ’Last non empty period’. In this example, as no amount has been entered for March, the amount in

Quarter 1 is the amount in February, since it is the last amount that has been entered.

In the table below, the aggregation mode is ’Sum’. In this example, all the entered amounts are added.

In the table below, the aggregation mode is ’First non empty period’. In this example, the amount in Quarter 1 is the first amount that has been

entered, which is the amount in January.

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Defining dimensions



To apply automatic time aggregation

1. Select the Flow dimension.

2. Select the General tab.

3. Select the category scenario you want from the Defining Category

Scenario drop-down menu.

Note: If you do not want to apply the automatic time aggregation, select

None from the drop-down menu. Selecting and defining hierarchies in the Period and Data Entry Period

dimensions

For each dimension, the fiscal hierarchy is automatically included for deployment.

Note: To find out how to define the start month of the fiscal hierarchy, see

“Defining the start and end date for periods” on page 52.

You can choose to also include the calendar hierarchy.

Note: To find out how the start and end dates for both fiscal and calendar

hierarchies are chosen, see “Defining the start and end date for periods” on

page 52.

You can define independent formatting for the fiscal and calendar hierarchies.

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Defining dimensions

Figure 6-5 :View > Dimension > Hierarchies tab

In the Hierarchies tab of the Period or Data Entry Period dimensions, you can perform the following actions:

• Define the format for the fiscal hierarchy. To do so, select the format

you want from the Hierarchy Format drop-down menu. The format you have chosen appears in the Selected Hierarchies area.

• Include the calendar hierarchy and define its format. To do so, click

the Include Calendar Hierarchy option and select the format you want from the drop-down menu. The hierarchy and the format you have chosen appears in the Selected Hierarchies area.

Note: If you choose Code from one of the format drop-down menus, the

hierarchy will appear as a list.

• Define the names of semesters and quarters as they will appear in

the reports. To do so for semesters, select 1 from the Half Year Captions drop-down menu and click on the button. In the Set Half Year Captions dialog box that appears, enter the text for your first

semester in your language. Then, select 2 from the drop-down menu and click on the same button. You will enter text of your choosing for the second semester.

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Defining dimensions

Note: The same principle applies to quarters. Note: The Half Year Captions or Quarter Captions are not available if

semesters or quarters are not part of the format you have chosen.

General actions on hierarchies

After selecting a hierarchy, you can:

• Rename and translate a hierarchy.

• Select a default member for a hierarchy.

• Enter a name in each language for the "Total" node of a hierarchy.

To select a hierarchy



• In the Characteristics or Self-referenced characteristics groupboxes,

select the hierarchy required by checking the boxes. In terms of the Account and Reporting Unit dimensions, check the Include option in order to be able to select a hierarchy from the drop-down menu.

The hierarchy appears in the Selected Hierarchies groupbox.

To rename a hierarchy



1. In the Selected Hierarchies groupbox, right-click on the appropriate

hierarchy and select Rename. The name of the hierarchy appears highlighted.

2. Enter the new name.



To translate a hierarchy

1. In the Selected Hierarchies groupbox, right-click on the appropriate

hierarchy and select Translate. The Rename Hierarchy dialog box appears.

2. Enter the translations for each language.

3. Click the OK button.



To select a default member for a hierarchy

1. In the Selected Hierarchies groupbox, right-click on the appropriate

hierarchy and select Select Default Member. The Choose The Default Member dialog box appears.

2. Select the member you want to be the default member.

3. Click the Close button.

The default member appears in the Default Member field.

Note: You can then remove the default member by right-clicking on it in the

Default Member field and selecting Remove Default Member.

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Defining dimensions



T o set a name for the "All" node of a hierarchy

1. In the Selected Hierarchies groupbox, right-click on the appropriate

hierarchy and select Set ’All’ Member Caption. The Set Total Member Caption dialog box appears.

2. Enter the text you want for each language.

3. Click the OK button.

Selecting SSAS attributes

For each dimension (except for the Period and Data entry period dimensions), you can select the attributes you want to load in the cube by selecting the following elements:

• Self-referenced characteristics.

• Characteristics.

• Properties.

These characteristics and properties are the ones defined for the dimension in BusinessObjects Finance. They are treated as attributes. The benefits are:

• Ability to perform advanced selections based on attributes and filtering

expressions such as is / is not, combined conditions, etc.

• Presentation enhancement such as the ability to create a calculated

description of a member + a characteristic.

The attribute name can be customized by the user to fit with OLAP analysis needs.

Note: In some cases, if BusinessObjects Finance characteristics are

selected as hierarchies, they will automatically be considered as attributes.

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Defining dimensions

Figure 6-6 :View > Dimension > Attributes tab

• The upper part of the screen displays all the self-characteristics,

characteristics and properties that are defined in BusinessObjects Finance for the selected dimension (Reporting Unit in the image above).

• When you select one of them, it appears in the Deployed Attributes

area in the lower area of the screen.

