TM1 Forum

Hello,

We are using TM1 9.5.1, in conjunction with TM1 Web. I have a cube view in TM1 which is pushed to TM1 Web through an active form. In the cube view a dimension alias has been selected rather than the element name. Periodically TM1 web will display the dimension name, rather than the alias. This also occurs periodically when exporting to Excel from TM1 web. IBM seems to be at a loss. Has anyone experienced this before?

Thank you in advance,

cmann

Maybe this is just too simple a response given what you have posted...

Are you sure you don't have a duplicate alias issue?

Realize that you can't have duplicate aliases within the same alias attribute

Is this for all elements or just specific elements?

When using Perspectives, is the same active form that would be found in the application folder showing the alias and then it's the element name instead in TM1 web?
Are you sure your active form has been updated to the application folder to make sure you are insync in both places?

Also, if your dimension is being recreated with a TI process and also includes adding the alias attribute, and your metadata source file is not in the same order each time you build the dim then one element may have an alias one time but maybe the next time a different element has that alias

This is just an assumption as to how this could happen but you really need to provide more information

Did IBM support ask you these same questions?

Also, why would you export the active form back to Excel... that makes absolutely no sense given that the active form was created in Excel
Are you forcing your users to only use TM1 Web?
It's not like your users can damage the active form in Excel once it's been uploaded to an application folder
Certainly they can do what ever they want with the copy they open, but so what... the original template is perfectly intact
And if they do break the active form all they have to do is reopen it and there is no harm done

Anyhow, I have been working with 9.5.1 for a few months now and I certainly have not come across this as an issue

Hello,

We definitely do not have a duplicate alias issue. The issue occurs with all elements in the dimension, not just specific elements. The active form has been updated and the application is in synch. We do rebuild this dimension each night, and the dimension order would change each night as additional elements get added throughout the dimension, just not at the end of the dimension. The element id is a budget number, and the alias is the budget name, so the combination of id and alias would be the same each time the dimesion gets rebuilt, even though there are new elements added to the dimension each night. IBM did not ask the questions that you have provided, but they did witness our ability to replicate, and they have also logged a defect for the issue.

Here is a more detailed description of the issue. When a user opens TM1 Web, the view is displayed properly and the user sees the element alias, not the alias name. If you export to Excel straight away, the dimension exports properly with the dimension alias. If a user collapses one of the consolidated elements, and then happens to expand the consolidation, and then exports to Excel, the element id is exported, and not the element alias.

We are forcing users to use TM1 web, as we are in the very early stages of user adoption, and we do not want to support local installs of Perspectives. I take your points though, and they are certainly valid.

Thank you for your response. Additional responses are certainly welcome.

Cheers,

cmann

Thanks for the additional information...

Why don't you try this...
I'm assuming you are running TM1 as a service instead of an application server
Set up a test environment exactly like your live environment (except for the server name of course if its on the same box ) except run it as an application server
By running TM1 as an application server you will have a more controlled environment and you will be able to take the server down either through the TM1s.cfg or manually
I know it's a bit of a stretch but it may be interesting to see if any of the same issues arise when it's running as an application server instead
As a developer I tend to run TM1 as an application server specifically because I have more control over my environment but once it's go live it typically will run as a service

Anyhow, as for your comment regarding the reasons why you are forcing your users to use TM1 web, I guess I just don't get that
Maybe I'm just old school having developed with TM1 since 1994 but Perspectives is still my #1 choice as a front end tool which includes initial dimension builds using XDI's as well
Certainly there is a place for TM1 web and I actually support it's use in many situations but I've never heard anyone say they aren't using Perspectives because of user adoption

Best of luck to you and if you find the reason for the odd behavior it would be great to know what it is