Using Substitution Variables in Calculation Scripts

When you include a substitution variable in a calculation script, Essbase replaces the substitution variable with the value you specified for the substitution variable. Substitution variables are useful, for example, when you reference information or lists of members that change frequently.

You create and specify values for substitution values in Administration Services.

You can create substitution variables at the server, application, and database levels. To use a substitution variable in a calculation script, the substitution variable must be available to the calculation script. For example, a database-level substitution variable is available only to calculation scripts within the database; a server-level substitution variable is available to any calculation script on the server.

In a calculation script, insert an ampersand (&) before a substitution variable. Essbase treats any string that begins with a leading ampersand as a substitution variable, replacing the variable with its assigned value before parsing the calculation script.

For example, in Sample.Basic, to calculate Qtr1 as the current quarter:

Also see Using Substitution Variables.