Calculating First, Last, and Average Values

Using time balance and variance reporting tags on the dimension tagged as accounts, you can tell Essbase how to perform time balance calculations on accounts data.

Essbase usually calculates a dimension tagged as time by consolidating or calculating the formulas on the parent’s children. However, you can use accounts tags, such as time balance and variance reporting tags, to consolidate a different kind of value. For example, if you tag a parent member in the accounts dimension with a time balance property of First, Essbase calculates the member by consolidating the value of the member’s first child. For example, in the Sample.Basic database, the Opening Inventory member in the Measures dimension (the accounts dimension) has a time balance property of First. This member represents the inventory at the beginning of the time period. If the time period is Qtr1, Opening Inventory represents the inventory available at the beginning of Jan (the first member in the Qtr1 branch).

To use accounts tags, you must have a dimension tagged as accounts and a dimension tagged as time. You use the First, Last, and Average tags (time balance properties) and the Expense tag (variance reporting property) only on members of a dimension tagged as accounts. The dimensions you tag as time and accounts can be either dense or sparse dimensions.

For cells of time balance account members, a member in any dimension other than the time dimension that is set with the ^ consolidation operator is excluded from the Average calculation; the member is, however, included in First and Last calculations.

Note:

If you are using Intelligent Calculation, changing accounts tags in the database outline does not cause Essbase to restructure the database. You may have to tell Essbase explicitly to recalculate the required data values. See Changing Formulas and Accounts Properties.