If you are a fan of the HSGetValue and HSSetValue, you probably are using a private connection. As you know, anybody that uses the template has to either change the connection string to their own predefined private connection, or set up a private connection with the same name. When dealing with inexperience users, both methods can be problematic.
You may be surprised to know that the Get and Set Value functions can use a shared connection. Read more
Oracle has recommended settings for Internet Explorer (IE7, IE8, IE9, IE10 and IE11) when using Hyperion products. I get this question a lot from my clients, so I thought I would share Oracles suggested settings. Without changing these, there will be intermittent problems, and frustration points.
In Hyperion 11.1.2.1, there is a change in how security is deployed. If you are having an issue deploying Planning security with Essbase adhoc access, and the user can’t
you are not alone. Read more
Hyperion Planning applications often require multiple currencies. Hyperion Planning includes a currency option that easily allows multiple currencies to be managed. Allowing Planning to manage this introduces a couple of limitations and inherent costs. These can be avoided if currency is managed manually.
When the Hyperion Planning currency option is enabled, an additional 2 dimensions are required. This raises the required dimensions from 6 to 8. Most planning applications have a need for at least 2 to 3 custom dimensions. Even smaller applications suffer greatly when adding the additional 2 dimensions. So, by using the currency option, the ability to use custom dimensions is limited. By adding a few accounts to hold the currency conversion and adding one dimension that has members for all the currencies, multi-currency applications can be handled with only one additional dimension. If the currency option is not used, the currency calculations may be written more efficiently than the default calculations introduced with the currency option.
Another drawback with the currency option is that is only allows data input to the base currency. The majority of the applications I have built that require multiple currencies require the input at more than base currency. Assume a retail company has stores in a number of countries with different currencies. Salaries may be budgeted in the local currencies, but the cost of the bags used by customers to carry merchandise out of the store is budgeted in USD. The costs are distributed in USD based on units, and converted to the local currencies.
Lastly, using the currency option, because of the number of dense dimensions, limits the number of time periods. Executing calculations is limited to using 64k of memory. Applications that use something other than month (like week, or day) can regularly hit this limit.
Many developers that work with Hyperion products, as well as many any other software product, use virtual machines. Virtual machines are an easy way to create multiple environments for testing and developing multiple product versions
The 3 main applications to create and use virtual machines are
I have used all 3. Opinions can be found that promote all 3. Many IT professionals prefer VMWare. I have found it to be a little cumbersome to use, and find sharing virtual machines to be a frustrating experience. I am not a stereotypical IT professional, but rather a business person with an aptitide for technology. That said, I prefer VirtualBox. For me, VirtualBox is easier to install and manage the virtual machines. It is easy to move virtual hard drives to another computer, simple to duplicate a virtual hard drive and allows users to take snapshots, which allows, for lack of a better explanation, a huge undo if required.
Through my VirtualBox travels, I have found the following knowledge to be very valuable. Here are some HOW TOs that might be useful if you decide to use Sun’s VirtualBox.
How to reduce the size of a virtual machine
The use of virtual machines (just like any system) cause fragmentation and the size of the virtual hard drive to grow, sometimes substantially. Managing the size of the virtual machine is relatively easy, and is not time consuming. It involves 3 actions (defrag, delete free space, and compact the virtual hard drive). Here is one way to accomplish reducing the size of your virtual machine / virtual hard drive.
If the virtual machine/hard drive has free space, this process will find it and reduce the overall size of your virtual machine/hard drive.
How to duplicating, or clone, a hard drive
Often times there is a need to replicate a virtual machine on the same host environment. Copying the file doesn’t do the trick, as every virtual machine’s hard disk must have a unique key. VirtualBox comes with a tool to duplicate the hard drive and assign it a new key. To accompolish, follow the following steps.