Calculation Order for Asymmetric Data

Because the calculation order used for dynamic calculations differs from the calculation order used for batch database calculations, in some database outlines, you may get different calculation results if you tag certain members as Dynamic Calc or Dynamic Calc and Store. These differences happen when Essbase dynamically calculates asymmetric data.

Symmetric data calculations produce the same results no matter which dimension is calculated.

Using the data set in Table 75, the calculation for Qtr1-> Profit produces the same result whether you calculate along the dimension tagged as time or the dimension tagged as accounts. Calculating along the time dimension, add the values for Jan, Feb, and Mar:

50+100+150=300 

Calculating along the accounts dimension, subtract Qtr1 -> COGS from Qtr1 -> Sales:

600–300=300 

Table 75. Example of a Symmetric Calculation

Time -> Accounts

Jan

Feb

Mar

Qtr1

Sales

100

200

300

600

COGS

50

100

150

300

Profit (Sales – COGS)

50

100

150

300

Asymmetric data calculations calculate differently along different dimensions.

Using the data set in Table 76, the calculation for East -> Sales produces the correct result when you calculate along the Market dimension, but produces an incorrect result when you calculate along the accounts dimension. Calculating along the Market dimension, adding the values for New York, Florida, and Connecticut produces the correct results:

50 + 100 + 100 = 250

Calculating along the accounts dimension, multiplying the value East -> Price by the value East -> UnitsSold produces incorrect results:

15 * 50 = 750

Table 76. Example of an Asymmetric Calculation

Market -> Accounts

New York

Florida

Connecticut

East

UnitsSold

10

20

20

50

Price

5

5

5

15

Sales (Price * UnitsSold)

50

100

100

250

In the following outline, East is a sparse dimension, and Accounts is a dense dimension:

This image shows an outline in which East is a sparse dimension, and Accounts is a dense dimension.

If East and Sales are tagged as Dynamic Calc, Essbase calculates a different result than it does if East and Sales are not tagged as Dynamic Calc.

If East and Sales are not Dynamic Calc members, Essbase produces the correct result by calculating these dimensions:

  1. Dense Accounts dimension—calculating the values for UnitsSold, Price, and Sales for New York, Florida, and Connecticut

  2. Sparse East dimension—aggregating the calculated values for UnitsSold, Price, and Sales for New York, Florida, and Connecticut to obtain the Sales values for East

If East and Sales are Dynamic Calc members, Essbase produces an incorrect result by calculating these dimensions:

  1. Sparse East dimension—aggregating the values for UnitsSold, Price, and Sales for New York, Florida, and Connecticut to obtain the values for East

  2. Values for East -> Sales—taking the aggregated values in the East data blocks and performing a formula calculation with these values to obtain the value for Sales

To avoid this problem and ensure that you obtain the required results, do not tag the Sales member as Dynamic Calc or Dynamic Calc and Store.