• You can then rename the characteristic or property in the different

languages available by clicking in the Custom Name columns and entering the text of your choice.

Views

Excluding standard dimensions

You chose a specific number of dimensions when creating the solution. However, you can choose not to use specific dimensions. I n other words, you

can specify that you do not want some dimensions to be included in the future cube. If you exclude a dimension, the name of the dimension and the names of the members will not appear. However, the amount will appear in the cube as follows:

• If you manually select some members, the total amount of the selected

members (in the Members tab) will be exported.

• If you select the Select all members option, the total amount of all the

dimension members will be exported.

Once a dimension is excluded, you will then be able to include it again.

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Defining dimensions



T o exclude a standard dimension

1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate dimension.

2. Select the General tab.

3. Check the Exclude dimension box.

In the tree structure part of the window, the excluded dimension appears in italics.

Note: You can also exclude a dimension by right-clicking on it in the tree

structure and by selecting Exclude. By default, all the members of the dimension will be aggregated.

Note: T o reinclude an excluded dimension, uncheck the Exclude dimension

box.

Note: You can also exclude or include all the standard dimensions by right-

clicking on the Dimensions node in the tree structure and by selecting Exclude All Dimensions or Include All Dimensions.

Hiding excluded dimensions

You can hide or show the excluded dimensions that will not be deployed in the cube.

Hiding excluded dimensions enables you to mask information that is not pertinent.

T o hide the excluded dimen sions



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the view to which the

excluded dimensions you want to hide belong.

2. Select the General tab.

3. In the Details groupbox, check the Hide Excluded Dimensions box.

In the tree structure part of the window, the excluded dimensions no longer appear.

Note: To show the excluded dimensions again, uncheck the Hide Excluded

Dimensions box.

Synchronizing the database and cube structure

For each standard dimension, you can define synchronizing intervals so that the cube structure is consistent with the BusinessObjects Finance database. The members of dimensions that have been added, modified or deleted in the BusinessObjects Finance database tables will be synchronized.

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Defining dimensions

If you do not activate the synchronization, the cube structure will remain in the same state it was in when you defined the dimensions. To refresh the cube structure, you will need to deploy another cube.

Warning: This synchronization only works if you have selected the members

of the dimensions using characteristics.

Note: If you are using a BusinessObjects Finance 10 SP2 or higher

database, and you chose to historize the scope hierarchies when creating the view, the Live Access tab is disabled for the Reporting Unit dimension.

The intervals are as follows:

• Query Poll Interval. This option enables you to tell the system when to

scan all the BusinessObjects Finance tables in order to detect modifications. If modifications are detected, the system processes the synchonization.

Example: In the example below: the tables will be scanned every 5

minutes.

• Silence interval and Silence override interval.

The two are linked. They are used when many modifications are made to the dimension in BusinessObjects Finance.

Example: When the dimension is modified, the system waits until there

are no modifications made for 10 minutes and then synchronizes the dimension members. If, however, there is no 10 minute break in the modifications, the system will synchronize the structure and the cube after 20 minutes.

• Rebuild interval. This allows you to specify how often the cube should

be processed, regardless of whether the structure has been modified or not.

Example: The cube will be synchronized with the dimension structure

every two hours even if no modifications have been made.

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Copying a view



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate dimension.

2. Select the Live Access tab.

3. Check the Activate live access box.

4. Define what you want in the Query Poll Interval field and drop-down

5. Click the Advanced button to define the other elements.

6. In the Cache Settings groupbox, define the different elements.

Copying a view

You can copy and paste a view in a solution. When you do so, you also automatically copy and paste the view’s

deployments. Once you have copied a view, you can rename it. To find out more, see

“Renaming a view” on page 70.

T o en able the dim e nsion me mb er syn chro niza tion

menu.

T o co py an d paste a view



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click on the view you want to

copy and select Copy.

2. Right-click on the solution you want the view to be copied in and select

Paste.

Renaming a view

You can easily rename a view.

To rename a view



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click on the view you want to

rename and select Rename. The name of the view appears highlighted.

2. Enter the new name.

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Cube Deployment

chapter

Cube Deployment

Introduction to cube deployments

You will now create a cube deployment. Once a deployment has been created, you will carry out the following steps:

• “Entering deployment and cube information” on page 73

• “Synchronizing database and cube data” on page 74

• “Calculating members” on page 76

• “Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment” on page 78

• “Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance

characteristics and filters” on page 79

• “Resolving issues” on page 80

• “Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube”

on page 80

• “Deploying and processing a cube” on page 82

• “Updating a deployment” on page 84

• “Copying a deployment” on page 85

• “Renaming a deployment” on page 85

Creating an SSAS deployment

Creating a deployment consists of the following main steps:

• Entering a name for the deployment.

• Choosing the SSAS server. This is the server on which SSAS is installed

and where the cubes will be stored.

T o crea te a deplo ym en t



1. In the tree structure of the Analytics Administrator window, right-click

on Deployments, then select Add Deployment. The New Deployment dialog box opens.

