Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
7.
Finally, you can accept the default output for the log which will be generated
by the data load or you can type a new path.
8.
Click
OK
to load your data. There you have it! You have just loaded data
without a rules file.
Structured data load (load rule used)
In Essbase, you can create a load rule file to load data into an Essbase cube. In this
rule file, you need to define the data source. This data source can be a flat file or an
SQL query, you can also write the queries in the load rule. Using the rule file, you
can cleanse the data before it gets loaded into the cube. Let us quickly see the types
of the load rules file:
•
Flat file load rule
: As explained earlier in this chapter, and will be
demonstrated shortly, probably the most common method of loading data
into your Essbase database is by a data flat file and Essbase data load rule
method. Inside the data load rule, you define to Essbase what fields in the data
file relate to what dimensions in the database outline. The database load rule
is also where you can perform data transformations, data substitutions, data
manipulations, or pretty much any other task you need to perform to get your
data Essbase-friendly. Then either manually or automatically, you perform
a data load into your Essbase database using the data file and the load rule
created for it.
•
Relational database SQL load rule
: This data load method is essentially
identical to the flat file load rule method, except for one huge difference.
Instead of the input data contained in the form of a flat file, the data is
being selected directly from a relational database's table or tables. Real SQL
statements are used and an ODBC connection is used behind the scenes by
the load rule to connect to the relational database. After this, the creation
of the load rule is identical to the flat file method when it pertains to data
handling, and so on.
Microsoft Excel Lock and Send (no load rule)
This method is perhaps the quickest, down and dirty, method of loading data into
an Essbase database. While it is fast and easy, there are limitations and precautions.
Since Microsoft Excel is the natural front end for Oracle Essbase, they do work rather
seamlessly together. However, you do need to remember, that what you are doing
with a spreadsheet's "Lock and Send" function is updating existing data as there are
no provisions for adding new members to the database outline through Microsoft
Excel. Also, Essbase seems to have difficulty locking too many data cells when asked
by Microsoft Excel. Due to performance issues, you may want to consider splitting
spreadsheets that contain a considerable amount of rows.
