TM1 Forum

Hi I'm a new guy trying to learn TM1. Please forgive me if my question is too basic but I really can't find an answer to my problem so here it goes:

One excercise I was doing asked me to enter a rule on }ElementAttributes_XXX control cube. I used Display Control Objects to turn on display of the control cubes in Server Explorer but I can't find this particular control cube. (FYI-I created dimension XXX and few elements inside during my previous exercise.)

When I read TM1 Operation Guide, it explained what }ElementAttributes type control cube does and how they exist for each dimension but something doesn't make sense in my situation.

Excerpt from the Operation Guide:
}ElementAttributes_DimensionName
The }ElementAttributes_DimensionName control cube stores element attribute values for the DimensionName dimension. A unique }ElementAttributes_DimensionName cube exists for each dimension for which you have defined element attributes.

An }ElementAttributes_DimensionName cube is populated with values that reflect the settings in the Attributes Editor window, which you can access by selecting a dimension and clicking Dimension, Edit Element Attributes in Server Explorer. You can also enter element attribute values directly in an }ElementAttributes_DimensionName cube.

Problem: My understanding according to the guide is that I should see a control cube per each dimension I created. In Server Explorer, I can confirm that there are number of }ElementAttributes control cubes but there are still at least 4 missing control cubes which I have created dimensions and defined element attributes. (I'm taking that defining element attributes involve entering element name, assigining weight, selecting simple, consolidated, or string)

Am I misunderstanding the guide here? Please help me, I've been stuck on this excercise for the past 2 days. Is there any other way to find the control cube I'm looking for?

Thank you for reading and I hope I explained my situation to you well.
I will appreciate any kind of assistance.

goodstudent wrote:My understanding according to the guide is that I should see a control cube per each dimension I created

The control cube for the attributes only gets created once you have inserted attributes. You can do that in TI (AttrInsert) or manually using the 'Edit Element Attributes' menu option that will open the Attributes Editor dialog. It's the same with security cubes for dimension elements - they don't get created until you define some element security.

goodstudent wrote:(I'm taking that defining element attributes involve entering element name, assigining weight, selecting simple, consolidated, or string

Nope, you need to actually create an 'attribute' using the TI or manual method I just mentioned - that will activate the attribute cube creation. Name, weight, type are sort of 'in-built' attributes that don't get a separate cube that you can interact with.

goodstudent wrote:Problem: My understanding according to the guide is that I should see a control cube per each dimension I created. In Server Explorer, I can confirm that there are number of }ElementAttributes control cubes but there are still at least 4 missing control cubes which I have created dimensions and defined element attributes. (I'm taking that defining element attributes involve entering element name, assigining weight, selecting simple, consolidated, or string)

Robin got in with the answer before I did, and his is completely correct. But I did want to add that it's refreshing to see a question where someone has asked it clearly, and has obviously tried to find the answer for themselves. Quite a few posters ignore the Request for Assistance Guidelines and it's always great to see someone who hasn't.

I did want to add one thing though which is a common source of confusion; the "weight" isn't really an attribute of an element, it's only an attribute of an element within a consolidation. If you had three separate consolidations in your dimension, each of which contained a particular element, it would be possible for that element to have three different weights. (Most of the time it wouldn't, it would just have a weight of 1 in all three of the consolidations... but it's possible.) You should therefore never regard weight as being something specific to an element in isolation.

But Robin is completely correct; it's not, in any case, an "attribute" that exists in a cube. The ones in the cube are aliases, numeric attributes or string attributes.

@rmackenzie Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my question. I'm so glad I got this problem resolved. Thanks alot for pin pointing the gap in my understanding. I am able to move forward with the exercises now with much deeper understanding...

@Alan Thank you for your kind words. Your instructions on forum sticky were very clear and it helped me to ask the right question. Also thank you so much for your explanation on the weight, it got me thinking about the topic over and over. It makes perfect sense!

Hi,

I'm using 9.5.1 (vanilla) and when I create a new dimension and then add a new attribute to it via the Attributes Editor the }ElementAttributes cube does not get created.

The cube name is added as an element to the }Cubes dim (e.g.}ElementAttributes_Test) and the }ElementAttributes_Test.dim is created but the }ElementAttributes_Test.cub is not created. I've done a security refresh, save data, server restart etc. but the cube is just not there.

Anyone have this experience with 9.5.1 or have any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks,

Gregory

Hi GPC,

Can you still see the attribute in the dimension right click > edit element attributes? If not create another attribute, refresh and check for control cube

Can you log on as admin and see it?

G

Hi BigG,

yes I could see the new attributes and their values but they must have existed only in memory because there was NO Cube and when the server was restarted the attribute values were lost i.e. reset to the default values. Yes i had created attributes and was logged in as Admin.

The good news is I've found the cause - there was a Rule error on the }CubeSecurity Cube Rules;
147064 ERROR 2012-07-04 14:56:15.635 TM1.Dimension }CubeSecurity Dimension Update Fail. Rule Is Invalid: Error compiling rule, line number 11: Element not found "report_Valuation"

Once I corrected the error it worked like a bought one.

Thanks for your interest.

Cheers,

Gregory

Hi GPC,

Thanks for your post, Solved my problem. I had a similar issue and resolving error with rule load for }CubeSecurity resolved it.
I was working with TM1 Native security as an admin and never thought security will be a concern for }attribcube.

Issue resolved thanks again.

Hi,

I believe the core of it is, whenever you have a rule in a cube that includes the }Cubes dimension, and this rule throws an error, }ElementAttribute Cubes will not be created, and there will be no error message to make you aware. You will have to rely on the forum and on helpful guys like you, like it was for me today.

Thank you!
Holger