2. In the Deployment Name field, enter the name you want to give to the

deployment.

3. In the Server Type groupbox, select the SSAS 2005 option.

4. From the Target Server drop-down menu, select the SSAS server. Note: You will be able to select the database in the Options tab of the

deployment once it is created.

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Cube Deployment

Entering deployment and cube information

The Deployer Service Url field is filled in by default. The URL comes from the ’Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config’ file, which is located in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer installation directory. You can change the Deployer Service URL directly in the file or in the New Deployment dialog box.

Note: If you change the URL in the file, it will be applied to all

deployments.

5. Click the OK button.

The deployment appears below Deployments.

Entering deployment and cube information

Carry out the following steps:

• Choose the SSAS database. Y ou chose the SSAS database server while

creating the deployment.

• Modify the name of the future cube. By default, the cube is given the

deployment name.

• Choose the default language for the cube. The available languages are

the ones chosen in the view. All t he languages chosen in the view will be available in the future cube, but a default language needs to be chosen in the deployment. BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Analyzer will use the default language. To find out more about languages for a cube, see

“Choosing the languages” on page 35.

• Specify the parent amounts. In the data access group you belong to in

BusinessObjects Finance, you might not be allowed to view all the children of a specific parent. You can choose which children the parent amount should take into account:

• The parent amount is the sum of all its children, even those which

you are not allowed to see. In this case, you will uncheck the Enable Visual Totals option.

• The parent amount is the sum of only the children you are allowed to

see. In this case, you will leave the Enable Visual Totals option checked, as it is by default.

• Choose a default number format.

You choose the default number format that will be taken into account for the entire SSAS cube.

You can choose a predefined format from the Measure Format dropdown menu or you can directly enter the format of your choice in the same menu.

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Synchronizing database and cube data

Note: The format is defined at the deployment level, enabling you to apply

different formats to different deployments.

Note: In BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Analyzer, you can choose to

show data either as they are formatted in the cube or in any Excel format that you choose with the Dynamic Formatting sheet.

You can define all of the above elements in the Options tab of a deployment.

Synchronizing database and cube data

For each deployment, you can define synchronizing intervals so that the cube data will be consistent with the BusinessObjects Finance database data.

If you do not activate the synchronization, the cube data will remain as it was when you deployed the cube. To refresh the cube data, you will need to process the cube again.

The synchronization applies to all the tables that have been modified. If you only want to synchronize the data related to certain data entry periods, you can select them.

Warning: In this version, the synchronization only applies to the tables that

existed when the deployment was done. If a new consolidation table is created in the BusinessObjects Finance database, you will need to deploy the cube again in order to get the synchronization.

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Synchronizing database and cube data

Tip: If you want to avoid redeploying the cube, you can create and run your

consolidation definitions in BusinessObjects Finance in advance, even if they are empty. As a consequence, all the consolidations will appear in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer and will be synchronized.

The intervals are the following:

• Query Poll Interval. This option enables you to tell the system when to

scan all the BusinessObjects Finance tables in order to detect modifications. If modifications are detected, the system processes the synchonization.

Example: The tables will be scanned every 5 minutes.

• Silence interval and Silence override interval.

The two are linked. They are used when many modifications are made to the data in BusinessObjects Finance.

Example: When data is modified, the system waits until there are no

modifications made for 10 minutes and then synchronizes the data and the cube. If, however, there is no 10 minute break in the modifications, the system will synchronize the data and the cube after 20 minutes.

• Rebuild interval. This allows you to specify how often to synchronize the

data, regardless of whether the data has been modified or not.

Example: The cube will be synchronized with the data every two hours

even if no modifications have been made.



To enable the data synchronization

1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate

deployment.

2. Select the Options tab.

3. In the Live Access groupbox, select the Activate live access option.

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Calculating members

4. To synchronize only the data related to some data entry periods, select

the For selected data Entry Periods option, then click the button next to this option to select the data entry periods of your choice.

5. In the Query Poll Interval field and drop-down menu of the Cache

Settings groupbox, define what you want.

6. Click the Advanced button to define the other elements.

7. Define the different elements.

Calculating members

You can create a member containing an MDX formula for the following dimensions:

• The SSAS Measure dimension

• All the merged dimensions

• All the standard dimensions

You can enter comments to keep track of what issue the calculated members are designed to resolve: content, etc.

Example: To calculate the percentage of a product towards its parent in the

Product hierarchy, we create a new measure called "Percentage of a product towards its parent".

The formula syntax is as follows: [Measures].[Consolidated AmountSales by product and geographical zone]/ ([Product].[Productrollup].currentmember.parent,[Measures].[Consolidated

AmountSales by product and geographical zone]) * 100 Comments :

• [Consolidated AmountSales by product and geographical zone] is the

measure containing the analyzing data analyzed by the Product dimension.

