📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
The fastest way into a cube is an ad hoc grid: Smart View places the top member of each dimension on the sheet and you drill from there.
Connect
- Excel › Smart View tab › Panel.
- Shared connections (set up by your admin) or Private connections with the URL provided.
- Log in, expand to your application and cube, choose Ad hoc analysis.
The default grid
Rows and columns show one dimension each; the remaining dimensions sit in the POV (point of view) at the top. Click Refresh to fetch data.
Options worth setting
- Data options › Suppress rows: No data/Missing and Zero, to hide empty lines.
- Member options › Member name display: Alias for readable names.
- Formatting › Use Excel formatting if you want your own number formats to stay after refresh.
More: ad hoc analysis for beginners.
Examples use a sample Essbase application (Sample.Basic-style dimensions). Connection URLs, applications and member names differ in every company.
Practice
Connect and refresh your first grid following the checklist.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📄Lesson 2 checklistStep-by-step exercises for this lesson.⬇ TXT · 315 B
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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