The Infocube 10 Point TM1 Health-Check: Part 2
This is part 2 of the Infocube 10 point health check for TM1. Please see this link for Part 1.
7. Fine-Tuning Application Settings
Things Like:
Setting | Location | Description | Default | Recommended | Reason |
AdvancedRulesEditor | TM1p.ini | Dictates whether the Syntax Highlighting Rule Editor is used or not. | N | Y | With Syntax Highlighting and Code Folding the new editor saves time and is much more usable. The alternative appears to have not been updated since its inception. |
GroupsCreationLimit | TM1s.cfg | Limits the number of groups that can be created on the Server. | 20 | 100 | Because changing this setting requires the TM1 Service to be restarted, as such its best to do it in advance so you are not caught out later. |
MaximumLoginAttempts | TM1s.cfg | Limits the number of failed login attempts before that account is locked. | 3 | 10 | When an account becomes locked, it will stay locked until the TM1 Server is restarted. |
MaximumCubeLoadThreads | TM1s.cfg | Limits the number of CPU Cores which TM1 will use when starting an application server. | 0 (Disabled) | *One less than the number of CPU cores available. | This will load cubes in parallel by utilizing the different CPU Cores. *Its recommended to leave this setting at its default value of 0 – Zero when your server utilises conditional feeders or has 80% of the cubes linked via Rules. |
TM1 Configuration Files: (Can differ based on Operating System or TM1 Version).
- TM1p.ini – Client Side – C:\Documents and Settings\*User*\Application Data\Applix\TM1\TM1p.ini
- TM1s.cfg – Server Side – TM1 Servers Data Directory
8. Separate Data from Logs
The Bottom Line: We recommend to have these settings pointing to two different subfolders (Data and Logging) within a single directory for your TM1 Model. The actual location will vary from site to site but as an example they should be:
- DataBaseDirectory=D:\TM1s\Data
- LoggingDirectory=D:\TM1s\Logfiles
9. Running TM1 via NT Service
The Bottom Line: Production TM1 Servers should always be running TM1 as a NT Service, This provides the ability to restart TM1 if there was a crash and the start with Windows.
More Information: You can follow our instructions here (Article: TM1 Server Setup) to see how to setup TM1 to run as a Application or as an NT Service.
10. Basic Rule Conventions
To check your rules for these conventions:
- Open Perspectives and Server Explorer
- Login to your TM1 Server
- Expand the “Cubes” leaf
- Expand a cube leaf with rule logic
- Double Click on the last leaf under that cube with the same name
The bare-minimum of Rule Conventions:
- SKIPCHECK – 99.9% of the time this is an absolute must! When this is excluded every cell within the cube is calculated regardless (performance degradation is an understatement in this case). When SKIPHECK is declared only fed cells are calculated. You can tell if SKIPCHECK is declared as it should be one of the first lines within the Rule Script. e.g. SKIPCHECK;
- The divide sign – When “/” is used to divide something by zero an #N/A error is generated which perpetuates throughout consolidations. We recommend using “\” instead of “/” which in the same scenario results in Zero “0”.
The Bottom Line: As a blank canvas, cube rules can become a black box of corporate logic if its not well structured and well documented. There is a lot which can be done to ensure your business gets the most from Cube Rules, the bottom line really is that without a well structured rule file, your TM1 implementation becomes less flexible for future updates.
Fancy a Checkup?
If your company has offices in Sydney, Australia you are welcome to a free Official TM1 Tutorials.com 1-Day TM1 Health check. Our checks are performed by our TM1 Consultants onsite and cover Hardware and Software Recommendations, TM1 Application Server Configuration, Implementation Checks, Alignment with Best Practices and Time Saving Practices for when using TM1.
Get the most of your implementation, Schedule now.
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