FAQ Links - Last Updated 14-APR-22

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FAQ Links - Last Updated 14-APR-22

Post by Alan Kirk »

This post is a compilation by the administrators of links to threads (or other sites) which deal with some frequently asked TM1 questions. It's a dynamic post which will be updated over time; when new links are added the subject line will be updated accordingly as an indicator. While it's not a comprehensive index of the site and doesn't replace the search engine, it can help you find common subjects more easily. O.A.F. indicates a thread from the Old Applix Forum. (Following the change of name from OLAPForums to TM1 Forum the home page no longer has a link to that forum. You can find it here.) Where the link takes you to an external site, that fact is noted.

The links show the thread headings (as a reminder for those who may have seen them before but aren't sure where), but bear in mind that the thread may have evolved into a broader discussion of the topic listed. For example the "Access ODBC connections" thread started off about Access, but actually discusses other ODBC drivers as well.

If you encounter a thread which you think may be useful in this list, please send a PM to one of the Admins and ask to have it added.

TM1 Version Selection
Threads about the virtues and vices, quirks and foibles of various versions to help determine the best one for you.
Determining Your TM1 Server And Client Versions
Function to list TM1 version

Versions of TM1 Currently Supported By IBM

External IBM Site page "Cognos Supported Products Pre - Version 9.4"

External IBM Site page "Cognos Supported Products Post - Version 9.4"


TM1 Support Matrix; Which O/S / Excel/ IIS etc versions can be used with TM1
External IBM Site page "Cognos TM1 and Executive Viewer Software Environments" (old link) which redirects to Software Environments for Cognos TM1 10.2.2 (though it does in fact cover all versions from 9.5 to date).

Info on 9.5.2 and 10.1
Summary of the changes in 9.5.2, and TM1 V10.1 Release; New features And issues.

General Discussion of The Relative Merits of Versions From 8.4 To 9.4
Upgrade - TM1 Version selection

Discussions about Scalability And Large User Bases (With Emphasis on 9.4; Contains Links To Other Useful Threads)
IBM Cognos TM1 V9.4 Scalability

Stability of 9.5
Is TM1 9.5x stable?

Network performance, and choice of WAN, Citrix, Terminal Services or Web for user access
TM1 Network performance problem
TM1 Client over WAN

Older Clients Versions Can Connect To Newer Server, Not Vice Versa
9.4 Client seems incompatible with 8.3.3 Server

Major increase in memory in PA2 compared to 10.2.2
Planning Analytics using twice the memory of 10.1

Hotfix Threads, Containing Details of Hotfix / Fixpack Releases
What Hotfixes are, and how to install them.
9.4.1 Series
9.5.1 Series
Fix Pack Releases: 9.5.2
Fix Pack Releases: 10.1 Series
Fix Pack Releases: 10.2 Series
Fix Pack Releases: PAL 2.0 / V11

IBM Support Links
Introductory Guide to IBM Support
External IBM page Top Tips for Using IBM Software Support

New Support Portal
External IBM Page IBM Support Portal, new as of August 2009. (NB: The address may change after you use it as a logged in user; the site seems to customise for the products that you query.)

Fixpack Downloads For 9.4 and Above
External IBM Page Fix Central. The Product Group that you need to select is Software -> Information management. See also the thread New Procedure for Downloading TM1 FixPacks

Main Documentation
From the page heading: This information center contains links to information centers and product documentation for IBM Cognos Business Intelligence and Performance Management.
External IBM Page IBM Cognos Business Intelligence and Performance Management Documentation downloads for 9.0, 9.1, 9.4, 9.5, Cognos Express 9.5, 10.1,Cognos Express 10.1, 10.2 and 10.2.2. CAFE 10.2 downloads will be found here.

Downloads for Planing Analytics 1.0 (a.k.a. TM1 10.3, Cloud Only) are here.
Planning Analytics 2.0 (TM1 V11) are here.

On line copies of installed documentation for 9.4, 9.5, 10.1, 10.2 and Cognos Express 10.1.

Frequently Referenced Sections:
The Reference Guide. Arguably the single most important document in the library. It contains descriptions of most Rules, Worksheet and TI functions, as well as a guide to Rule syntax (a direct link to which will be found below).
Server Config Parameters (Tm1s.cfg)
Rule Syntax, including arithmetic, logical and relational operators used in both rules and T.I.
User Guide Data Spreading chapter.

Misc Documentation
Ever wonder where the documents from the old Applix "Center of Excellence" which was succeeded by the Cognos "Proven Practices" site went to? Apparently it's an IBM site called DeveloperWorks.
External IBM page Technical library page. Note particularly the TM1 Server Administration document, which gives an outline of the resources needed to create a TM1 model.

