Exploring 11.1.2.3 Planning features - Modify Metadata from Smart View

This is the 2nd blog on 11.1.2.3 new features.

Some of the features in 11.1.2.3 are quite exciting and I started exploring some of them (if not all).

First one was @CREATEBLOCK and the next one was about SET RUNTIMESUBVARS.

https://blogs.oracle.com/proactivesupportEPM/entry/epm_11_1_2_31 says that there is a glitch in documentation, however I found out that documentation is correct. (It works as per documentation)

This one works

execute calculation Sample.Basic.test with runtimesubvars 'myMarket="New York";salesNum=130;pointD="Actual"->"COGS";';

According to the blog the code below should work, however it is not. Maybe someone changed the way it works to match the documentation ;)

execute calculation "test" on Sample.Basic with runtimesubvars 'myMarket="New York";salesNum=130;pointD="Actual"->"COGS";';

I'm in the process of creating a jar/exe where you can get user inputs and then run the calc script. (Currently this new function is included in the API to prompt a user for a variable but so far this has not been implemented in any product (MaxL, SmartView, CalcManager, EAS - none of them yet).

This post is about metadata addition in Planning from Smart View and "on the fly member addition".

I'll post about adding members using Outline Load web. (You can now export data and metadata,yes you heard right, new outline load web interface can now export data and metadata from Planning)

Add Metadata from Smart View

You can install a Smart View add-in for Planning Administration which will provide you an interface to edit Dimensions in Smart View.

You can now modify members without logging into Planning Web.

Read about how to use it here.

It is a fairly simple process to add members.

You can login to the Planning Application and once you install Add-in for Planning Administration, you'll see a new member under the application tree "Dimensions". Double click on a dimension, so that it creates an ad-hoc sheet.

You can enter new member/members in Column A. You can refresh the sheet, It will ask you to refresh if you try submitting without refresh, you can change the setting by adding a property value, check Selecting the Add Mode within Planning Application Properties. 

Don't get confused about Planning Web UI Application Properties, it is Application properties :)

The new member/members will be added (all new members will be suffixed with (*), you can change it by adding SMART_VIEW_MD_NEW_MEMBER_SUFFIX) to the Dimension.

I couldn't make it work after logging off from browsers and Smart View. I even recycled the services and nothing was working. Then I thought of expanding MD (like METADATA) and nothing was working.

Last option, Google (of-course) took me to John Goodwin's blog. So the properties are SMART_VIEW_DIMENSION_EDITOR_NEW_MEMBER_SUFFIX and SMART_VIEW_DIMENSION_EDITOR_PARITY_MODE.

I logged into Planning after a submit and that member is under Entity. (pretty neat)

If you want to move the member to a different parent, 

1. First submit member so that it comes under Root member - dimension.
2. Change to different parent and perform a second submit will move it to different member.

You can now create/refresh database from Smart View.

On the fly members

Now lets check on the fly member addition. so I tried adding a parent to allow Dynamic children in Workforce.

Now refresh Essbase so that it creates the place holders. I can see the place holders in Essbase not in Planning.

Now change a calc manager rule to allow dynamic members.

An RTP variable is created with dynamic parent member.

There are lot of enhancements in Calc Manager and will cover them later, You can now define Dimension Name in Variable Designer

It throws an error which says the member does not exist. So is there no "on the fly member". I'll update you all if I find something on it.

HTH