• [Product].[Productrollup].currentmember.parent,[Measures].[Consolidated A

mountSales by product and geographical zone]: this means that we took the amount for the parent of the current member in the Product hierarchy (called [Productrollup]) and for the measure [Consolidated AmountSales by product and geographical zone].

Note: This example applies if you are in multi-measure mode. If you were in

single measure mode, the measure would be ’Consolidated Amount’.

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Calculating members

Note: The Custom option enables you to use MDX scripts. To find out more,

see “Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment” on page 78.

To create a calculated member



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate

deployment.

2. Select the Calculated Members tab.

3. Click the New button.

The Calculated Member dialog box appears.

4. In the Name field, enter the name you want.

5. Select the appropriate option: Measure, Merged Dimension or

Dimension.

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Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment

Note: The Custom option enables you to use your own MDX scripts. To

find out more, see “Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment” on

page 78.

6. If you have selected Merged Dimension or Dimension, from the

Dimension drop-down menu, select the dimension for which you want to

create the calculated member.

7. If you have selected a standard dimension, select a hierarchy from the

Hierarchy drop-down menu.

Note: A calculated member is always linked to a specific hierarchy . For a

merged dimension and a Measure dimension, the linked hierarchy is the default hierarchy, which you do not need to select.

Note: The hierarchies that are available in the drop-down menu are the

ones you selected in the Hierarchies tab for the chosen dimension.

8. Click the button next to the Member field.

9. Select the member you want as the parent of the calculated member.

10. In the Expression area, enter or copy the MDX formula you want.

11. In the Comment area, enter the text of your choice.

12. Click the OK button.

Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment

You can now use your own MDX scripts in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. You can therefore link a script to a specific deployment. The script will be deployed along with the cube each time you launch the deployment.

To do so, you must copy your MDX script and copy it in the Calculated Members tab in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. The script is saved as a custom calculated member.

To link your script to a deployment



1. In your own tool, copy your MDX script.

2. In the tree structure part of the window in BusinessObjects Extended

Analytics Designer, select the appropriate deployment.

3. Select the Calculated Members tab.

4. Click the New button.

The Calculated Member dialog box appears.

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Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and filters

5. In the Name field, enter the name you want.

6. Select the Custom option.

7. In the Expression area, copy the MDX script.

8. In the Comment area, enter the text of your choice.

9. Click the OK button.

Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and filters

You can create SSAS Named sets from BusinessObjects Finance characteristics, filters, or any manual selection.

A Named set is a selection of dimension members that will be used as a flat list to create reports. It is the equivalent of BusinessObjects Finance filters.

• If creating a named set from characteristics, all dimension members

associated to this characteristic value will be added to the cube.

• If creating a named set from filters, the complete filter will be retrieved.

• You can also enter an MDX formula that specifies the named set you

want to create.

Provided that your data retrieval tool can retrieve named sets, you will be able to use the named sets in MDX formulas or to select a set of dimension members.

To create an SSAS named set



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate

deployment.

2. Select the Named Sets tab.

3. Click the New button.

The Create Named Set dialog box appears.

4. Enter a name for the named set.

5. Select the option corresponding to the source you want to use for the

named set: Use characteristic, Use filter.

Note: If you select the Supply MDX option, click the Next button, and

simply enter the MDX formula that specifies the named set in the Free MDX area.

6. Click the Next button.

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Resolving issues

7. From the Select dimension drop-down menu, select the dimension that

you want to use for the named set.

8. Click the Next button.

9. From the Select Characteristic drop-down menu, select the

characteristic or filter you want to use as part of the named set.

10. Click the Next button.

11. In the Select Characteristic Member area, select the members you

want to use to populate the named set.

12. Click the Next button.

13. Click the Finish button.

Resolving issues

Before deploying and processing a cube, you need to resolve the issues that are listed in the Issues To Resolve tab. Once you have resolved the issues, the tab no longer appears.

Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube

Y ou can load dat a that are not stored in BusinessObject s Finance directly into the cube.

However, the following conditions must be respected:

• The table containing the external data must be defined by the user in

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

• The dimension members must exist in BusinessObjects Finance

database so that the proper security applies.

• The data table must follow a specific format to be compatible.

Y ou can load data into existing BusinessObjects Finance dimension members but no new dimensions or members can be created.

You must select in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer view, the right dimensions and dimension members (based on the data that you want to import) and measures for both analyzing dimensions and data level (package/ consolidated data). For example, if the measure corresponding to an analysis (for example, by product) is not selected in the Administrator view and if the external table already contains data analyzed by product, the data will not be available in the cube deployed from this view.

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Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube

Dimension members

Only a specific format for data tables is supported by BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. This table should contain the identifiers of the BusinessObjects Finance members for each dimension (one column by dimension in the table).

As opposed to the Finance and Carat fact tables, all dimensions must be available in the external tables, especially the Category + Data Entry period dimensions (for package data) + scope, variant and consolidation currency (for consolidated data).

