Managing Essbase data load error kickouts

With the latest version of the Star Command Center File Plugin, a list of of kickouts from an Essbase data load can be easily extracted.  This function enables administrators to isolate values in the error file and use the results to perform a variety of tasks such as refresh metadata or notify users that an error has occurred with specific detail.   Typically administrators need to write sophisticated code in PowerShell, Python or Perl to automate this type of task, but with Star Command Center a solution can be quickly created.  In this post, we will explore how.

In the typical Essbase Error file, we see an example like the following.  Note the Essbase members that are highlighted:
\\ Member Caffeine Free ColaX Not Found In Database
California,Caffeine Free ColaX, Sales, 145,132,125,110,106,96,87,87,109,109,116,102

\\ Member CaliforniaX Not Found In Database
CaliforniaX,Caffeine Free Cola, Sales, 145,132,125,110,106,96,87,87,109,109,116,102

\\ Member CaliforniaY Not Found In Database
CaliforniaY,Caffeine Free Cola, COGS, 95,104,109,123,127,141,154,154,122,122,113,127

\\ Member CaliforniaX Not Found In Database
CaliforniaX,Caffeine Free Cola, Marketing, 30,33,34,39,40,45,49,49,39,39,36,40

\\ Member CaliforniaY Not Found In Database
CaliforniaY,Caffeine Free Cola, Payroll, 22,22,22,23,23,23,22,22,22,22,22,22

In Star Command Center, we leverage the Extract List task and isolate any string after the "\\ Member".  To provide more power in isolating string values, Regular Expressions can be used as in the example below:

The above task creates the following output.  Note that 11 records have been identified.

Optionally, a few more tasks are added to remove the prefix and suffix to isolate just the kickout members that cause the data load error.  The final results looks like the following:

A sample of this process can be downloaded here.

Monitoring the Health of Oracle EPM Services

Star Analytics has released a new Star Command Center (SCC) Plugin for monitoring Oracle EPM Services.  Many of the critical Oracle EPM services are under the control of Oracle WebLogic and monitoring the “health” of these services ensures that they are available to all the other application servers.  Sometimes, the operating system will indicate that the critical service is “Started” and the port is even listening (i.e “Hyperion Reporting and Analysis Framework” or “Hyperion EPMA Server” ), but the “health” of the service is a different story.  Traditionally, the administrator or a user will hit the corresponding webpage of the service with no response.  At this point, it is time to restart the service.  The new functions in this SCC Plugin will prevent this situation and instead all critical Oracle EPM services can be proactively monitored.   Learn more at:  http://staranalytics.com/solutions/solutions-article/oracle-epm-monitoring/

If you want to try it in your environment, try the trial license and then import the sample monitoring process via the "File" menu and choose "Import" in the SCC Admin Console.

Start & Stop Hyperion Services the Right Way

Star Analytics released a new Star Command Center Plugin for Systems administration. Included in the release are two new prepacked processes to cleanly start and stop Hyperion EPM services.  Learn more here:  http://staranalytics.com/solutions/solutions-article/windows-services-management/

The processes are available after you have installed a trial version of the software:

• Oracle Hyperion EPM Start-up Process – Download
• Oracle Hyperion EPM Shutdown Process – Download

There are also new cross platform monitoring capabilities: http://staranalytics.com/solutions/solutions-article/systems-monitoring/ and here is a full list of all the functions in this Plugin:

• Get System Information - a cross platform (Windows, Linux and UNIX) feature to report current resources usage of a computing environment.
• Get Process Information - a cross-platform (Windows, Linux and UNIX) feature to report current resource usage of a running process.
• List Windows Services - a feature to report current running state of all Windows services. 
• Check Windows Service – a feature to report current running state and the listening port of a single Windows service. 
• Check Ports now supports all platforms (Windows, Linux and UNIX). 
• Check Ports now reports all standard port states: LISTEN, ESTABLISHED and CLOSED. 
• Manage (Start / Stop) Windows Service now has integrated port monitoring with the management of a Windows service.

Super Fast Essbase ASO Extraction with New Release of Star Integration Server

The latest release of Star Integration Server 2.8.6.2 has amazing extraction performance for Essbase ASO and BSO source cubes.  This release introduces a new "Sparse Discovery" mechanism that identifies the pockets in the database where no data exists (which is typically over 90% of the possible intersection points) and only processes intersections where data does exists.  In turn, this provides a tremendous performance boost especially with large sparse Essbase ASO cubes.

This release of Star Integration Server also removes any of the 2^32 limitations that Essbase administrators might experience when using traditional report scripts for data extraction as well as expanded parallel extraction with up to 128 extractor threads to leverage higher-CPU hardware.   

Another great improvement is client-side extraction. This feature removes the need to place a Star-specific Essbase CDF file directly on the Essbase server. The client-side extraction leverages native Essbase security filters so that users who need to extract data only get access to their authorized POV.   The underpinnings of client-side extraction is either using Essbase MDX scripts or Reports scripts.  However since the MDX and Reports scripts are spread across parallel extraction threads and only focus on areas where there is data, the extraction is very fast.  As noted by a friend in the Hyperion Community, Gary Crisci, a side benefit of this approach is ASO Query hints can be optimized since SIS will quickly loop through all the combinations to help optimize the process. 

Here is a press release announcing the product launch:  http://staranalytics.com/2012/01/11/star-analytics-introduces-new-release-of-star-integration-server-to-speed-access-to-oracle-data-for-business-decisions/

It also should be noted that Star has a trial version available (http://staranalytics.com/products/product-trial-request/?dlv=sis) but has removed the metadata-only SIS "Express Edition".

More details of this release can be found in the release notes: http://staranalytics.com/public-downloads/sis/documentation/SIS_2.8.6.2_ReleaseNotes.pdf