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Prior and MDshift Functions

The PRIOR and MDSHIFT functions allow for comparisons of members across time periods in Essbase. PRIOR compares a member to the prior period on a single dimension. MDSHIFT allows comparisons across multiple dimensions by shifting members on different dimensions. An if/then/else statement is used to dynamically compare the current member to the appropriate prior member depending on whether the selected member is January, Quarter 1, or a year total by using either PRIOR or MDSHIFT.

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Vish Yrdy
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2K views

Prior and MDshift Functions

The PRIOR and MDSHIFT functions allow for comparisons of members across time periods in Essbase. PRIOR compares a member to the prior period on a single dimension. MDSHIFT allows comparisons across multiple dimensions by shifting members on different dimensions. An if/then/else statement is used to dynamically compare the current member to the appropriate prior member depending on whether the selected member is January, Quarter 1, or a year total by using either PRIOR or MDSHIFT.

Uploaded by

Vish Yrdy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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@PRIOR

The PRIOR function provides a way to compare a member outside of the Time_Period dimension in
multiple Time_Period members. For example, accounts for July could be compared to June, or Quarter
2 could be compared to Quarter 1. There are two parameters that this function accepts. The first is the
member to get the prior value for. The second is the number of periods you want to shift the
comparison. If @PRIOR(Asset123,1) is used, it would provide the value for the period previous to
what you had selected in the Time_Period member. So, if June was selected, it would provide the value
for May. If the formula was @PRIOR(Asset123,2) and June was selected, the result would be the value
for April (2 periods back). The function uses members at the same generation, so
@PRIOR(Asset123,1) would provide the difference between Qtr2 and Qtr1 if Qtr2 was selected.

So, what happens if January or Qtr1 is selected? There is no previous member for these. This is where
the second function comes in to play.

@MDSHIFT
MDSHIFT is similar to PRIOR, but it lets the calculation reference members across dimensions. Where
PRIOR only allows references on one dimension, MDSHIFT allows references to move across multiple
dimensions. If the user expects to see the different between Jan and Dec of the prior year or Qtr1 to
Qtr4 of the prior year, MDSHIFT enables that to happen without hard coding the script. Again, the goal
is to have a script that doesnt need to be maintained.

MDSHIFT accepts a set of parameters. If your shift needs to occur along one dimension, it requires one
set of parameters. If your shift needs to occur along more than one dimension, it will accept multiple
sets. The functions first parameter is the member you are evaluating, just like the PRIOR function. The
next set of parameters is what can exist multiple times if you are shifting along multiple dimensions.
The set consists of three parameters, of which the first two are required. The first of the set is the
number of positions to shift. The second is the dimension to shift on. The third is a range of member to
use to shift along. If this is left blank, Essbase uses level 0 members.

To get the prior value for Jan, or Dec of the previous year, it would be MDSHIFT("Asset123",-
1,"Year",,11,"Time_Period",). The first parameter is the member to evaluate. The next two parameters
are used to reference the previous member (-1) in the Year dimension. Since the Year dimension
members are level 0, the fourth parameter is not required. The next series, or set, references Dec (+11,
or move forward 11 from Jan) of the Time_Period dimension. The last parameter is not required since
we only want to reference level 0 members again.

Putting it all together
If we put these two functions together with a basic if/then/else statement, we get a dynamic formula
that wont need to be updated as we progress through time. It would look something like this:

If(@ISMBR("Jan"))
/* if Jan, then we have to compare Jan in the current year to Dec [shift +11] in the prior year
[shift -1] */
"Asset123" - @MDSHIFT("Asset123",-1,"Year",,11,"Time_Period",);
ELSEIF(@ISMBR("Qtr1"))
/* if Qtr1, then we have to compare Qtr1 in the current year to Qtr4 [shift +3] in the prior year
[shift -1]
The last parameter includes a range since we are not using level 0, which is the default */
" Asset123" - @MDSHIFT("Asset123",-1,"Year",,3,"Time_Period",("Qtr1","Qtr2","Qtr3","Qtr4"));
ELSEIF(@ISMBR("YearTotal"))
/* if Year, then we have to compare to last year [shift -1] */
" Asset123" - @MDSHIFT("Asset123",-1,"Year",);
ELSE
/* all other members, which would include Feb through Dec */
" Asset123" - @PRIOR("Asset123",1);
ENDIF;

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