Find Report Dependencies

[nrh]

Hi all,

I'm trying to identify which reports are dependent on certain query items so that I can inform Report Authors when I am about to ruin their reports.

However, this function (Tools > Find Report Dependencies) only seems to work at the Query Subject level in the TableSpace that I publish to Authors.

In this TableSpace I have shortcuts which then link to the underlying table. For example in each Datamart I have a market dimension which is really a shortcut to the underlying market dimension which is hidden from authors - so that I only have to maintain one market dimension table.

So when I select the 'Deal' datamart and then the 'Market' dimension within it 'Find Report Dependencies' works as expected in that I receive a report which shows me all the reports which contain items from the Market Dimension in the Deals datamart. I guess it is searching all report which contain the string '[Deal].[Markets]'. This is a big list.

What I really want is to be able to select a Data Item in the market dimension, say MarketName, and get a list of all the reports that contain just this item - so the report would contain [Deal].[Market].[MarketName].

However because I use short-cuts I have to go to the 'hidden' TableSpace ([MarketDim]) to select [MarketName]. Running 'Find Report Dependencies' at this point returns no results even though I know there are reports which contain this Item.

What I think happens is that 'Find Report Dependencies' looks for the NameSpace [MarketDim] which is the name of the hidden base table which I shortcut to, rather then using the name in the User View (ie [Market]).

Any ideas how I might get this to work?

Many thanks,

NRH.

[Darek]

Sounds like a great enhancement request or could be a candidate for SDK code.

To be devil's advocate here, the reason why FM is not able to do what you need it to, is that it can only analyze directly impacted reports. Say for example you've had a calculated column, made of two database fields, published as a single query item. It will be possible to analyze impact of changing the calculated column, but not any of the database fields which actually make it.

Again, could be done with SDK.

[nrh]

Is there a way of manually searching the reports for the item I'm considering changing? I'm wondering whether I could search the content store for instance??

nrh.

[Darek]

Theoretically, YES (sounds like a line from "5th Element" with Bruce Willis).

The thing is that there is no documentation whatsoever telling us what is stored where. Some people were successful in reverse engineering the Content Store DB, but whatever utility they've developed might not work in the next release as the Content Store structure might and most probably will change in the future.

However, you can utilize SDK and JAVA to query CS and get models and reports out. They will be returned as XML documents, which you could process with SAX for example to provide for better impact analysis tool. Alternatively, you could just pay somebody to develop such utility for you (wink, wink, ... I hope I am not pushing the posting rules of this forum). If you need some names, shoot me an email off-line.

[COGNOiSe administrator]

Thanks Darek.

nrh, all emails can come through me initially and I will pass on. Darek can then reply directly.

Have to keep those spammers at bay.