How to rename existing members in an Essbase Outline

Question

Hi there,
I would like to do as follows:
1. List all members at Level-0 of a specified dimension (or parent member) that have names matching a wildcard string. e.g. names begining with 'JWC'.
2. Delete the Level-0 members that satisfy the above condition. I must verify the list from 1 above before deleting the members.
3. Rename remaining/existing members at Level-0 of the dimension (or parent member) specified above by attaching a required prefix to the existing name.
Note:
1. I am working with an historical cube and I must preserve past year data. Hence I cannot select "Remove Unspecified" on the dimension build rule as my current data set contains data for current year only.
*kp> The level-0 members that I need deleted contains data for current year only, hence I can safely delete them.
2. I am expecting some sort of script/s (CALC or Maxl?) that will allow me to do the above tasks (List, Delete, Rename) without any manual input.
3. I must get this done by 31 Jan and before rolling out the oldest year data. Hence I urgently need your help here!
Kind regards,
Kamlesh.
Message was edited by:
user616142

Answer 1

Thank you for your response. Being a novice, I must
say that I am quite hesitant in taking steps that I
am unfamiliar with, esp when dealing with a
production cube that takes about 6hrs to load when I
have a limited timeframe! However with additional
guidance (see my kp>comments below), I may be able to
try your method.No problem, we were all novices once upon a time ;-)
> - export the outline using the Olap Underground
Outline Extractor
(http://www.appliedolap.com/default.asp?ID=51)
p> Can I export the outline to just any location as I
believe it will simply be a text file?Correct.
> - do the necessary clean up to the exported
outline text file
kp> If this is the same delete & rename steps I want
done, then I need help on some kind of script that
will allow me to do this as it involves 1000s of L0
members. (I am also considering the tips from Glenn)
> - make a backup of your cube
kp> I did. Just curious - the L0 members that I need
deleted have actually been added via a change I made
to the dim build rule. I had saved the cube folder
before running the rule. I would normally restore the
entire folder so that all components are in sync.
Just one doubt: can I copy/paste the changed dim
build & data load rules to another location, restore
the cube from backup, and then simply copy/paste the
saved rule files to replace the old ones? This will
save me from having to delete the new L0 members.My suggestion is to tear down and rebuild based upon the edited outline export. If you find it easier to work in the outline directly, or to modify your load rules, that is your choice.
> - export L0 data in columns from cube
kp> Will the same Olap Underground Outline Extractor
utility enable me to do this?No, this is a standard operation in Essbase. You should be able to do an export either from a MaxL session or from the console. Check the docs for details.
> - build a load rule to load the export (so you
can ignore errors from records that will no longer
load)
kp> Is there anything I need to be aware of here as I
must get all the data reloaded onto original cube.If the members to be deleted have no data, then there should be no errors. If they do have data but the members will not be rebuilt, you will have to redirect where the data should load to. That will either mean editing the load data to point to the new member names, using alternate aliases, or recreating the load data for the new member names. Hard to be more specific as you situation may vary.
> - reset and rebuild the cube using the edited
outline export file
kp> I am assuming I can manually delete the parent
members and then run the rule based on the export
file to rebuild the dimensions?Yes, the idea is to edit the outline text file to meet your new requirements and then to build the cube again. You can either manually clear the dimension of all members or rebuild with the revised outline file using a Remove Unspecified option load rule.
>
Thank you for your suggestions.
Regards.Hope it helps. Be sure to document the actual steps you use for the next time you have to do this (and there will be a next time, trust me ;-)