So What Can You Do In BPC Allocations?

Now that we know the goal, let's see if we can set a target.   If we have a target of what we want, that will show us how we might use any of BPC objects to achieve our objective.


This is not intended to be a tutorial.  I would expect you to know a few things.  The more you know the better of course.  But here is the crash course on Allocations and our Goal.


1.  In Microsoft we had TABLE Based allocations


2.  This means you can put in the variables you want to use, the values of them, and the system would read those at runtime, create the allocation and run it.


Basically you could store Dimension, the What, the Where, The using and total and Factor expression for use in an automated engine.  It was and is a real nice solution.


In Net Weaver what do you have?  Transparency for now.  You have to write the allocation then run it.  Most people are using a or many allocation library files and the INCLUDE keyword along with the run allocation command.


So what you have is something like this.

*ALLOCATION ALLOCNAMEIT

*FACTOR=USING/TOTAL                       

                                *ENDALLOCATION     

    *DIM P_ACCT WHAT=BAS(CE0004600); WHERE=CE0662000; USING=<<<; TOTAL=<<<
    *DIM CATEGORY WHAT=PLAN; WHERE=<<<; USING=<<<; TOTAL=<<<
    *DIM ENTITY WHAT=C9000; WHERE=<<<; USING=<<<; TOTAL=<<<
    *DIM RPTCURRENCY WHAT=LC; WHERE=<<<; USING=<<<; TOTAL=<<<

Followed by a  *RUN_ALLOCATION ALLOCNAMEIT in the same file or with the Allocation ALLOCNAMEIT being in a file of its own and an INCLUDE in the file that references RUN_ALLOCATION.

So what good is this?  The user community now has to KNOW what they are doing and goodness knows a great tool does not require that the users know what they are doing!!. 

What can we use to make this happen as an APPLICATION that reads variables and then sets or runs the logic iteratively?  Think about it...........


Well now let me tell you a few things that would help you if you need to understand what allocations does in BPC.


You tell BPC the Dimension to refer to (DIM)  the FROM WHICH DIMENSION MEMBERS to get data (WHAT) to WHICH DIMENSION MEMBERS TO WRITE DATA (WHERE) with a NUMERATOR (or variable) (USING) and another VARIABLE or DENOMINATOR (or Variable) (TOTAL) from which you can set up a dynamic FACTOR.


What are a few of the rules that are different from Microsoft?


1.  When referring to BAS(MEMBER) in the what or where you cannot comma separate them any longer.  In MS you could refer to a parent as ACCOUT1,ACCOUNT2 but in Net Weaver you have to use BAS(ACCOUNT1),BAS(ACCOUNT2) <-- so that is NOT GOING TO WORK!


2.  The above is one thing you will run into a great deal.


3.  Reading properties just is not as easy! (HINT)


So get ready FOR more in the NEXT post!!! (BIG HINT)