Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Calc
: You will use this word quite often. This is a very versatile word
since you will use it as a noun as well as verb. Calc is Essbase lingo for
any database calculation, but it can also describe a calculation action.
For example, you could say, "I have written a new calc for gross stock."
However, you could also say, "I need to calc the database." Both usages
are correct.
•
Push down
: This term is used to describe what happens when you use
a calculation function to populate the values of children members with
the values of their parents. The time for doing this would be when your
data is only loaded at the parent level but the same values should be
applied to the children members.
•
Rollup
: This term is used to describe what happens when you add or
sum the children members upto their parent level or it can mean the
parent level of a group of children. As with calc, this term can be used
as a noun or a verb. For example, "I'm writing a calc to rollup the regions
to the Total Region level." You could also say, "Total Region is the rollup
of the individual regions."
•
Stomp-on
: This is a good one and is mainly used to describe any data that
you have unintentionally whacked or overwritten with a calc script. There
are times when a parent member's value is not necessarily the rollup of its
children. If you execute a calc that inadvertently rolls up the children to the
parent, you have just stomped on the parent's data.
Because Essbase is an art and not a science and because this is a family book, there
are several other terms you can frequently hear around an Essbase installation. We
prefer that you learn these terms on your own.
Default database calculation script
While an Essbase database calculation script can be an extremely powerful tool, it
can also be used for more routine database calculating. Whether you need complex
calculations or outline rollups, a nice feature in your Essbase database toolbox is
the ability to assign a default calculation script to each database.
A
Default Calc
is a database calculation script you would typically find yourself
running repeatedly. To simplify your life, you set the script as the database's
Default
Calc
. As you can imagine, you can set the
Default Calc
to any database calculation
script you have created. By default, Essbase assigns the
Calc All
database function
as the
Default Calc
. The
Calc All
function, in simple terms, calculates your database
according to the outline member formulas and the consolidations you have specified
in your parent-child relationships.
