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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Preventative Maintenance to Maximize TM1 Performance

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Did you know doing some preventative maintenance can maximize TM1 performance? How often do you do preventative maintenance? Probably not often enough. If you are like most TM1 admins, you probably have a list of urgent and vital projects you need to complete before the 2019 budgeting and planning season begins. Chances are, preventative maintenance on your TM1 system won’t make it to the top of your to-do list.

Think of your TM1 environment the way you think of your car. You know regular oil changes, standard mileage-milestone checkups, and rotating your tires helps to make your car run better and helps to stave off critical issues. While you likely get these services done on your car, you probably don’t do them yourself. So why spend time you don’t have on vital performance tasks for your TM1 environment? Instead, let the team of TM1 experts at Revelwood do the work for you.

How do you might benefit from a TM1 health check? Ask yourself if your system is exhibiting any of these symptoms of a less-than-optimal environment:

  • Your TM1 system is running slower than you want it to
  • Your TM1 reports are taking too long to generate
  • You want to get a better understanding of the components in your TM1 environment and how they are linked together
  • You’ve hired new staff who would like more knowledge about your unique TM1 system.

For a limited time we’re offering a one-day complimentary health check on your TM1 system. Our process consists of:

  • A review of your system architecture
  • An analysis of your cubes and rules
  • An examination of your Turbo Integrator processes to see how efficient they are
  • Recommendations on how to optimize your reports
  • Recommendations on things you can do to improve the security of your TM1 environment.

IBM Planning Analytics is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Cellput vs CellIncrement

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Did you know one of the most popular uses of TurboIntegrator is to load data into a cube? There are many different commands that can be used to load data depending on whether the data consists of numbers, strings or attributes.

When loading numeric data, there are two approaches that can be followed. 

  • One approach is to load the value from the record into Planning Analytics using the CellPutN command. This approach will overwrite any existing data in the cube.
  • One approach is to accumulate the value from the record with any existing data in the cube.

The purpose of this write up is to discuss how to accumulate data in a Planning Analytics cube. 

There are two approaches to accumulating data. The first approach is to get the data that is already in the cube, add that value to the value from the record, and then reload the total into TM1. Here is an example of this using a cube called ‘Finance’:

numExisting = CELLGETN ( ‘Finance’, vVersion, vPeriod, ‘Amount’);
numTotal = numExisting + vValue;
CELLPUTN ( numTotal, ‘Finance’, vVersion, vPeriod, ‘Amount’);

This approach creates temporary variables to tell you the existing amount and the new total. The benefit to this approach is that you can easily do error checks if the results don’t reconcile to your expected results.  However, the disadvantage of this approach is that you had to write multiple lines of code to perform one function.

You can consolidate these lines by using a single command called CellIncrementN. The increment command increases the existing value by the value from the record. Here is an example of this using the same cube:

CELLINCREMENTN( vValue, ‘Finance’, vVersion, vPeriod, ‘Amount’);

If the data loads properly then we have shortened our script by only having to create one line of code. However, if the data did not load properly then we have done this at the expense of not being able to easily reconcile the pieces.

There are multiple commands that can be used to load data into a cube, each of which has its own pros and cons. 

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Clearing all Data from a Cube

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: IFERROR

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Concepts That are Often Forgotten

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Errors in Non-writeable Cells

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Did you know IBM Planning Analytics is smart enough to look at the write permissions of a cell before attempting to load values into a cube? Have you ever tried to run a load process and then receive errors stating that you cannot write data to a cell? While Planning Analytics is ensuring that your data load is properly working, the errors can be disconcerting and can make the load process appear unstable.

TurboIntegrator contains a command called CellIsUpdateable that can be used to check the write permissions of a cell before attempting to load data.  The command uses the same parameters of the various CellGet functions and results in a value of 1 or 0 where 1 means the cell can be written to and 0 means the cell cannot be written to.

