Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Block Storage Option (BSO)
The BSO is best suited for denser concentrations of data. The BSO also supports write
back or update capabilities from Microsoft Excel using the "Lock and Send
"
method
within the Essbase add-in or from automated batch data load operations. The
Essbase add-in has built-in functionality that allows the user to update data directly
in the database by simply selecting the
Lock
and then
Send
selections from the
Essbase add-in menu. When selected, the Lock function will lock all the data blocks
affected by the range of data contained in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The
Send function will then send the data values back to the database. After a successful
update, the locked data is automatically unlocked. This database model is best suited
for
Financial Applications
where the users can perform complex calculations. In BSO,
each dimension is tagged as either a dense or sparse data concentration. In a dense
dimension, the data cubes have the likelihood that
all
the cells in a data block will
be populated with data. In a sparse setting, the opposite is true, there would likely
be empty data cells. For example, in your database, the
Calendar Periods
dimension would most likely be a dense dimension, since there would be data for
most items for each time period. The
Market
dimension would probably be sparse
as chances are that not all of your products are sold in all of the countries.
Shown below is a snapshot of the sample BSO application provided with the Essbase
installation. You will note (as indicated by the pink number in braces) that each
dimension has a relatively low number of children. As mentioned in the ASO section,
a BSO database is best suited for moderate amounts of data complexity where features
like updatability tend to have a higher priority to the user than high performance.
The Essbase server agent installation is equipped to handle multiple applications
that can be all ASO, all BSO, or any mix of ASO and BSO applications.
