Managing Databases and Applications ->Essbase

The common types of database artifacts in Essbase are outline,data sources,load and build rule files , calculation scripts,report scripts ,security definitions,filters,LRO's and partitions ,while some of the above like calc scripts,filters and LRO's are optional.

so where are these artifacts and essbase related files are stored on the file system???
Essbase installation files and files that are created when using Essbase are stored in the following
locations:
l .ESSBASEPATH—The Essbase installation directory.
In a default installation, the ESSBASEPATH directories are:
For Essbase Server:
Oracle/Middleware/EPMSystem11R1/products/Essbase/EssbaseServer
For Essbase Client:
Oracle/Middleware/EPMSystem11R1/products/Essbase/EssbaseClient

For a list of directories that are created under ESSBASEPATH, see the Oracle Hyperion
Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.

2. ARBORPATH:
The app directory location where Essbase application files (as they are created) and
sample applications and databases (provided with Essbase) are stored.
The bin directory location where Essbase configuration setting (essbase.cfg) and
security (essbase.sec and essbase.bak) files (as they are created) are stored.
In a default installation, ARBORPATH is:
MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/epmsystem1/EssbaseServer/essbaseserver1

In a default installation, MIDDLEWARE_HOME is: Oracle/Middleware

EPM_ORACLE_HOME—Directory under which all Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance
Management System products are installed.
In a default installation, EPM_ORACLE_HOME is:MIDDLEWARE_HOME/EPMSystem11R1
For example:Oracle/Middleware/EPMSystem11R1
l.EPM_ORACLE_INSTANCE—Deployed product location (includes data and applications,
deployed Web applications, and log files).
In a default installation, EPM_ORACLE_INSTANCE is:MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/epmsystem1
For example:
Oracle/Middleware/user_projects/epmsystem1
2 MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/epmsystem1/common—Directory where common
in.ternal and third-party components are stored.
3. MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/epmsystem1/diagnostics/logs—Directory
where log files are stored.
For more information about MIDDLEWARE_HOME, EPM_ORACLE_HOME, and
ESSBASE_ORACLE_INSTANCE, see the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.

Maintaining Essbase

Managing Essbase using OPMn will be covered later

Starting Esssbase server in the Background depends on th OS
To start Essbase Server in the foreground, use a method for the operating system on which Essbase Server runs (these examples assume that Essbase Server had been started at least once before):l For UNIX, enter the following command at the operating system prompt:
ESSBASE
2 For Windows, choose a method:
Enter the following command at the operating system prompt:
essbase
3 On the Start menu, select Programs, then Oracle EPM System, then Essbase, then Essbase
Server, and then Essbase.
4 In the file system, double-click the essbase.exe file.
5 On the Start menu, select Run and enter essbase.

Note: You cannot start Essbase Server from ESSCMD or MaxL.
To start Essbase Server in the background on UNIX, or on Windows systems utilizing a UNIXlike shell such as MKS, enter the following command at a command prompt:
essbase -b &

STOPPING ESSBASE
You need Administrator permissions to stop or shut down Essbase Server.
ä To stop Essbase Server and all running applications, use
quit exit Enter the Agent command at the command prompt in the Essbase Server console window.
Using MaxL alter system shutdown
Using ESSCMD SHUTDOWNSERVER (refer:Oracle Essbase Technical Reference)

Hour Glass structure Too outdated

Courtesy
Edward, Oracle ACE Director - HyperionI give a presentation every year at the Hyperion conferences called "How Essbase Thinks." The "Hour Glass Model" is something that I have to readdress every year, because there' a ton of bad information out there on it.

First of all, the whole "largest dense to smallest dense, smallest sparse to largest sparse" thing is a serious oversimplication. Back in the pre-Essbase 7 days, here's what it really meant (in order from top to bottom):
- Densest dense dimension down to your least dense dense dimension.
- Sparse dimension with the smallest ratio of parents to children up through your sparse dimension with the largest ratio of parents to children.

The whole "put Accounts first and Time second" only matters if you still calculate your database doing a CALC ALL (which no one should be doing unless your database is the size of Sample.Basic). Might as well put them first, so the logic went, since CALC ALL was going to calculates your Account dimension first then your Time dimension anyway (because that's the order of dimensions CALC ALL uses).

That said, this all went out the window with the advent of parallel calculation. This made it much better to put all your non-aggregating sparse dimensions at the end of your outline. Non-aggregating dimensions are dimensions with no stored ancestor values (like Scenario, Versions, and Year, typically are, for instance).

Further, with the advent of databases being able to use multiple compression types (Essbase 7x and later), you should be using RLE compression (most of the time, at least) with your Time dimension first to maximize repeating values in your outline.

That gives us a current "Modified Hourglass" model of the following:
- Time (if it's dense)
- Accounts (if it's dense)
- Densest dense dimension to
- Least densest dense dimension
- Sparse dimension with the smallest ratio of ancestors to level 0 members
- Sparse dimension with the largest ratio of ancestors to level 0 members
- Largest sparse dimension (if you're using the calculator cache)
- Non-aggregating sparse dimensions

It's complicated, I know, which is why people have been saying Hourglass since 1995. I could also go on to add that since dense dimensions are typically dynamically calculated at all the upper-levels that the order of your dense dimensions is more about storage and retrieval (and less about calcing) these days, but that would be too much boringness for one post.

On Essbase Optimization:
For anyone that has to optimize Essbase cubes at their company, there's an entire day spent on Essbase optimization (including both optimizing outlines taught by Tracy McMullen and optimizing calc scripts taught by me) at ODTUG Kaleidoscope. At last check, there were 15 attendee spots still available in the Essbase track at Kaleidoscope:
http://www.odtugkaleidoscope.com/hyperion.html

Unable to connect to Provider Server

Coutesy:John Goodwin
If it is not reachable then it sounds like APS is not fully up and running.
Have you checked the aps log, if on windows check user_projects\epmsystem1\diagnostics\logs\services\ HyS9aps-sysout.log and HyS9aps-syserr.log

Once APS is running

The URL for a shared connection should be :- http://:19000/workspace/SmartViewProviders
This is entered in excel, smartview options > advanced > shared connections url

You will need to make sure "Provider Services","Foundation Services - Managed Server", "Oracle Process Manager (ohsinstance....)" are running.