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IBM Planning Analytics

  • How to: Change the display row limit in Planning Analytics for Excel
  • How to: Mapping a CSV data source directory in IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud
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  • How to: Change maximum login attempts to Planning Analytics on Cloud
  • How to: Mapping a Network Drive between Live and Development Environments in Planning Analytics on Cloud
  • Aramar Tips: Moving Databases in Planning Analytics
  • How to: Change a Dimension Element Weight in Planning Analytics via TI process
  • How to: Using the While statement Turbo Integrator Process in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How To: Investigating issues using the TM1 Server Log
  • How to: Create Subsets driven by another Dimension in Planning Analytics
  • Aramar Tips: Creating documentation IBM Planning Analytics
  • Aramar Tips: Checking your parameters with a Planning Analytics TI Process
  • Aramar Tips: Using PowerShell in Planning Analytics
  • Fundamentals: Feeders in IBM Planning Analytics
  • Fundamentals: Cube Viewer in Planning Analytics for Excel
  • Fundamentals: DBRW in Planning Analytics
  • Aramar Tips: Analysing Data in IBM Planning Analytics for Excel
  • How to: Create a Dimension in IBM Planning Analytics
  • Fundamentals: What are Dimensions in IBM Planning Analytics?
  • How to: Edit Dimensions in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How to: Create a Cube in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How to: Add a new Element to an existing Dimension in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How To: Resolve ODBC error ‘unable to open connection to database’ in IBM Planning Analytics 
  • Aramar Tips: Working with Subsets in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How to: Check the Security of a Dimension in IBM Planning Analytics
  • How To: Check the version of IBM Planning Analytics for Excel
  • How to: Check and manage your IBM Planning Analytics licence usage vs. your licence entitlement
  • How To: Set up Inactivity Timeout Sessions in IBM Planning Analytics

IBM Cognos Controller

  • How to: Change the reporting currency belonging to a local subsidiary (or reporting entity) in IBM Cognos Controller
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  • How To: Change the method of translation applied to the P&L statement, or create different P&L translation views from the same source data in IBM Cognos Controller
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  • IBM Planning Analytics
  • Fundamentals: Feeders in IBM Planning Analytics

Fundamentals: Feeders in IBM Planning Analytics

In IBM Planning Analytics, Feeders solve a real modelling problem that we have in business reporting and planning systems.  #

IBM Planning Analytics is very efficient at calculating totals. It does not calculate every single cell. It only calculates cells that have values. This is important in a business solution because the number of cells rapidly increase. A simple cube of 4 dimensions with 2 years of 12 periods, a customer list of 100, a product list of 12, 4 geographical regions and 3 measures of price, quantity and revenue would have (2*12) * 100 * 12 * 4 * 3 data points or 172,800. This means there are lots of cells without any data in them.  

Feeders are the way that IBM Planning Analytics squares the circle of sparsity and speed. 

 

How IBM Planning Analytics Calculates Totals  #

To get a value IBM Planning Analytics operates a ‘pull’ method. A total is only calculated when it is needed. It is not stored, awaiting use. 

In the example below, IBM Planning Analytics calculates the ‘Level 2’ value of 125 by adding the 3 ‘Level 0’ values (5,10 and 100) when the user wants the value. It ignores the 4 cells with no value. Even in this simple example, over 60% of cells are ignored. 

This works when the values have been added to the cells.  

 

There’s more to life than totals  #

IBM Planning Analytics would be limited if it just let us add things up quickly. Business systems are all about relationships and conditions. When x, do Y. IBM Planning Analytics lets you add formulas to a cell. IBM Planning Analytics calls these formulas, rules.  

Let’s assume that the ‘Level 0’ figure is the measure ‘Revenue’ which can be calculated by the formula or rule ‘Price’ * ‘Quantity’.  

[‘Revenue’] = N: [‘Price] * [‘Quantity’]; 

IBM Planning Analytics does not store this calculated value of Revenue. This immense benefit is counteracted by the fact that IBM Planning Analytics now needs to check each ‘Revenue’ cell to see if there should be a calculated value there, and, as we have seen, there can be a lot of cells, most of which will have no values. 

 

We want our sparseness back  #

To get our speed back we must tell IBM Planning Analytics not to check all the ‘Revenue’ cells on the off chance that there is something there. We do this with the command ‘SKIPCHECK’. 

That’s all well and good, but now IBM Planning Analytics will just see empty cells. It will be fast but will not have any values! This is where we must take responsibility and tell IBM Planning Analytics that there should be a value in this specific cell. This is where feeders come in.  A feeder sets a flag which tells the database to evaluate the rule to get the value.  

To set this flag you would go to the section in the cube rules file after all the rules have been declared. This area is started with the command FEEDERS; 

We add the feeder command: 

 ‘Quantity’ => ‘Revenue’;  

Adding a ‘Quantity’ value will trigger the flag in the ‘Revenue’ cell. This will tell PA that there is a value in the ‘Revenue’ cell, and it will calculate it from this point. No value has been written, only a single byte set. This now gives a value of 145. 

We now have our business complexity, and we have our speed.

 

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Updated on May 9, 2023
How to: Mapping a CSV data source directory in IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud

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Table of Contents
  • In IBM Planning Analytics, Feeders solve a real modelling problem that we have in business reporting and planning systems. 
    • How IBM Planning Analytics Calculates Totals 
    • There’s more to life than totals 
    • We want our sparseness back 
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