For these missing dimensions, the system requires that their columns are named as follows:

• Category

• Scope

• Variant

• Conscurrency

• DEPeriod

As far as other dimensions are concerned, the names of the colums are the same as in BusinessObjects Finance fact tables.

Amounts

The external table should contain one or several columns dedicated to containing data: one column named ’amount’ (for package data), another column named ’convamount’ for converted data, another column named ’consamount’ for consolidated data. If the SSAS 2005 cube is based on package data (defined in the view from which it has been deployed), only the first column (amount) will be taken into account in the deployment. If the SSAS 2005 cube is based on consolidated data (defined in the view), the columns amount, converted amount and consolidated amount could be taken into account during the deployment step (depending on the measures selected in the view).

Selecting the server and specifying the server information

In order to load external data into the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube, you need to select the server and specify some server information. This is the server containing the tables you want to load.

The Microsoft Data Link Properties dialog box enables you to specify the required information. This dialog box contains four tabs: Provider, Connection, Advanced and All.

The Provider tab enables you to specify if the tables are SQL or Oracle tables.

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Deploying and processing a cube

The Connection, Advanced and All tabs are contextual and depend on the type of provider (SQL or Oracle) selected in the Provider tab.

To find out more about the Microsoft Data Link Properties dialog box, see

“Creating a star schema deployment” on page 88,



1. In the tree structure part of the window, select the appropriate

2. Select the Custom Fact Tables tab.

3. Click the New button.

4. Click the button in the Data Source area.

5. In the Connection tab, specify the required information.

6. You must ensure that the Allow saving password option is selected.

7. Click on Test Connection.

8. If the connection is valid, click on OK.

9. Click on OK.

10. In the Table Name area, enter the table name as it will appear in

11. Leave Default in the Measure Group drop-down menu.

12. Click on OK.

T o load e xternal dat a into the Busines sObjec t s Extende d Analy tics cube

deployment.

The Custom Fact Table dialog box appears.

The Data Link Properties dialog box appears, displaying the Connection tab.

A message appears, indicating whether the connection is valid or not.

The Data Link Properties dialog box reappears.

The server information is displayed in the Data Source area.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

Deploying and processing a cube

Deploying a cube consists of creating a cube’s structure. Processing a cube consists of loading data in a cube. When a cube is deployed, it is automatically processed. You can also choose

to re-process only an existing cube. Before deploying a cube, the Deployment tab enables you to view all of the

information that will be taken into account in the cube. This tab displays:

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Deploying and processing a cube

• All of the dimensions defined in the view.

• All BusinessObjects Finance consolidations or packages selected

(depending on the data level of the view).

In the Actions colum:

• If nothing is displayed for a specific dimension or member row, this

means that the dimension or member was excluded or had never been included in the view and therefore will not be exported.

• The following information may appear:

• Add: if the corresponding dimension or member was excluded in the

last deployment but is now being included.

• Update: if the corresponding dimension or member was included in

the last deployment and is again being included.

• Remove: if the corresponding dimension or member was included in

the last deployment but is now being excluded.

While deploying and processing a cube, you can follow the steps in the bottom part of the window.

If this part does not appear, select View > Information Display. You can perform the following actions on the log:

• Display or hide one or more types of information by clicking the Errors,

Warnings and/or Messages buttons.

• Errors: Errors cause the deployment and processing to fail.

• Warnings: Warnings are indicated but do not prevent you from

deploying and processing the cube successfully.

• Messages: Messages indicate each step of the deployment and

processing (for example, "Starting to build the cube").

• Delete the log by clicking the Clear List button.

• Export the log in .csv format, by clicking the Export List button.

Note: If there are duplicated members, a pop-up message will appear while

deploying the cube, indicating the remaining duplicated members and asking you whether you want to continue or stop the deployment. To find out more about duplicated members, see “Naming the members of standard

dimensions” on page 50.

Warning: Before deploying and processing a cube, you need to resolve any

remaining issues. If some issues are unresolved, the Issues to Resolve tab appears and the Deploy button is not accessible. To find out more, see

“Resolving issues” on page 80.

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Updating a deployment

You can also deploy or process a cube without using the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer interface. To find out more, see “Deploying a

cube or a star schema, updating a cube” on page 102.

To deploy a cube



• In the Deployment tab, click the Deploy button.

Note: The cube will also be processed. Note: The date of the deployment will appear in the Last Deployed On field

of the General tab.



To process a cube

• In the Deployment tab, click the Re-Process button.

Note: The date of the re-process will appear in the Last Processed On field

of the General tab.

Updating a deployment

You can update a deployment. The following items will be updated:

• Calculated members. To find out more, see “Calculating members” on

page 76.

• Named sets. T o find out more, see “Creating SSAS named set s based on

BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and filters” on page 79.

• Live access settings. To find out more, see “Synchronizing database and

cube data” on page 74.

T o update a deployment



• In the Deployment tab, click the Update button.

