Modeler Guide - Part 9 – Kepion Support Center

Deployment

Deploy Application to OLAP Overview

When an application is configured in the MODELER, you can deploy the application to an OLAP instance by clicking on the Deploy to OLAP button as shown below:

It can take upwards of a few minutes for a large application with lots of data (10’s of GBs) to complete deployment.

Should there be any issues during deployment, the Deployment module will allow the MODELER to drill down into the issue.

The OLAP database will be generated on the OLAP instance as specified in the MODELER's Manage Application page. Note that multiple OLAP servers can be specified, and if so, a comma “,” is used to separate them.

When to Deploy Application

In general, any structural change made to the application will require a Deploy to OLAP. This ensures that the application as configured in the MODELER is reflected in the OLAP database. The following circumstances will require the application to be deployed to OLAP.

New/Removed Model
New/Removed Dimension or Hierarchy
New/Removed Dimension Property
New/Removed Model Dimension
New/Removed Linked Model
New/Removed MDX Rule
Attribute Hierarchy property changed

When a Deployment to OLAP is detected as being necessary, you will see an exclamation icon beside the Deploy to OLAP button.

Deployment Scripts

Deployment Scripts allow the MODELER to customize the deployment process by issuing a set of XMLA or SQL commands upon each Deploy to OLAP action. The ordering of the scripts will determine the sequence of execution. Use the up/down arrow keys to adjust as necessary.

By default, the Process OLAP deployment script is created as part of the application and used during the Deploy to OLAP action to generate and process the application. Note that the application name is referenced in the Process OLAP script by the ${KepionApplication} variable.

Use the Deployment Script feature to automate certain tasks such as:

Dynamically update Current Month variable
Auto validate and correct dimension attribute values
Sync exchange rates from source system

Deployment Validation

Deployment Validation allows the MODELER to identify any broken filter and formula references due to changes in Dimension and hierarchy data. By clicking on the Validate button, the MODELER will identify all broken references and display them for review. Should a broken reference be correctable, click on the edit button and re-assign another member in place of the broken reference.

Hierarchy member references are primarily stored in tables within the application database. For advanced Modelers, you can look into the application tables to identify references that may be obsolete and correct them via SQL Script. The following tables contain reference information:

[dbo].[Formula_UniqueName]
[dbo].[Filter_Modeler]
[dbo].[Filter_Planning]

Application Settings

Applications can be branded by setting an application image. Application image will then be used on all the pages that have an application context. To set an application image, click the SET IMAGE button.

Tip: For best results, use a JPG image of size 200 X 200 pixels.

Importing and Exporting Application

The application structure can be imported and exported from the Application Settings module. Import/Export is not a complete copy of the application but rather a method for transferring the basic configuration of an application from one system to another.

In particular, importing and exporting an application excludes the following:

Forms
Rules
Variables
Dimension members
Users
Workflows

You can use application import/export along with form and hierarchy import/export to get the majority of application objects transferred between systems. The recommended method of application copy is to backup and restore the application database to a new SQL instance.

More Application Settings

More application setting options are available in the Settings node.

To collect workflow statistics, check the Workflow Statistics option. Once enabled, user access to the dashboard will be recorded into table [dbo].[LoggingDashboardPageAccess].

You can add colors to your application color template so you can easily access these colors when formatting forms and dashboards.

You can define the basic formats of the application.

Click the Set button for Print Setting, you can define the default print settings for all forms.

Drill-through (Transactional)

Any user belonging to the Advanced Contributor role would be able to perform a transactional drill-through from planning and reporting forms. However, before anyone can perform this drill-through, the Modeler would need to first define its definition.

Click on Add from the Drill-through (Transactional) module.

In the DEPENDS ON tab, select the dimension(s) which you want to have the drill-through results filtered by.

Click on SETTINGS tab to configure the maximum results that could be returned and also to configure the forms that will support this drill-through.

In the DEFINITION tab, define the SQL query definition for the drill-through. You can refer to the EXAMPLE tab for examples. Once you click OK, the system will let you know if there are any syntax errors and if not, will save the definition to the server.

Once configured, you can use the Transactional Drill-through on a Form.

Clicking on Drill-through (Transactional) will bring up the Drill-through window:

Select the drill-through definition PRODUCT INFO that was previously defined and click Drill-through. You can see the results below:

Application Variables

Use Application Variables to define global string or member values that can be used in Forms and Rules. The variable value can be updated in a single place with the impact across the application.

Standard Variables

Standard variables are strings. They are recursive by nature, thus they can contain other variables in its definition. To reference another variable within a definition, use the following syntax “${variable name}”.

Member Variables

Member Variables are used for easier management of form filter. Form filters that are configured to use Member Variable can then be updated together in a centralized place.

To create an application Member Variable, click Add.

Give the Member Variable a name and select the context (Member List and Hierarchy) for defining the member. Click OK to finish.

Then you can use the Member Variable in the Form. To modify the variable value, click on the Member drop-down.