Substitution Variables in Partition Definitions

Using substitution variables in partition definitions enables you to base the partition definition on different members at different times. Substitution variables act as global placeholders for information that changes regularly; each variable has an assigned value, which the Database Manager can change anytime. For example, you can define a substitution variable named Curmonth and change the substitution variable value to the member name for each month throughout the year to Jan, Feb, Mar, and so on. In this example, using a substitution variable reduces the partition size because you need not include all months in the partition definition area to access data from one month.

To specify a substitution variable in an area definition or in a mapping specification, use the Use text editor or Use inline editing option. Insert “&” at the beginning of the substitution variable name; for example, &Month. Essbase uses substitution values when you verify the partition. When you perform any process that uses partitioned data, Essbase resolves the substitution variable name to its value. The substitution variable name is displayed when you view the partition definition. See Using Substitution Variables.