Adding Members Based On String Matches

You can add new members from a data source to an existing dimension by matching strings with existing members. When Essbase encounters a new member in a data source, it scans the outline for a member name with similar text and adds the new member as a sibling of the member with the closest string match.

For example, the data source in Figure 75, Rules File Fields Set to Add Members as Siblings with String Matches (SIBSTR.TXT) contains two new members (100-11 and 200-22) to add to the Product dimension. The new members are similar to strings in the Product dimension: they contain three digits, one dash, and two digits.

To add the example members to the database, set the values in Table 44 in the rules file:

Table 44. Example of Adding Members Using String Matches

Field

Value

See

Field 1 (Product)

  • Do not select a field type for the field

  • Set the dimension for the field to Product (field 1 is displayed as Product, as shown in Figure 74, Parents and Children)

Setting Field Type Information

Fields 2 through 6

Ignore the fields

Ignoring Fields

Product dimension

Select the “Add as sibling of matching string” build method

Selecting a Build Method

Figure 75. Rules File Fields Set to Add Members as Siblings with String Matches

This image illustrates a rules file for adding members as siblings of existing members using string matches.

Figure 76, Tree for Adding Members as Siblings with String Matches shows the tree that Essbase builds from this data source and rules file. 100-11 is added as a sibling of 100 and 200-22 is added as a sibling of 200.

Figure 76. Tree for Adding Members as Siblings with String Matches

This image shows the new members added as a sibling of an existing member, as described in the text preceding the image.