Load File Considerations

Consider these points when working with load files:

• Users must write macros to handle new line characters in Excel. Users cannot open and modify Outline Load utility export files that contain multiline formulas in Excel.

• If member names contain commas, you must use a tab-delimited file when performing a data export.

• If a member has the same name as one of the member properties (for example, Description), Outline Load utility data and metadata export may have unexpected results.

• If saving or modifying metadata or data comma-separated values (CSV) files generated by the Outline Load utility export/import in Microsoft Excel, be aware that Excel does not properly handle some formatting features in the CSV file. For example, Outline Load utility places the POV member information in double quotation marks and treats it as one column, while Excel treats the POV members as separate columns. Saving the file in Excel will place an additional set of quotation marks around the POV members and will add commas to the top header row. Outline Load utility will not recognize this as a valid format when the file is imported back. Oracle recommends editing and saving CSV export files in Notepad, Wordpad, or another text editor.

• For each dimension in the application, you create a load file with fields corresponding to the dimension properties. Each load file can contain members for only one dimension. You can define multiple members for each dimension.

• The required fields are different for each dimension being loaded. See Dimension Properties.

• The member name must be included as a field in the load file. If the member property value is not specified, the application default value for the property is used.

• When adding new members, unspecified values assume a default value or are inherited from the parent member's property value as appropriate. If the member exists and no value is specified, it is left as is.

• When you load a member that already exists in the Oracle Hyperion Planning application (for example, to change a property) and a parent is not specified in the load file, the member is left under the existing parent. If a new parent is specified, the member is moved under the new parent.

• The planning unit hierarchy load behavior differs from other dimension loads in that the import file specifies a complete replacement of the hierarchy instead of incremental changes, as is the case when loading other dimensions. Loading planning unit hierarchies first deletes all members of the planning unit hierarchy, and then adds each member specified in the input file as a new member. It is important to keep in mind that a planning unit hierarchy load deletes an existing member and its children from the hierarchy if the member is not specified in the input file.

• To specify a null value, you can use the reserved value, <none>, for example, to delete an attribute assignment.

• Header record fields can appear in any order.

• Only one dimension can be loaded per load file.

• Column headers in the load file are case-sensitive.

• The records are loaded one by one. If a record fails to load, its associated exception is written to the exception file and the load process resumes with the next record.

• If errors are logged when loading a year, and the year was loaded into the application, its properties may not be what was specified for it in the load file. Correct the load file record and reload the year to set its properties correctly.

• Parent members must exist or be loaded before their child members. In most cases, the load file must be sorted in parent-child order, either explicitly or by using /H.

• Data values containing commas and quotation marks must be enclosed in quotation marks. These examples show how commas and quotation marks are interpreted.

  Table 5-3 Examples of Data Values Containing Commas and Quotation Marks

  Value	Interpretation
  "quote""quote"	quote"quote
  """quotedstring"""	"quotedstring"
  """,quoted,"",string,""	",quoted,",string,"
  """,quoted,"""",string,"""	",quoted,"",string,"

• Member names with parenthesis will be treated as functions.