Table 1: Inherent Differences Between Aggregate Storage and Block Storage
Storage kernel |
Architecture that supports rapid aggregation, optimized to support high dimensionality and sparse data |
Multiple blocks defined by dense and sparse dimensions and their members, optimized for financial applications |
Physical storage definition |
Through the Application Properties window, Tablespaces tab in Essbase Administration Services |
Through the Database Properties window, Storage tab in Essbase Administration Services. |
Database creation |
Migrate a block storage outline or define after application creation
Note: Do not use the file system to copy a block storage outline into an aggregate storage application. Use the migration wizard in Administration Services to Migrate the outline |
Define after application creation |
Databases supported per application |
One |
Several |
Application and database names |
Names reserved for tablespaces, cannot be used as application or database names:
- default
- log
- metadata
- temp
|
No reserved names |
Application and database information display |
Displayed in the Application Properties window and the Database Properties window in Administration Services (Information not supported by or relevant to aggregate storage applications is not shown. For a description of aggregate storage specific information, see Essbase Administration Services Online Help for the Application Properties window and Database Properties window) |
Displayed in the Application Properties window and the Database Properties window in Administration Services |
Configuration settings (Essbase.CFG ) |
For a list of the settings that apply to aggregate storage databases, see the Technical Reference. |
For a list of the settings that do not apply to block storage databases, see the Technical Reference. |
Table 2: Outline Differences Between Aggregate Storage and Block Storage
Dense or sparse dimension designation |
Not relevant |
Relevant |
Accounts dimensions |
Support with the following exceptions:
- No time balance members
- No two-pass calculation
- No association of attribute dimensions (See also Formulas.)
|
Full support |
Non-accounts dimensions |
Support with the following exceptions:
- No member formulas
- Support for only the + (addition) consolidation operator
- Restrictions on label only members
- No Dynamic Time Series members
(See also Member consolidation properties and Member storage types.) |
Full support |
Member consolidation properties |
For non-accounts dimensions, support for only the + (addition) consolidation operator |
For all dimensions, support for all consolidation properties |
Member storage types |
Support with the following exceptions:
- No shared members
- Never Share member not relevant
- Dynamic Calc and Store not relevant
- On non-accounts dimensions, two limitations if a member is label only:
- All dimension members at the same level as the member must be label only
- The parents of the member must be label only.
Note: On accounts dimensions, ability to tag any member as label only
Note: On conversion from a block storage database, attribute dimension members are tagged as Dynamic Calc. On standard dimension members Dynamic Calc tags are converted and tagged as stored members, which changes the Members Stored value on the Dimensions tab of the Database Properties window in Administration Services. |
Support for all member storage types in all types of dimensions except attribute dimensions |
Ragged hierarchies and hierarchies with more than 10 levels |
Support, with possible performance impact |
Support |
Outline validation |
- When database is started
- When outline is saved
- When block storage outline is converted to aggregate storage outline
- When user requests
|
- When outline is saved
- When user requests
|
Outline paging |
|
No support |
Database restructure |
The following actions cause Analytic Services to restructure the outline and clear all data:
- Add, delete, or move a standard dimension member
- Add, delete, or move a standard dimension
- Add, delete, or move an attribute dimension
- Add a formula to a level 0 member
- Delete a formula from a level 0 member
The following actions cause an outline restructure, but do not clear the data:
- Add, delete, or move an attribute dimension member
- Add or delete a formula from a non-level 0 member
- Rename a member or dimension
- Add or delete an alias
- Add or delete member comments or extended member comments
- Add or delete a user-defined attribute (UDA)
- Associate or disassociate an attribute dimension
|
Several levels of restructure. See Optimizing Database Restructuring. |
Table 3: Calculation Differences Between Aggregate Storage and Block Storage
Database calculation |
Aggregation of the database, which can be predefined by defining aggregate views |
Calculation script or outline consolidation |
Formulas |
Allowed with the following restrictions:
- Only in the dimension tagged as accounts
- Must be valid numeric value expressions written in MDX (cannot contain % operator, replace with expression: (value1/value2)*100)
- No support for Analytic Services calculation functions
|
Allowed in all dimension types |
Calculation scripts |
Not supported |
Supported |
Attribute calculations dimension |
Support for Sum |
Support for Sum, Count, Min, Max, and Average |
Calculation order |
Not relevant (Predefined by the outline) |
Defined by the user in the outline consolidation order or in a calculation script |
Table 5: Data Load Differences Between Aggregate Storage and Block Storage
Cells loaded through data loads |
Only level-0 cells whose values do not depend on formulas in the outline are loaded |
Cells at all levels can be loaded |
Update of database values |
At the end of a data load, if an aggregation exists, the values in the aggregation are recalculated and updated. |
No automatic update of values. To update data values you must execute all necessary calculation scripts. |
Incremental data load |
Data values are cleared each time the outline is changed structurally. Therefore, incremental data loads are supported only for outlines that do not change (for example, logistics analysis applications). |
Outline changes do not automatically clear data values, even if a data source is used to both modify members and load values. Therefore, incremental data loads are supported for all outlines. |
Table 6: Query Differences Between Aggregate Storage and Block Storage
Report Writer |
Supported, except for commands related to sparsity and density of data |
Fully supported |
Spreadsheet Add-in |
Supported, with limited ability to change data (write back)
(See User ability to change data (write back).) |
Fully supported |
API |
Supported |
Supported |
Export |
Not supported, except for the MaxL export data using report_file grammar |
Supported |
MDX queries |
Supported |
Supported |
Queries on attribute members that are associated with non-level 0 members |
Returns values for descendants of the non-level 0 member. |
Returns #MISSING for descendants of the non-level 0 member. |