Removing a cube

You can remove a cube from BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer. In SSAS management tools, the cube, its dimensions, its corresponding data

source and data source view are deleted.

To remove a cube



1. In the Deployment tab, click the Remove Cube button.

A confirmation message appears.

2. Click the Yes button.

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Removing a database

You can remove a database from BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer.

In this case, the database is deleted along with all its cubes.

To remove a cube



1. In the Deployment tab, click the Remove Database button.

A confirmation message appears.

2. Click the Yes button.

Copying a deployment

You can copy and paste a deployment in a view. Once you have copied a deployment, you can rename it. To find out more,

see “Renaming a deployment” on page 85

To copy and paste a deployment



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click on the deployment you

want to copy and select Copy.

2. Right-click on the view you want the deployment to be copied in and

select Paste.

Cube Deployment

Removing a database

Renaming a deployment

You can easily rename a deployment.

T o rename a deployment



1. In the tree structure part of the window, right-click on the deployment you

want to rename and select Rename. The name of the deployment appears highlighted.

2. Enter the new name.

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Renaming a deployment

86 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Star Schema Deployment

chapter

Star Schema Deployment

Introduction to star schemas

You can generate either an SQL or an Oracle star schema. A star schema contains three types of tables:

• Fact tables. These are tables that contain data.

• Dimension tables. One table is created for each dimension.

• Characteristic tables. One table is created for each "standard"

characteristic. Only characterictics that have been selected in the view are taken into account.

However, characteristic tables are not created for characteristics that are linked to a dimension in the same reference table. For each of these characteristics, a column is created in the dimension table.

Besides, a star schema:

• Does not support hierarchies.

• Does not support BusinessObjects Finance security.

• Supports BusinessObjects Finance comments (as opposed to SSAS

cubes).

Creating a star schema deployment

Creating a star schema deployment consists of the following main steps:

• Entering a name for the deployment.

• Selecting the server and specifying the server information. This is the

server on which the star schema will be generated.

The Microsoft Data Link Properties dialog box enables you to specify the required information. This dialog box contains four tabs: Provider, Connection, Advanced and All.

The Provider tab enables you to specify if you want to generate an SQL or Oracle star schema.

The Connection, Advanced and All tabs are contextual and depend on the type of provider (SQL or Oracle) selected in the Provider tab.

T o crea te a star schema deployment



1. In the tree structure pane of the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

Designer window, right-click on Deployments and select Add Deployment.

The New Deployment dialog box opens.

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Creating a star schema deployment

2. In the Server Type groupbox, select the Star Schema option.

The Data Link Properties dialog box will appear, displaying the

Connection tab.

3. In the Connection tab, specify the required information. For more

information regarding SQL or Oracle providers, please refer to the paragraphs below describing the tab.

4. You must ensure that the Allow saving password option is selected.

5. Click on Test Connection.

A message appears, indicating whether the connection is valid or not. To find out more about this button, please refer to the paragraphs above describing the tab.

6. If the connection is valid, click on OK.

The Data Link Properties dialog box reappears.

7. Click on OK.

8. The New deployment dialog box reappears. A default star schema

deployment name is displayed in the Deployment Name field and the server information is displayed in the Server Details groupbox.

Note: If you want to modify server information, click on Change. The

Data Link Properties dialog box will appear.

9. Enter the name you want to give the star schema deployment.

10. Click on OK.

The deployment appears below Deployments in the tree structure pane. If you click on it, the deployment will appear in the right pane of the window, displaying three tabs: General, Star Schema Options and Deployment. In the General tab, you can view the server connection information and modify it using the Change Connection button.

Provider tab

This tab enables you to specify the OLE DB provider you want to use. This tab lists all OLE DB providers detected on your computer. You should select one of the following providers:

• For an SQL star schema, select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL

Server.

• For an Oracle star schema, select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle.

A provider is selected by default, depending on your BusinessObjects Finance database:

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Creating a star schema deployment

• If your BusinessObjects Finance database is SQL, then Microsoft OLE

• If your BusinessObjects Finance database is Oracle, then Microsoft OLE

We highly recommend that you use the default provider.

Note: You can, however, select a provider other than the default one if:

• You are using an SQL BusinessObjects Finance database (default

• You are using an Oracle BusinessObjects Finance database (default

When you click on Next, the Connection tab for the selected OLE DB provider will appear.

Connection tab

This tab enables you to enter information specific to the provider selected in the Provider tab. The content of the tab depends on whether an SQL or Oracle provider was selected.

DB Provider for SQL Server is selected by default.

DB Provider for Oracle is selected by default.

provider: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server) but you want to generate an Oracle star schema (select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle).

provider: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle) but you want to generate an SQL star schema (select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL). In this case, an Oracle client must be installed on the SQL server.

SQL

This Connection tab is provider-specific and displays only the connection properties required by the OLE DB provider for Microsoft SQL Server.

If you want to generate an SQL star schema, specify the following information in the Connection tab:

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Creating a star schema deployment

1. The SQL Server name. You can either select a server name from the

drop-down menu, or type the path of the server hosting the database you want to access.