Solution Implementation Methods
This installs a browser-based project planning template for creating a new TM1 (or other Cognos product) implementation onto your desktop. Be prepared to wade through a contact details form to get it, and don't expect much in the way of technical information; it's a project plan, that's all.
External IBM Page Business Intelligence and Financial Performance Management Implementation Roadmaps

Cognos Express Trial Download
External IBM site page Trial: IBM Cognos Express

IBM / Cognos Formal Training
Note: Some private consultants also do training courses, which may be listed in the Commercial forum.
1/ Main course list. 2/ TM1 Admin Role training path. 3/ TM1 Modeler Role training path.


Installation
Threads or links related to installation issues with TM1, including server configuration, driver issues, etc.
Memory and System needed to run a TM1 Model
Follow the link to the IBM Technical library page and download the document TM1 Server Administration to get Cognos' guidelines.

Adding The /3Gb Switch to 32 Bit Windows (Allows the TM1 Server to use more memory)
Out of Memory problem
External Technet article How to Set the /3GB Startup Switch in Windows

64 Bit Issues
64 Bit installation package doesn't install 32 bit Perspectives & Architect
TM1 x64 install

64 Bit ODBC Driver Issues
Access ODBC connections
With regard to 64 bit MS Access, see also this IBM Technote.

Installing Axnet Service
Instal Applix Axnet service in 64 bit server

Running IIS in 32 bit mode for TM1 Web
External MS Article How to switch between the 32-bit versions of ASP.NET 1.1 and the 64-bit version of ASP.NET 2.0 on a 64-bit version of Windows. NB: Version 9.4 supports 64 bit IIS; see page 20 of the 9.4 release notes.

Client Security Models
External IBM Technote Difference between TM1 authentication, LDAP authentication and Integrated Login, with links to more detailed pages discussing the three types.


Cube Design
Threads relating to how to design cubes, structure dimensions, etcetera.
Limitations And Size Restrictions
TM 1 restrictions

Preferred Order of Dimensions
Dimension Order

String Storage Pre-9.4
Strings in TM1

Designing For Multi-Currency Storage
Multicurrency best practice

Time Dimensions; How Many To Use?
Time : 1d vs 2d

Reasons To Avoid the use of non-Alphanumeric Characters in Dimension or Cube Names
See OAF threads Rule syntax error - attrs and Troublesome Characters, and current forum thread Referring to a Dimension Name with brackets


Rules
Threads dealing with the design and implementation of rules.
Rules In General
Wiki article on rules
Olapedia Article

String Rules; must use DB(), not [], on the right hand side
Strange STR() function problem

String Rules: Consolidating Strings From N Elements
String in consolidation level

Rules Won't Compile If Dim Names Have Some Non-alphanumeric Characters
See "Reasons To Avoid the use of non-Alphanumeric Characters in Dimension or Cube Names" in the Cube Design section above.

Calculating Averages for Consolidations
Averages for Consolidations and Getting an average instead of Consolidation.

Calculating Max and Min (and Averages) for Consolidations For 9.5.2 Or Later
Max Value

Element Name Ambiguous Error
If an element name appears in more than one dimension the error above may occur. Fix it by adding DimensionName: (not in single quotes) in front of the element name (which will still be in single quotes). It doesn't work if the dimension name contains spaces or some special characters. See the IBM support page Unable to modify/create a rule: Element name ambiguous "<element name>".

Feeder Issues
Introductory post, including when they're needed (O.A.F.)
Feeders

Wiki article on feeders
Olapedia Article

Technical discussion on how feeders work
How do feeders actually work?
Feed C level rules

Feeding from one cube to another cube; differences in dimension count
Feeders between cubes

Conditional Feeders and Multi-threaded Loading (9.1) (O.A.F.)
Benefits of 9.1 vs 8.4

Conditional Feeders - General Syntax and the ReevaluateConditionalFeeders Parameter (O.A.F.)
Conditional Feeder Issue


TurboIntegrator
Threads relating to coding in TurboIntegrator, or the design of chores and processes

A collection of introductory questions about writing TI Code (O.A.F.)
How to develop TI advanced script writing skills

Purposes of the various tabs in a TI process and scope of variables
Variable not registering in Advanced tabs

Scheduling in UTC (GMT) and Daylight Savings Time
Chores & Daylight Saving Time

Limitation of String Variable And AsciiOutput Length, Pre 9.4
Long strings in TI; difference between 8.2 and 9.0/9.1

Data sources which have mixtures of string and numeric values; the Value_Is_String variable
Numeric or String??

Converting numbers to strings for AsciiOutput; Str and NumberToStringEx functions
While statements in TI process

ODBC Data Source; Dynamically Modifying the SQL at Runtime
Dynamic query argument in TI...

ODBC Data Source; Suppressing the Preview Display
Disable Preview of ODBC data source in TI?

ODBCOutput; Introductory threads on how to write to a relational database
TM1 Write-Back or Upload to MS SQL Sever, or MS Access
Upload Cubeview to MS Access

Dates: How TM1 Handles Dates And Times
Using Dates And Times In TM1. Emphasises TI issues but also applies to Rules.

Calculating Max and Min (and Averages) for Consolidations For 9.5.2 Or Later
Max Value

Language Add-In For Notepad++
Useful TM1 language highlighter for Notepad ++. Allows you to copy code into Notepad++ with syntax highlighting, collapsible blocks, etc.

What Permissions Do TI Processes Run With?
Run an Admin TI as a Non-Admin User


TM1 Object Security
Threads dealing with user level security in TM1.

High Level Overview
Prevent users from inputting data into consolidated cell. In a nutshell:
(a) For a single object you get the LEAST RESTRICTIVE access based on the groups that you're in. If any group gives you write access, then you have write access.
(b) Down the object hierarchy it's MOST RESTRICTIVE. If you have no access to the cube, it doesn't matter if another group gives you access to the elements.


TM1 Web
Threads dealing with the configuration or deployment of TM1 Web or comparable products like OLAPObjects. For threads dealing specifically with user interface issues, see the User Interface section.

FAQ Regarding The Changes In 10.2
IBM External Site page here.

Which version of .Net is needed?
Web App Customiser for 9.4
See also External IBM Site page "Cognos Supported Products"

Websheets Don't Show Cell Colours (Colors)
TM1Web 9.4 MR1 Websheet formatting. (The issues in question are not limited to that version.)

User Interface
Threads dealing with how end users interact with TM1.
Excel
Automatic Calculation and Manual Calculation Modes
Auto Recalc - STRESS !!!
Automatic Calculation in Excel

Functionality of SubNm, including change in 9.4.1
Subset editor opens without having EPICK code

When Does SubNm Return Secured Elements, And When Doesn't It?
Securtity Rights not working in Excel tables

Subset Editor Displays Distorted Element Names (First two element names overlap)
Perspectives for MS Excel Crashing (NB: See particularly Steve Vincent's post.) See also this external link on the IBM Web site: Jumbled/corrupt text in the Subset Editor

Unable To Access Admin Tasks - The Perspectives Licence
Admin rights have disappeared

Citrix / Terminal Services
Features of Terminal Services Vs Citrix
TM1 Network performance problem (NB: Discussion begins about half way through page 1.)

Web
About Regional Number Formatting in Web
TM1Web 9.4 : Decimal Separator

TM1 Web Customizer / Customiser and v9.4
Web App Customiser for 9.4

Timeout Issues
External Technote Troubleshooting TM1 Timeouts

TM1 API
Location of API Libraries, .Net vs C/VB and Other Issues
Unable to load DLL 'tm1api.dll': The specified module could

Miscellaneous
What are .cu$, .cub$, and other files with an extension ending in a $ sign?
Cannot open cube - cubename.cub$

Stargate Views, And The VMT and VMM tm1s.cfg Parameters
Stargate Views Creation

When Subsets Can Act As As Elements
Element-ghost

How To Track User Logins
Monitoring User Logins

What Is The Decimal Precision Of TM1?
The IEEE-754 standard allows an effective maximum of 15 digits, which TM1 clips to 14 digits for display because the 15th one can be "noisy". This document was written for version 9.5 but IBM modified it (13-APR-2022) to show it still applying to all versions of Planning Analytics as well. See also the thread Decimal precision.
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Alan Kirk
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Posts: 6606
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OLAP Product: TM1
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Excel Version: 2013 and Office 365
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Re: FAQ Links - Last Updated 26-Aug-2009

Post by Alan Kirk »

Originally the plan was to only update the FAQ Links post header with a new date when the post itself was updated. However there's a chance that some may not notice it, and not be aware of new links.

Accordingly in future I'll be adding a post at the bottom which summarises the latest changes (but only when there has been a significant number of them), which will in turn trigger an e-mail notification for subscribed users.

The links that have been added since the last date change are:
- IBM Support Links: A new section which contains links to IBM support and documentation sites (including some new ones), because with IBM's Web architecture you may not be able to find them otherwise...
- Links to the OLAPedia articles on Rules;
- A link to the thread containing Steve Vincent's cure for overlapping elements in the Subset Editor display.
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Alan Kirk
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Posts: 6606
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 2:30 am
OLAP Product: TM1
Version: PA2.0.9.18 Classic NO PAW!
Excel Version: 2013 and Office 365
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: FAQ Links - Last Updated 21-Jan-2010

Post by Alan Kirk »

FAQ Post Update Summary - Jan 2010

The links that have been added since the last date change are:
- IBM Support Links: A link to the documentation download page.
- A link to the Cognos Express trial download.
- A link to a thread on dimension ordering.
- A link discussing the use (or not) of non-alphanumeric characters in object names, and the effect that can have on rule compilation.
- A link to a thread on ways to supress the Preview display for ODBC data sources in TI.
"To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s 'Tuesday.' "
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Before posting, please check the documentation, the FAQ, the Search function and FOR THE LOVE OF GLUB the Request Guidelines.
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Alan Kirk
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Posts: 6606
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 2:30 am
OLAP Product: TM1
Version: PA2.0.9.18 Classic NO PAW!
Excel Version: 2013 and Office 365
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: FAQ Links - Last Updated 10-Sep-2010

Post by Alan Kirk »

FAQ Post Update Summary - Sep 2010

The links that have been added since the last date change are:
- Stability of 9.1.
- the Hotfix threads.
- The IBM documentation downloads pages and the on-line documentation for 9.4/9.5.
- The official IBM training courses pages.
- A link to the page that contains the Server Administration document (Cognos guidelines for setting up a server).
- Two threads dealing with the calculation of averages.
- Disabling of ODBC previews in a TI.
"To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s 'Tuesday.' "
-----------
Before posting, please check the documentation, the FAQ, the Search function and FOR THE LOVE OF GLUB the Request Guidelines.
User avatar
Alan Kirk
Site Admin
Posts: 6606
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 2:30 am
OLAP Product: TM1
Version: PA2.0.9.18 Classic NO PAW!
Excel Version: 2013 and Office 365
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: FAQ Links - Last Updated 09-Feb-2012

Post by Alan Kirk »

FAQ Post Update Summary - Feb 2012

(I should probably do these more often. I also need to check that some of the older links are still current / relevant.)

- Page Title of the external page "Top Tips for Using IBM Software Support" updated (16-May-11).
- Links to the "Summary of the changes in 9.5.2" (13-May-11) and "TM1 V10.1 Release; New features And issues" (09-Feb-12) threads added.
- Links to Cognos Express 9.5 Online Documentation (23-Sep-11), 10.1 document downloads and 10.1 onlune documentation added (09-Feb-12).
- Link to external page "Business Intelligence and Financial Performance Management Implementation Roadmaps" added (14-Jan-11), updated 09-Feb-12.
- Link to technote on Difference between TM1 authentication, LDAP authentication and Integrated Login added (24-Jan-11).
- Link to a thread discussing how C level feeders work added (01-Feb-12).
- Link to an external TechDoc on garbled text in the subset editor added (24-Feb-11).
- Link to a thread on the Perspectives Licence added (24-Feb-11).
- Link to an explanation on .cub$ files added (24-Feb-11).
"To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s 'Tuesday.' "
-----------
Before posting, please check the documentation, the FAQ, the Search function and FOR THE LOVE OF GLUB the Request Guidelines.
User avatar
Alan Kirk
Site Admin
Posts: 6606
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 2:30 am
OLAP Product: TM1
Version: PA2.0.9.18 Classic NO PAW!
Excel Version: 2013 and Office 365
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

FAQ Links - Changes And Updates

Post by Alan Kirk »

Rather than doing separate posts each time, from now on this one post will be a generic one outlining any additions, deletions and changes made to the FAQ.

24-NOV-13: Added
Calculating Max and Min (and Averages) for Consolidations For 9.5.2 Or Later
Max Value
To both the Rules and TI Headings.

24-JAN-14: Added
Stargate Views, And The VMT and VMM tm1s.cfg Parameters
Stargate Views Creation
To Miscellaneous.

15-MAY-14: Added
Link to the 10.2.2 Product documentation .pdfs.

05-SEP-14
Fixed all of the links to Old Applix Forum threads. They all were still pointing to http://applixforum.OLAPforums.com/ (the original name of this forum; the domain has since lapsed) rather than the current one of http://applixforum.tm1forum.com/.

10-OCT-14
Added link to online documentation for 10.2.
Added the section on TM1 Object Security.

15-OCT-14
Added link to CAFE documentation download.

20-OCT-15
Added links to the 9.5.2, 10.1 and 10.2 fixpack threads.

05-DEC-14
Updated the links in the "Frequently Referenced Sections" list of the Main Documentation section. These previously pointed to a mixture of 9.5.2 and 10.1; all have been updated to point to the 10.2 documentation.

08-JAN-15
Added the link under the heading "Determining Your TM1 Server And Client Versions".

22-JAN-15
Added a link to the Notepad++ language thread.

15-FEB-15
Added a link to the Decimal Precision thread.

22-FEB-15
Added the "What Permissions Do TI Processes Run With?" item.

28-JUL-15
Added the "When Subsets Can Act As As Elements" item.

11-NOV-15
Added the "Troubleshooting TM1 Timeouts" technote link.
"To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s 'Tuesday.' "
-----------
Before posting, please check the documentation, the FAQ, the Search function and FOR THE LOVE OF GLUB the Request Guidelines.
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