Creating subsets on }Cubes & }Dimensions

[sachin]

Does TM1 allow named subsets on control dimensions }Cubes and }Dimensions? We are on 10.1.1 and using Architect. I created a named subset on each of }Cubes and }Dimensions.

Subset.png (26.32 KiB) Viewed 10748 times

But these named subsets go away when TM1 service is restarted, which we do every morning. To me it almost looks like }Cubes and }Dimensions are re-created during restart thereby the subsets get deleted. I have built few processes that use these subsets as the data source. So these processes are failing, because they cannot find the subset. If push comes to shove, I can have these views created through another TI process. But I am hoping, that there is someway these subsets can be preserved.

These subsets that I need are MDX based. At first I thought MDX based subsets are not preserved for whatever reason. So I created a non-mdx subset as a test. And yet, it got deleted too! Besides, users guide doesn't mention any restrictions on creating subsets on control dimensions.

On other thing is that, we have named subsets on }Groups, }Clients dimensions. They do not get deleted. It is only }Cubes and }Dimensions that appear to have this issue.

Perhaps this is a known feature, and silly me cannot find any post related to this - even after searching in this forum or on google. I'd appreciate if anyone can confirm or point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

[Wim Gielis]

Hello

I can confirm that these subsets are deleted.

Maybe you could also duplicate these 2 dimensions in a different dimension, and base the MDX-subsets on the latter 2 dimensions?

[Andy Key]

Create a TI Process that has code to re-create the subsets in question, add that TI to a chore and specify that chore against the StartUpChores line in the tm1s.cfg.

[lotsaram]

The }Cubes and }Dimensions dims have always been recreated on server startup from the contents of the data directory .dim and .cub files.

However it is news to me that subsets created in these dimensions are blown away on server restart. I just tested this on 10.1.1 and can confirm it. I'm sure I have had subsets in control dimensions in the past without issue so I suspect this is new "functionality" that has arrived with 10.1. I have to say I'm not a fan, there can be plenty of valid reasons from a system admin perspective to have subsets in these dimensions and I fail to see why subsets would be deleted on server start even if the dimension is rebuilt. At least attributes added to these dimensions (and their values) remain intact.

Yes you can work around by having replica control dimensions (which I think is a good idea anyway) and/or adding startup chores but it would be better if you didn't have to!

[Andy Key]

I'm sure I have had subsets in control dimensions in the past without issue so I suspect this is new "functionality" that has arrived with 10.1.

I don't think this is that new. I can't remember where I had this issue before, but a have a feeling it was at a client who was using CX, and if it was them, then I developed their system in CX 9.0, and wasn't that based on 9.4.something?

I think I was using an attribute on }Cubes in the MDX to create the subset, and I would only have been using that in TIs, so as using StartUpChores wasn't an option back then, I would just have checked to see if the subset existed, and rebuilt it on the fly if it didn't. Very small number of users, didn't need to worry about object locking.

[Gabor]

I used to have several subsets on the }groups dim (static), I still have no issues with them under 10.1.1 FP1. I cannot remember any issue with it in the past.

[tomok]

I used to have several subsets on the }groups dim (static), I still have no issues with them under 10.1.1 FP1. I cannot remember any issue with it in the past.

That's because the }groups or }clients dimension wouldn't be able to rebuild themselves on startup. What would be their source? For }Cubes and }Dimensions it just has to read the list of .cub and .dim files.

[sachin]

Dear all ... thank you for suggesting alternatives. Given what we are seeing, I will now have to add some extra steps (replicate these dims or create subsets during server startup) to get our security processes working.

Thank you.

[sachin]

I used to have several subsets on the }groups dim (static), I still have no issues with them under 10.1.1 FP1. I cannot remember any issue with it in the past.

We have subsets on }Groups as well as }Clients. We have no issues with them. It is for }Cubes and }Dimensions, that we see the problem.

[Gabor]

Then you should talk to IBM and log an issue.
I see no reason, why a subset should go away during a server refresh - regardless of what kind of dim we are talking about.

[declanr]

Then you should talk to IBM and log an issue.
I see no reason, why a subset should go away during a server refresh - regardless of what kind of dim we are talking about.

As discussed the }Cubes, }Dimensions and }Processes dimensions are recreated on server restart by cycling through the data directory to see what .cub, .dim and .pro files exist.

In the process of this; the relevant .sub files are also deleted, I don't work for IBM so can't say for definite that this is why but it would make sense that this is done in case a subset included an element that isn't in the new version of the dimension... admittedly it would just give you an error message that you can click through but I don't think this would be considered an "issue" by IBM rather than just the way that it has always worked...


As Tomok pointed out the }Cubes dimension and }Clients dimension are a whole different 'kettle of fish.

[Gabor]

My mental model is pretty simple in such a case, if subsets are offered, they shall work all about the same across TM1.
So, I still don't think that the dim rebuild is reason enough to simply throw away subsets.

[lotsaram]

My mental model is pretty simple in such a case, if subsets are offered, they shall work all about the same across TM1.
So, I still don't think that the dim rebuild is reason enough to simply throw away subsets.

I'm with Gabor on this one. Just because there might be DimensionDeleteAllElements going on in for }Dimensions and }Cubes is no reason to blow away the }Dimensions}subs and }Cubes}subs folders. Any dynamic subsets that might have been saved should still be just as valid.

[declanr]

Don't get me wrong, I would much rather the subsets stuck around. I have had to deal with the issue in the past as well and gone down the route of duplicating the relevant control dimensions every night and working with my mimics.

I simply mean that I would be surprised if IBM would consider it an issue should you try to log it with them.

[Steve Vincent]

I'm using 9.5 and have *almost* the same issue with them. The service doesn't pick the subsets up on a restart, but the .sub objects are still showing in the file structure on the server itself. Like others i had to resort to creating what i needed on the fly...

[sachin]

Checked with IBM - per development team it is the design intent for these objects: }Chores , }Cubes , }Dimensions , }Processes , }TimeIntervals

I'm using 9.5 and have *almost* the same issue with them. The service doesn't pick the subsets up on a restart, but the .sub objects are still showing in the file structure on the server itself. Like others i had to resort to creating what i needed on the fly...

The behavior is same on 10.1.1 too i.e. on the server there are .sub files for aforementioned objects; but the dimension does not recognize them.

- Sachin