CellIsUpdateable(Cube, Dim1, Dim2, … )

This formula is often used in conjunction with an IF statement to determine whether a CellPut command should be used. Here is an example of using the commands within a Turbo Integrator script:

# Define cube name
strCube = ‘Finance’;
# Only load data if the cell is updateable
IF ( CELLISUPDATEABLE(strCube, ‘Budget’, ‘Company1’, ‘Jan 2019’, ‘Amount’) = 1);
     CELLPUTN (vValue, strCube, ‘Budget’, ‘Company1’, ‘Jan 2019’, ‘Amount’);
ENDIF;

This concept can be extended to include error messages, ItemSkip commands, or other aspects of an ELSE component. But most importantly to your end user … no error will appear when trying to load data that should not be loaded.

Error messages are great for developers and great for data reconciliation, but it’s not always what you want your users to see. This approach helps limit the messages that appear to the user.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Concepts that are Often Forgotten

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to Manipulate Case Used for Text

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Clearing all Data from a Cube

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

Home » IBM Planning Analytics » Page 28

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Clearing All Data from a Cube

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Did you know there may be several situations during development where you may want to clear all of the data from a specific cube? This could be due to a new process to reload data, a second round of user testing, or a migration from DEV to PROD. 

There are a few approaches that can be used to clear data from a cube.  One approach is to create of a view which consists of the entire cube and using then performing a ViewZeroOut against that view. This can be done via the following script:

# Define cube name

strCube = ‘Finance’;

# Destroy any existing views and recreate a new one

IF (VIEWEXISTS (strCube, strView) <> 0);

VIEWDESTROY (strCube, strView);

ENDIF;

VIEWCREATE (strCube, strView);

# Perform Zero Out

VIEWZEROOUT (strCube, strView);

The benefit to this approach is that you now have flexibility to manipulate your view. You can have the view filter to specific elements within a dimension and/or set the view to ignore values such as rule-based values.

Another approach is to use the CubeClearData command. The CubeClearData command clears all data within a cube. Using this function is faster than writing a script at the expense of using an “all or nothing” approach. The same process defined above can be written using the following single line:

# Define cube name

strCube = ‘Finance’;

# Clear all data from the cube

CUBECLEARDATA (strCube);

Note that the CubeClearData command also clears any cells in the cube that are fed with feeders. If you want to restore the fed cells then you must either manually resave the rule that establishes the feeders or use the CubeProcessFeeders function.

There are multiple ways that can be used to clear data from a cube and you can define what approach is best for you.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

 

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Financial Rules

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Did you know one of the great things about Excel is that there are many built-in functions that calculate values associated with specific industries? One of these industries is the financial industry where Excel is sometimes used to calculate values associated with annuities. But did you know that some of these formulas are also built into Planning Analytics for use within rules?

Here are three annuity formulas that can be used in Planning Analytics rules:

The FV formula returns the value of an annuity at the time of the last payment.

           FV(payment, interest, periods)

Payment = The amount of the payment made per period.

Interest = The interest rate paid per period.

Periods = The number of periods in the annuity.

The PV formula returns the initial or principal value of an annuity.

           PV(payment, interest, periods)

Payment = The amount of the payment made.         

Interest = The interest rate paid per period.

Periods = The number of periods in the annuity.

The PAYMT formula returns the payment amount of an annuity based on a given initial value or principal, an interest rate, and a number of periods.

            PAYMT(principal, interest, periods)

Principal = The present value (total amount) that a series of future payments is worth now.

Interest = The interest rate paid per period.

Periods = The number of periods in the annuity.

All of these formulas assume that payments are made at equal intervals of time (when applicable) and that they are made at the end of each period. 

Excel has a lot of great built in functions, so why can’t Planning Analytics?  Well, as you can see … it does!

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

 

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: IFERROR

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Did you know one of the great things about creating TM1 Web sheets is that you simply need to create an Excel sheet and then press a button called Publish? This will convert your Planning Analytics formulas into a web-based interface that your users can easily access.

In addition to the Planning Analytics formulas, IBM is continuing to expand the use of Excel’s native formulas.  Planning Analytics version 2.0.7 introduced the use of the IFERROR formula into TM1 Web sheets.

