If you have designed a backup and recovery strategy using manual procedures, you can continue using them. Oracle, however, recommends that you incorporate backup and restore (see Using Backup and Restore for Block Storage Databases) and transaction logging and replay (see Using Transaction Logging and Replay For Block Storage Databases) into your backup and recovery strategy.
See these topics for manually backing up and restoring block storage databases:
Regularly back up the server, application, and database files listed in Table 9. Typically, you should perform a file backup after Essbase applications and databases, and the Agent, are shut down.
Table 9. Essbase Files to Back Up
File | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
essxxxxx.ind[1] | Essbase index file | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
essxxxxx.pag[2] | Essbase data file | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
dbname.esm | Essbase Kernel file that contains control information used for database recovery | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
dbname.tct | Transaction control table | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
dbname.ind | Free fragment file for data and index free fragments | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
dbname.otl | Outline file, which stores all metadata for a database and defines how data is stored, but does not store data itself | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
dbname.app | Application file containing application settings | ARBORPATH/app/ |
dbname.db | Database file containing database settings | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
x.lro | Linked reporting objects | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
essbase.sec[3] | Essbase security file | ARBORPATH/bin/ |
essbase_timestamp.bak | Backup of the Essbase security file | ARBORPATH/bin/ |
essbase.cfg | Essbase Server configuration file | ARBORPATH/bin/ |
.otl .csc .rul .rep .eqd .sel | Database artifact files | ARBORPATH/app/appname/dbname/ |
ESSCMD or MaxL scripts | No defined storage location |
When performing a file system backup, use the file system backup software of your choice. You can back up specific directories or files or the entire Essbase directory structure. Back up data on every disk volume.
To restore a database, ensure that the application is stopped and replace the files on disk with the corresponding backed up files.
If any Essbase databases must be running at the time of the backup, follow these steps:
Putting the database in read-only (or archive) mode protects it from updates during backup.
To put a database in read-only mode, use a tool:
Tool | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
MaxL | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference | |
ESSCMD | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
After performing the backup, return the database to read-write mode.
The BEGINARCHIVE command performs the following tasks:
Attempting to modify data during the backup process results in an error message that data is in read-only mode.
Begin archive does not perform the backup; it protects the database during backup. If you cancel the BEGINARCHIVE ESSCMD command or the alter database begin archive MaxL statement, and you receive a “can’t cancel” message, the system may be in the final stage of writing items to the drive, when the operation cannot be canceled.
Put the database in read-only mode before you perform the backup.
To back up data, use a third-party backup utility to back up the files listed in archive.lst and in Table 9, Essbase Files to Back Up, or back up the entire Essbase directory structure.
After performing a backup, return the database to read-write mode.
The end-archive utility performs the following actions:
Returns the database to read-write mode.
Reopens database files in exclusive, read-write mode.
Note: | You must use the end-archive utility to put the database back into read-write mode, even if you shut down and restart the database. The end-archive utility does not restart the database. |
Exporting data copies the data to a file that you specify.
When you export data to a text file, the data is not compressed. The text export file contains only data; it does not include control, outline, or security information.
Consider exporting data to accomplish the following tasks:
The advantages of exporting data:
You can use text export files to load data from the source database into databases on other platforms. Exporting a database in column format enables you to manipulate the export file and use it with a rules file to load the data back or to another database.
Loading an export file into a database fails if the database outline does not contain all the members found within the export file.
If the outline changes between the time that the export file is created and reloaded (and the new outline contains all the members found within the export file), the load time might be significantly longer than if the outlines were identical.
Data integrity is verified because every block is checked to confirm whether corresponding page and index files match.
Exporting data, clearing all data from the database, and reloading the text file can reduce fragmentation.
The disadvantages of exporting data:
Unless dynamic calculations are executed at the time of the export, only stored data and data from previously calculated Dynamic Calc and Store members are included in the export.
During a database export, users cannot write to the database. After an export has started, users can do read operations. Exports of large databases require considerable time, during which users can only read the data.
Note: | You can export subsets of data by creating reports or calculation scripts. Using calculation scripts, you can export data to text or binary files, or directly into a relational database. See the Oracle Essbase Database Administrator's Guide. |
The same basic information is required, regardless of the method used to export data:
Names of export data files
The amount of data to export
All data
Level-0 blocks only (blocks containing only level-0 sparse member combinations; these blocks may contain data for upper-level dense dimension members)
Data from input blocks only (blocks containing data from a previous data load or spreadsheet lock and send)
Whether to export data in a columnar or noncolumnar format
In each row, the columnar format displays a member name from every dimension. Names can be repeated from row to row.
The columnar format provides a structure to the exported data, so that it can be used for further data processing by applications other than Essbase tools; for example, relational databases. In noncolumnar format, sparse members identifying a data block are included only once for the block. Because the export file in noncolumnar format is smaller than in columnar format, reloading a file in noncolumnar format is faster.
To export data, use a tool:
Tool | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
Administration Services | Exporting Databases | Oracle Essbase Administration Services Online Help |
MaxL | export data | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
ESSCMD | EXPORT or PAREXPORT | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
Report Writer | Use a Report Writer script to export selected data. | Oracle Essbase Database Administrator's Guide |
Calculation script (block storage only) | DATAEXPORT calculation commands | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
Some file systems do not support text files larger than 2 GB. On any OS, if Essbase anticipates that an export file exceeds 2 GB, it creates two or more export files, as needed. The requested file name for the main file is used. An underscore and a sequential cardinal number are appended to the names of the additional files, starting with _1. For example, if the requested file name is expJan.txt, and the exported data would exceed 4 GB, Essbase creates three files, naming them expJan.txt, expJan_1.txt, and expJan_2.txt. Exported data files can be reloaded in any sequence.
When you reload data that has been exported, it is marked as input data. If you reload data exported from level-0 blocks or input blocks, you must recalculate the database after reloading. When Essbase recalculates the database, it recalculates every data block.
If you export all data in a database and then reload, Essbase marks all blocks in the database as input blocks. Consequently, you cannot clear data, because the database does not contain noninput blocks.
When you reload data that has been exported, Essbase also marks the data blocks as dirty. If you calculated the database before exporting it, to save time during the next calculation, set the status of the blocks as clean. If you did not calculate the database before exporting it, you need not set the status of the blocks as clean.
To reload exported data, use a tool:
Tool | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
Administration Services | Performing a Data Load or Dimension Build | Oracle Essbase Administration Services Online Help |
MaxL | import data | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
ESSCMD | IMPORT | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
Calculation script | DATAIMPORTBIN (exported binary files only) | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |