Consultant’s Cognos TM1 Tricks (Part 1)

Just wanted to list some TM1 tricks that we've learned from our time in the field:

  1. CREATING ALIASES – When creating aliases, use consistent attribute names.  Name or Desc will usually suffice.  (We frequently find that name is used on one dimension, desc is used on a couple others and description is used on a few more.)  This reduces those “uh oh, what did I call that attribute” moments when creating a process or updating rules.
  2. IS A DYNAMIC SUBSET REALLY DYNAMIC? – Generally the extensive use of dynamic subsets is not recommended due to performance concerns.  However, many subsets are dynamic only at the beginning of a cycle, not throughout the process.  If the subsets are dynamic only at the beginning of a cycle consider creating them using a Turbo Integrator process.
  3. BUILDING PHASE SUBSETS – Views have a tendency to morph during the initial build phase and creating subsets can be time consuming if they are in flux, especially if one needs to add items back [since you must start over from the entire dimension list].  Set up an attribute on your row and/or column dimension that corresponds to the items that may be needed in a particular view; add a simple ‘Y’ to the attribute and create an attribute based subset that filters on the ‘Y’.
  4. UPDATING DIMENSIONS WITH A TURBO INTEGRATOR PROCESS -If there are multiple dimensions that use the same data source and are updated on a consistent basis, consider using only one TI Process.  It is frequently possible to update an overall P&L dimension along with a Revenue account dimension and an Expense account dimension, especially when the Revenue or Expense Account dimensions require coding.
  5. LARGE CUBE OR SMALLER CUBES? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.  Yes, TM1 cubes can include as many as 256 dimensions but that doesn’t mean a model should consist of one cube with every dimension possible.  Smaller cubes are both admin (rules/feeders are less cumbersome) and user friendly (easier to understand) as well as performance friendly.

Our list of TM1 tricks in Part 2 can be seen HERE.

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