MarcR
VIP

1. Log Cleaner

OneStream provides sophisticated and detailed audit trail capabilities using various types of logging. The logging functionality is distributed over the system and the Log Cleaner MarketPlace solution provides a single interface to manage the log files in your OneStream platform. It is even possible to automate the log deletion via a Data Management Job in the background.

As administrator you can select the types of log to clean, the application(s) and/ or users and even filter on a specific error description. The best feature is the ability to select a number of days the log should be retained:

 

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There is also a dashboard available to analyze the log by Type/ Size, User, Application and date:

 

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Pros and cons of the Log Cleaner:

Pros:
+ Operational in under 2 minutes
+ Manage your logs over all your applications from 1 central place
+ Can be scheduled
+ Dashboard with insight into your logs

Cons:
– None found

The setup is described in detail in the documentation and there is no scripting required. This add-in is literally running in under 2 minutes. Therefore, I classify this solution as plug and play (see my earlier post about classifications).

2. Snippet Editor

The second MarketPlace solution that should be in your application as an administrator is the Snippet Editor. OneStream is built on VB.net and has many system specific functions to allow the system to fulfill all your wishes (system-capability wise).

When writing a formula or a script, there is already a library with functions and descriptions included in OneStream. The Snippet Editor will give you an additional number of sample scripts. Also, there is a dashboard to maintain your snippets and to categorize or store your own snippets to be re-used.

The snippet editor requires access to Ancillary tables, so that needs to be setup by your (technical) administrator or installation partner if that has not yet been done.

After that, you just import the zip file, open the dashboard where you can create the tables, and launch the solution.

In the dashboard there are three parts:

  • The Editor, where you can filter on Type and (sub)Category to find and edit your snippets.
  • The Category editor, where you can maintain your sub (Categories).
  • The Pivot, where you can browse your scripts in a different way.

Strangely, the default categories available in the Pivot view are not created by default; the Editor will be empty after installation. After adding the (already existing) Categories and SubCategory to the Category screen, the scripts can be edited in the editor.

 

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Within the editor, there is also an option to download an Excel template and import your snippets via that Excel template. This helps you to migrate the solution migrate easily to another application. Unfortunately, this does not include the Category table setup.

The selected module determines where the snippet is available in the system. The table below shows an overview:

 

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So, a snippet created in the Finance Module can be accessed directly when creating a finance business rule:

 

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Imported snippets are available for all the applications in your OneStream environment.

Pros and cons of the Snippet Editor

So, how does the solution perform? The pros and cons that I’m experiencing are:

Pros:
+ Standard set of snippets available
+ Manage all your own snippets in one place to be re-used
+ Based on the category, the script can be accessed directly from the matching location in OneStream.

Cons:
– The categories are not default filled so standard scripts are only available in pivot after you create the categories

The setup is described in detail in the documentation and there is no scripting required. This add-in requires some adjustments, but they are not technically complex or time consuming. Therefore, I classify this solution as admin configurable (see my earlier post about classifications).

3. Dimension Comparison Utility

This MarketPlace solution actually runs outside of OneStream itself. It contains an executable file to be installed on your local machine. The tool allows you to import 2 valid OneStream Dimension XML extracts to compare them in detail. All differences (also property changes) are highlighted.

This enables you as an administrator to do a check before you load your updated dimensions from dev to prod.

The differences are shown in highlighted colors: yellow is a parent with a changed descendant, orange means a property change of an immediate child has changed, red means the member is removed and green that it is added.

The tool shows the members in a hierarchical way and when selected, the bottom of the screen shows the differences in properties.

 

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Pros and cons of the Dimension Comparison Utility

Pros
+ Easy to use
+ Quick overview of differences with clear colors

Cons
– The utility doesn’t automatically appear in your windows start menu so needs to be added manually (really minor con)
– The export should contain only 1 dimension

The setup is described in detail in the documentation and is nothing more than ‘next-next-finish’. Therefore, I classify this solution as plug and play (see my earlier post about classifications of the MarketPlace solutions).

 

4. Sample Import Templates

Another MarketPlace solution that is not imported into OneStream, at least initially. OneStream is a platform running on Microsoft and therefore all data and setup is stored in a set of SQL databases. As an administrator changes of a large quantity are often required and for those changes manually updating the application is too time consuming.

Many parts within OneStream allow an export- and import functionality to process larger changes. To help the administrator, OneStream has bundled some example files in this marketplace solution that can be used to make updates to the system.

The download file contains a zip file aimed at the relational blending side of the application, in this case Employee planning, but the templates can be used for many other purposes. The zip also contains a sample script to create a custom table in the OneStream database to be used in your relational blending solution.

Each Excel file works with a named range, based on the first three letters of this named range OneStream understands what to do. In this case XFT means that a table is directly updated from the Excel. The layout of such an Excel should exactly match the specifications of the fields in the table, which is why these templates are so useful.

 

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 The second zip in the solution contains regular templates to import CellDetail, Forms and Journals. The templates also contain a few sample lines so it is clear what needs to be entered in each column.

 

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Pros and cons of Sample Import Templates

Pros
+ Easy to use
+ Good examples of different ways to import data/ artefacts

Cons
– An explanation about named ranges and setup is not included. This can be found in the Design and Reference Guide (chapter3)

There is no setup required, only an extraction of the zip files. Therefore, I classify this solution as plug and play (see my earlier post about classifications).

5. Diagnostics 123

If next to your functional approach you are an administrator with a technical interest, this solution is a must-have as well. The Diagnostics 123 MarketPlace solution offers a central place to monitor and diagnose the health and performance of your environment. According to the documentation it offers:

  • Detailed environment snapshots analysis across application and database servers.
  • Live monitoring across application and database servers.
  • Detailed task analysis including task concurrency, statistics and counts.
  • Application server recycling.

Next to the general database server settings that apply to many MarketPlace solutions – and must be adjusted by your (technical) administrator/ installation partner if not done in the past -, this solution needs some additional technical set up. To allow OneStream to access the required information about your server and databases the SQL Server account running OneStream needs ‘View Server State Permission granted and a local administrator on the server to recycle application servers.

After that you just import the zip file, open the dashboard where you can create the tables and launch the solution.

The home screen let you select three options to analyze the system:

 

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 In ENV you can create, analyze and compare snapshots of the performance of your system. Standard reports are available to analyze your snapshots further.

From this page the server can also be recycled, where the user can do this smart (automatically when there is no user activity) or with force (terminating all running processes).

In TASK there is a graphical representation of executed tasks. The dashboard is very dynamic using filters and checkboxes so you can create the exact overview you need.

 

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LIVE shows the actual environment and task health. Standard reports are available to analyze your monitoring sessions further.

Many tasks can also be automated using Data Management Tasks.

Pros and cons of Diagnostics 123

Pros
+ One overview of the performance of your entire environment
+ Very dynamic dashboards giving you exactly the information you need
+ Data management steps required for automation are provided with the solution

Cons
– To fully utilize this solution, you need some more configuration and task scheduling

The setup is described in detail in the documentation and there is no scripting required. Standard usage can be done by the (functional) administrator. If you really want to utilize this solution, scheduled snapshots and more configuration is required. Therefore, I classify this solution as admin configurable (see my earlier post about classifications).