Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
The array size would be the total number of members in this dimension.
Control flow
Control functions control the flow of the data being calculated. As you will see,
some functions help select the data while some help restrict the selected data.
All in all, they are used to help you calculate your data quickly and efficiently.
FIX/ENDFIX
When we talked earlier about Essbase database calculation control, we meant the
FIX/
ENDFIX
command. These are the control gate keepers of the database calculation script.
The
FIX/ENDFIX
commands are for use only in an Essbase database calculation
script. When you code a member formula, the formula only applies to the member
in which it is coded, hence, there is no need for
FIX/ENDFIX
commands.
Using Essbase's full complement of calculation functions and commands, for precise
calculation purposes, it hardly matters what your outline looks like, or how it is
laid out. In terms of dimension order,
Sparse
or
Dense
settings, whether or not
you have an
Accounts
or
Time
dimension, or pretty much any other way you have
your database set upto fit your own needs, the calculation script can be coded to
do exactly as you wish.
With the
FIX
/
ENDFIX
command, you can zero in with razor
sharp precision on only the data values you wish to calculate.
When you employ a
FIX
/
ENDFIX
command you are telling Essbase to select a subset
of data from the database for calculating. In this way, you will not calculate too much
data at any given time. You also will not calculate data that you do not intend to
(the definition of Stomp-on).
What you will realize by using the
FIX
/
ENDFIX
command, besides the benefits
described above, is keeping your database calculation scripts running at
peak performance.
The
FIX
command selects data from the database by blocks. Due to this fact, and
also because you want to ensure the highest possible performance while executing
calculation scripts, it is recommended that wherever possible, you
FIX
only on
members that are in
Sparse Dimension
. When you
FIX
on a
Dense Dimension
,
Essbase needs to pull all of the data blocks affected by the
FIX
statement into the
system's memory, thus potentially affecting performance. This is because dense
members have a greater potential to populate across more blocks.
