Update Cubes Incrementally in Cube Designer

Updating a cube is how you load dimensions and members to a cube outline using a data source and a rule file.

You can also use Essbase to add dimensions and members manually (see Creating and Updating Cubes from Tabular Data).

In an existing cube, you can incrementally update a dimension, or add a new one.

You cannot use Cube Designer to delete dimensions or rename members in an existing cube.

1. In Excel, on the Cube Designer ribbon, select Build Cube..

2. Choose an Update Cube option from the Build Option menu.

   When an outline was changed by a dimension build, the database may be restructured. Each of these options specifies how data values are handled during restructures:

   1. Update Cube - Retain All Data

      All data values are preserved.

   2. Update Cube - Retain Input Data

      All blocks (both upper-and lower-level) that contain loaded data are preserved.

      This option applies only to block storage cubes.

   3. Update Cube - Retain Leaf Data

      Only leaf (level 0) values are preserved. If all data required for calculation resides in leaf members, then you should select this option. If selected, then all upper-level blocks are deleted before the cube is restructured. Therefore, the disk space required for restructuring is reduced, and calculation time is improved. When the cube is recalculated, the upper-level blocks are re-created.

   4. Update Cube - Remove All Data

      All data values are cleared.

      This option applies only to block storage cubes.

• Dimension build definitions are contained within the application workbook and automatically generate the necessary rules files. You do not select a rule file when building dimensions in Cube Designer.

• When making changes to user-defined attributes (UDAs) while updating a cube incrementally using Cube Designer and an application workbook, you must specify all the UDAs in the dimension sheet, both new ones you are adding and existing UDAs in the outline. If you specify some UDAs (such as those you are adding), but not all of them, those that are not specified are deleted.

• When incrementally adding a dimension to an existing cube using an application workbook, the data is automatically mapped to the new top member. There is not a way to choose a stored member to which to map the existing data. If the new dimension has a top member that is dynamic calc, the data is lost because dynamic members can’t store data.

  When using an application workbook to add a new dimension in which you want the top member to be dynamic calc, follow these steps:

  1. Add the new dimension with the top member as stored.
  2. Run a calc script to copy the data from the new top member into another stored member in that dimension.
  3. Change the top member to dynamic calc.