The IFERROR formula determines if an error exists and then returns an alternative value, such as a text message, in place of the error message.  The error checks include any of the following results: #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!, #NUM!, #NAME?, or #NULL!

=IFERROR (value, value_if_error)

Here is an example of the IFERROR formula within a spreadsheet:

=IFERROR ( A1/B1, “There is an error in the calculation”)

The result of this formula will eliminate hard-to-read results such as #N/A or other results that could make your Web sheet less user friendly.

IBM continues to expand the Excel formulas that can be used in TM1 Web and Revelwood will continue to keep you updated with these additions.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

Home » IBM Planning Analytics » Page 28

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Concepts that are often Forgotten

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Did you know that rules are used in TM1 to perform live calculations without the need for any manual intervention or on-demand scripts? This is a very powerful aspect of Planning Analytics and, when used properly, increase the value of the tool for your users.

There are some aspects of rules that I often see people forgetting. Here are some friendly reminders about how to use these components properly:

Division

TM1 offers two different approaches to write a division formula via the “slash”. Not only do I often forget the difference between the two slashes, but I also sometimes forget the names of each slash.

/

The forward slash; goes bottom left to top right

Division by zero using this operator returns an undefined value

\

The back slash; goes top left to bottom right

Division by zero using this operator returns zero

Mathematical Comparisons

TM1 allows for mathematical comparison of numbers using standard nomenclature such as =, >, < and <>. However, TM1 also offers the ability to compare strings via the same functionality. You can compare strings by simply adding an @ symbol to the nomenclature.

Numeric check:  IF ( numValue = numCounter )

String check: IF ( strValue @= strCounter )

And, Or, Not

When writing comparisons, we often use the AND concept and the OR concept.  AND is written by using the ampersand symbol ( & ) and OR is written by using the percent symbol ( % ). But did you know that you can also write NOT by using the tilde ( ~ ).

~( x = 5 ) is the same as writing ( x <> 5 )

Rules are a very powerful component of Planning Analytics. Hopefully these components help you continue creating efficient code.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to Manipulate Case Used for Text

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Did you know IBM Planning Analytics rules can be used to manipulate the case used for text?  There are rules to change values into both uppercase and lowercase.

UPPER

Converts an entire string to upper case

UPPER(‘Lee Lazarow wrote this’) becomes LEE LAZAROW WROTE THIS

LOWER

Converts entire string to lower case

LOWER(‘Lee Lazarow wrote this’) becomes lee lazarow wrote this

CAPIT

Converts the first letter of each work to upper case

CAPIT(‘Lee Lazarow wrote this’) becomes Lee Lazarow Wrote This

But what if you only want to capitalize the very first character?  You can do this by using these commands in conjunction with the LONG and the SUBST formulas. 

Here is an example of a set of rules that show various ways to manipulate a text string.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rules for Capitalization

By combining formulas together in Planning Analytics, text can easily be manipulated in a variety of ways.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Ways to Stop a TI Process

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Ways to Skip a Record Using a TI Process

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to Maintain a Hierarchy via a TurboIntegrator Process

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Ways to Stop a TI Process

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Did you know there are two different ways to stop a TurboIntegrator script?

The ProcessBreak command stops processing source data and proceeds directly to the Epilog.  This approach allows you still run code in the Epilog that can perform tasks such as deleting subsets, writing to a process tracking cube, or running other processes.

Here is an example of skipping the data and metadata section if a parameter called pVersion does not exist:

            IF ( DIMIX ( ‘Version’, pVersion) = 0 );
                 PROCESSBREAK;
            ENDIF;

As you can see, there are no parameters to this command.  You use this by simply telling Planning Analytics to go to the Epilog.

If, however, you want to completely end the process then you can use the ProcessQuit command.  This command completely terminates the process without running anything in the Epilog.  Here is an example of doing the same check with ProcessQuit.

            IF ( DIMIX ( ‘Version’, pVersion) = 0 );
                 PROCESSQUIT;
            ENDIF;

It’s up to you to determine how you want to stop a TI script from processing.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Ways to Skip a Record Using a TI Process

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

Home » IBM Planning Analytics » Page 28