Use the Refresh button to refresh the drop-down menu.

2. The information to connect to the server specified above. You can either

use your Windows NT authentication information or the server authentication information.

• Use Windows NT Integrated security. Select this option to specify

that the provider will request a secure (or trusted) connection to an SQL Server running on Microsoft Windows NT. When selected, SQL Server uses integrated login security to establish connections using this data source, regardless of the current login security mode at the server level. Any login ID or password entered will be ignored. The SQL Server system administrator must have associated your Microsoft Windows network ID with an SQL Server login ID.

• Use a specific user name and password. Select this option to

enter a user name and password to connect to the data source.

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Creating a star schema deployment

3. The database. You can either select a database from the drop-down

Oracle

This Connection tab is provider-specific and displays only the connection properties required by the Microsoft OLE DB provider for Oracle.

If you want to generate an Oracle star schema, specify the following information in the Connection tab:

• User name. Enter the user ID used for authentication when you log

on to the data source.

• Password. Enter the password used for authentication when you log

on to the data source.

• Blank password. This option enables the specified provider to

return a blank password in the connection string.

• Allow saving password. This option enables the password to be

saved with the connection string. This option must be selected.

menu listing all of the databases stored on the server specified above, or type the name of the database you want to access.

• Test Connection. Click on this button to test your connection to the

specified data source. If the connection fails, ensure that the settings are correct. For example, you should recheck all spelling and case sensitivity.

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Creating a star schema deployment

1. Server name. Enter the Oracle net service name, also known as the TNS

alias.

2. The information to connect to the server specified above.

• User name. Enter the user ID used for authentication when you log

on to the data source.

• Password. Enter the password used for authentication when you log

on to the data source.

• Blank password. This option enables the specified provider to

return a blank password in the connection string.

• Allow saving password. This option enables the password to be

saved with the connection string. This option must be selected.

• Test Connection. Click on this button to test your connection to the

specified data source. If the connection fails, ensure that the settings are correct. For example, you should recheck all spelling and case sensitivity.

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Defining the prefix name for tables

Advanced and All tabs

These two tabs display the information specified in the Provider and Connection tabs.

You should not use these tabs other than for viewing the specified properties.

Defining the prefix name for tables

You can enter a prefix that will be added to each table name. Adding a prefix is strongly recommended to avoid overwriting tables if you

create several star schemas within the same database. The default prefix is the name of the deployment.



T o add a prefix to all table names

1. Select the Star Schema Options tab.

2. In the Table Prefix field, enter the prefix you want.

Defining several fact tables (partitions)

When deploying a star schema, only one fact table is created by default. The fact table contains all of the data.

You can create several tables based on specific Data entry periods. These tables are known as "partitions". A partition corresponds to one table created for the data related to one or more Data entry periods. This means that one partition can contain one or more Data entry periods.

You can drag and drop Data entry periods into the right pane of the window.

Note: You can drag and drop all Data entry periods except for one that must

remain in the Default column. The table for this Data entry period is then considered the "default table".

You can decide how you want to name the fact tables you are creating. You can define:

• A base name. This is the main name common to all of the fact tables.

Each new partition is assigned the base name and incremented, e.g. "Partition2".

• A suffix to be added to all fact table names.

The fact tables will be named using the following syntax: [Prefix (applied to all tables)]_[Partition name]_ [Suffix]

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Defining several fact tables (partitions)

The default fact table will be named using the following syntax: [Prefix (applied to all tables)]_Default_ [Suffix]

Note: Fact table names are limited to 30 characters.

"co" (for "consolidation") or "pk" (for "package") are automatically added just before the suffix.



To create a partition

1. In the Partition Base Name field, enter the name common to all of the

partitions.

2. Drag and drop Data entry periods corresponding to the partitions you

want to create from the Default column into the right pane.

3. One column is created for each partition and assigned the base name

entered in the Partition Base Name field followed by an incremental number.

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Resolving issues

Note: You can add one or more Data entry periods to one partition.

4. If you do not want a specific partition to be named using the base name,

right-click on the partition header and select Rename Partition.

5. Enter the name you want in the field that appears and press the Enter

key.

To remove one o r more part itions



• To remove all of the partitions, click on Remove Fact Table Partitions.

• To remove a specific partition, drag and drop it into the Default column.

Resolving issues

Before deploying a star schema, you need to resolve issues that are listed in the Issues To Resolve tab. Once you have resolved them, this tab will no longer appear.

Deploying a star schema

Deploying a star schema consists of creating the star schema structure and data by generating all required tables.

Before deploying a star schema, the Deployment tab enables you to view all of the information that will be taken into account in the star schema tables. This tab displays:

• All of the dimensions defined in the view.

• All BusinessObjects Finance consolidations or packages selected

(depending on the data level of the view).

In the Actions column:

• If nothing is displayed for a specific dimension or member row, this

means that the dimension or member was excluded or had never been included in the view and therefore will not be exported.

