How to Use Spreadsheet Update Logging

For extra protection against data loss and for spreadsheet audit information, Essbase provides spreadsheet update logging, which you enable by using the SSAUDIT or SSAUDITR parameter in the essbase.cfg file on the server. You can specify SSAUDIT for all databases on the server or for individual databases. See the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference.

Essbase handles recovery under normal situations. However, sometimes you may want to load the spreadsheet update log manually. For example, if you have restored from a recent backup and do not want to lose changes made since the backup or you experience a media failure, you can recover transactions from the update log. To do so, use the Essbase command-line facility, ESSCMD, from the server console.

The following ESSCMD command sequence loads the update log:

LOGIN hostnode username password
SELECT appname dbname
LOADDATA 3 filepath:appname.ATX
EXIT

To simplify loading the update log, prepare a batch file as described in Using Script and Batch Files for Batch Processing.

When SSAUDIT or SSAUDITR is specified, Essbase logs spreadsheet update transactions chronologically. Essbase uses two files:

Both files are stored on the server.

The spreadsheet update log can get quite large, even if you are using SSAUDITR, Essbase clears the log only after you back up data. If spreadsheet updates are frequent, consider periodically deleting the log manually.

When a database is started after a shutdown, if spreadsheet logging is enabled, Essbase writes the following message to the database log:

Starting Spreadsheet Log
volumename\app\appname\dbname\dbname.atx for database dbname

An example of the message is:

Starting Spreadsheet Log Hyperion\products\Essbase\EssbaseServer\app\app1\sample\sample.atx for database Sample

To ensure successful spreadsheet update logging, stop and restart the application after either of the following:

Essbase ensures that if you enable spreadsheet logging, updates cannot take place without being logged. If for any reason Essbase cannot write to the update log, Essbase stops the transaction and issues an error message.

SSAUDIT and SSAUDITR are available only from the essbase.cfg file.