Query hints tell Essbase what types of queries likely will occur. For example, to indicate queries at the bottom level of the time dimension, you can specify one member at the bottom level of time, such as January. This tells Essbase that any member at the bottom level of time likely will be queried. Essbase gives members indicated in query hints priority when selecting views, optimizing common queries.
If no member is specified for a dimension, it means that any member of that dimension may be used in a query. For example, using a query hint of (Sales, 100, East) on Sample.Basic means that profit margin measures for level 1 products at level 1 markets is a common type of query, regardless of Year and Scenario dimensions, which were omitted.
Usage-based view selection overrides query hints. See Selecting Views Based on Usage. User-defined view selection overrides query hints if there is a conflict between the two. See Understanding User-Defined View Selection
Asterisks “*” indicate that no member is selected for a dimension.
Hint | Use Case |
---|---|
(Jan, *, *, *, *,) | Frequent queries to the bottom level of time. |
(Qtr1, *, *, *, Cola) | Queries often include members both at the bottom level of product and the quarterly level of time. |
(Jan, *, *, NY, *) (Qtr1, *, *, NY, *) | Analysis at the state level of Market tends to stay at the Quarterly level or below. |
Numerous hints can exist in the same outline. Any view that fits at least one hint is given more weight than views that fit none.
Query Hints cannot contain dynamic, label-only, or shared members.