• The following information may appear:

• Add: if the corresponding dimension or member was excluded in the

last deployment but is now being included.

• Update: if the corresponding dimension or member was included in

the last deployment and is again being included.

• Remove: if the corresponding dimension or member was included in

the last deployment but is now being excluded.

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Using iAnalysis reports

While deploying a star schema, you can monitor the process using the log displayed in the bottom pane of the window.

If this pane is not displayed, select View > Information Display. You can perform the following actions in the log:

• Display or hide one or more types of information by clicking on the

Errors, Warnings and/or Messages buttons.

• Errors: Errors cause the deployment to fail.

• Warnings: Warnings are displayed but do not prevent you from

deploying the star schema successfully.

• Messages: Messages indicate each step of the deployment.

• Delete the log by clicking on Clear List.

• Export the log in .csv format by clicking on Export List.

Note: Before deploying a star schema, you need to resolve existing issues. If

some issues remain unresolved, the Issues to Resolve tab will remain and the Deploy button will not be accessible.

You can also deploy a star schema without using BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer interface. To find out more, see “Deploying a cube or a

star schema, updating a cube” on page 102.

To deploy a star schema



• In the Deployment tab, click on Deploy.

Note: The date of the deployment will appear in the Last Deployed On field

of the General tab.

Using iAnalysis reports

If you previously used iAnalysis reports, you can still continue to do so with BusinessObjects Extended Analytics.

You should ensure that the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics star schema tables have the same name and structure as the iAnalysis star schema tables using the "iAnalysisStarSchemaTableNames" parameter.

The "iAnalysisStarSchemaTableNames" parameter is specified in the Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config file stored in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer installation folder. Its default value is "iAnalysisStarSchemaTableNames" value="false". To be able to use your iAnalysis reports, you should replace "false" with "true".

Note: If you are a former iAnalysis user, please also refer to the following

paragraph.

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide 97

Star Schema Deployment

Aggregating members when excluding a dimension

If you exclude a specific dimension in a view, the dimension will not be exported to star schema tables. This may lead to one member being displayed several times with detailed amounts. If you want the amounts to be aggregated for each member, you should specify the "StarSchemaAggregation" parameter.

The "StarSchemaAggregation" parameter is specified in the Cartesis.InformationDelivery.Workbench.exe.config file stored in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer installation folder. Its default value is "StarSchemaAggregation" value="false".

Note: For former iAnalysis users, it is recommended that you leave the value

of "StarSchemaAggregation" as "false" if you set the "iAnalysisStarSchemaTableNames" value to "true" (see paragraph above).

The following example illustrates this: Assuming that you have a BusinessObjects Finance database with two

dimensions and a fact table:

Accounts Units

A1 U1 A2 U2 A3 U3

Accounts Units Amounts

A1 U1 10 A2 U1 5 A3 U1 20 A1 U2 6 A2 U2 7

You generate a star schema from the database above and also exclude the Account dimension. Depending on the value of the "StarSchemaAggregation" parameter, there can be 2 outcomes:

98 BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer User Guide

Business objects EXPLORER FOR IPHONE-IPAD V1.0 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Introduction to the documentation

Content and target audience

Content

Target audience

Formatting

How to access and use the documentation

Accessing the User Guide and the Help

Software Support

How to use the User Guide

What's new

Getting started

Overview

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

General overview of BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

Connecting to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Designer

Main steps

Solutions

Introduction to solutions

Creating a solution

Opening a solution

Renaming a solution

Deleting a solution

Selecting the languages

Exporting /importing a solution

Views

Introduction to views

Creating a view

Choosing the languages

Selecting and defining measures

Multi-measures behavior

Single measure behavior

Viewing scopes

Defining dimensions

Defining merged dimensions

Defining standard dimensions

Changing and translating the names of standard dimensions

Naming the members of standard dimensions

Defining the start and end date for periods

Naming the members of the Period and Data Entry Period dimensions

Selecting the members of standard dimensions

Selecting hierarchies

Selecting SSAS attributes

Excluding standard dimensions

Hiding excluded dimensions

Synchronizing the database and cube structure

Copying a view

Renaming a view

Cube Deployment

Introduction to cube deployments

Creating an SSAS deployment

Entering deployment and cube information

Synchronizing database and cube data

Calculating members

Using your own MDX scripts in a deployment

Creating SSAS named sets based on BusinessObjects Finance characteristics and filters

Resolving issues

Loading external data into a BusinessObjects Extended Analytics cube

Deploying and processing a cube

Updating a deployment

Removing a cube

Removing a database

Copying a deployment

Renaming a deployment

Star Schema Deployment

Introduction to star schemas

Creating a star schema deployment

Provider tab

Connection tab

Oracle

Defining the prefix name for tables

Advanced and All tabs

Defining several fact tables (partitions)

Resolving issues

Deploying a star schema

Using iAnalysis reports