Essbase 11.1.2.3.500 Released

Looks like Essbase has been the first product in the EPM 11.1.2.3 code line to receive the PSU 500 treatment. The following patches have been released for Essbase and its helper applications on Monday:

Component	Patch ID
Essbase Client MSI (Windows)	17767307
Essbase Client (OPatch)	17767301
Essbase Runtime Client	17767299
Essbase Server	17767302
Essbase Administration Server	17767309
Provider Services	17767293

The updates include a large number of fixes but this is not just a bugfix release, especially not for Essbase Server. Take a look at the list of new features after the jump:

• Hybrid Aggregation Mode in Block Storage databases: Turned on using a new parameter in Essbase.cfg (ASODYNAMICAGGINBSO). This new dynamic aggregation mode is likely to enhance performance under the following scenarios.
• When BSO databases that have stored members above level 0, and are calculated according to hierarchy rather than by calculation scripts.
• When using outlines with Dynamic Calc members that have more than 100 children.
• When using transparent partitions (both BSO-to-BSO and BSO-to-ASO, depending on circumstances - see the patch documentation)
• Faster MDX queries
• Performance of MDX queries containing Aggregate and Sum Functions has been optimized. See the readme file for details on how to utilize the optimization features.
• Using FIXPARALLEL parallel calculation
• New FIXPARALLEL command block syntax allows the commands inside the block to be executed in parallel threads. Again check out the readme file for the syntax and examples about this very promising feature.
• Expanded use of CALCPARALLEL 
• New command "SET FORCEPARALLELCALC" can be used to enable CALCPARALLEL mode also in scripts that include @XREF or @XWRITE (in case there are no other factors blocking parallel execution).
• Enabling in-place data writing with Exalytics
• The possibility of writing data into existing data blocks instead of new disk locations reduces data fragmentation (available on Exalytics platform only).
• Managing Block Storage application caches: ASO-like application cache functionality is now available to BSO with the hybrid aggregation mode (alter application ... set cache_size/get cache_size in MaxL).

Quite a set of improvements, huh? See the readme file for Essbase Server PSU 500 for loads of additional details.

Note: According to Oracle Support Doc ID 1636972.1 you need to apply the Essbase RTC patch on servers hosting Essbase and EAS to avoid issues.