Automate Oracle Essbase OLAP cubes — run calculations, load and extract data, build dimensions, and manage applications through the Essbase JAPI.

Licensed connector — not free. Essbase requires a paid licence from Blue Isle. You may download and install it, but it will not execute until a valid licence is applied — the server checks at run time. Contact Blue Isle to licence it.

Supported by Blue Isle. This is a commercially licensed connector, maintained and supported by Blue Isle Software under the terms of your licence agreement. Talk to Blue Isle about licensing and support.

Essbase Tool

Name: Essbase
Availability: InStock
Author: Blue Isle

Oracle Essbase OLAP automation with 9 operations covering the full Essbase lifecycle.

Tool ID

essbase

Credential Required

Yes — Essbase server connection.

Credential Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
`server`	string	—	Required. Essbase server hostname
`login`	string	—	Required. Username
`password`	string	—	Required. Password or authentication token
`providerUrl`	string	—	Essbase provider URL (e.g., `http://server:13080/aps/JAPI`)
`passwordIsToken`	boolean	`false`	Password is an auth token

Operations

Common Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
`operation`	string	—	Required. Essbase operation
`application`	string	—	Required. Essbase application name
`database`	string	—	Database (cube) name (required for cube operations)

Pre-Operation Controls (for cube operations)

Property	Type	Default	Description
`startApplication`	boolean	`false`	Start the application if not running
`logoutUsers`	boolean	`false`	Logout users before operation
`connects`	boolean	`false`	Disable user connections during operation
`updates`	boolean	`false`	Disable user updates during operation
`commands`	boolean	`false`	Disable user commands during operation

1. `calculation` — Execute calc scripts

Property	Type	Default	Description
`items`	array	—	Required. Script names: `[{name: "CalcAll"}]`
`parameters`	string	—	Runtime substitution parameters

Published: scriptsExecuted

2. `load` — Data load with pre/post operations

Property	Type	Default	Description
`items`	array	—	Required. Load items: `[{data, rule, datatype}]`
`clearAllData`	boolean	`false`	Clear all data before loading
`clearRegionData`	boolean	`false`	Clear region data before loading
`regionMDX`	string	—	MDX expression for region clear
`clearAggregates`	boolean	`false`	Clear aggregated data
`stopOnError`	boolean	`false`	Stop on first error
`postLoadCalculationName`	string	—	Calc script to run after load (`(default)` = default calc)

Load item datatypes: text, excel, ascii backup, binary backup

Published: itemsLoaded

3. `export` — Export cube data

Property	Type	Default	Description
`outputFileName`	string	—	Required. Output file path
`level`	string	`all blocks`	Export level: `all blocks`, `0 level blocks`, `input level blocks`
`outputColumns`	boolean	`false`	Include column headers

Published: outputFile, level

4. `report` — Execute report scripts

Property	Type	Default	Description
`items`	array	—	Required. Report script names
`outputFileName`	string	—	File to write report output

Published: scriptsExecuted, outputLength, outputFile

5. `dimension build` — Build dimensions from data/rule files

Property	Type	Default	Description
`items`	array	—	Required. Build items: `[{data, rule, datatype}]`
`errorFileName`	string	—	Error output file

Published: itemsBuilt

6. `maxl` — Execute MaxL scripts

Property	Type	Default	Description
`maxl`	string	—	Required. MaxL script (multi-line, one command per line)

Published: commandsExecuted

7. `update variables` — Set substitution variables

Property	Type	Default	Description
`variables`	object	—	Required. Variable name-value map: `{"CurMonth": "Jan", "CurYear": "2024"}`

Variable scope is determined by which fields are provided: - application + database → database-level variables - application only → application-level variables - neither → server-level variables

Published: variablesUpdated

8. `start application` — Start an Essbase application

Controls: startApplication, connects, commands, updates (all boolean)

9. `stop application` — Stop an Essbase application

Controls: startApplication (disable startup), connects (disable connections)

Killable

Yes — disconnects from the OLAP server.

Technology

Essbase JAPI (Java API) — requires ess_japi.jar, ess_es_server.jar, ess_maxl.jar on classpath.

Chaining Patterns

FTP download → Essbase load — download data files, load into cube
Essbase export → FTP upload — export cube data, upload to destination
Essbase export → SQL import — export to file, load into relational DB
Essbase calc → Email — run calculations, notify on completion
update variables → calculation — set period variables, then run calc
dimension build → load → calculation — full ETL: build dims, load data, calculate
start application → load → stop application — controlled maintenance window

Use Cases

Automated nightly data loads
Monthly close processes (variable updates + calculations)
Dimension maintenance
Data exports for downstream systems
MaxL script automation
Application lifecycle management (start/stop for maintenance)

Enterprise Notes

Production-proven at Fortune 500 enterprises in 24/7 environments
Pre/post operation state management ensures data integrity during loads
Multi-item support allows complex ETL sequences in a single task

Publishes

The keys a later task may reference as {{taskName.key}}. Referencing anything not listed here resolves to nothing at run time.

application
commandsExecuted
database
errorFile
itemsBuilt
itemsLoaded
level
operation
outputFile
scriptsExecuted
variablesUpdated

Fields not documented above

Generated from this tool's own schema and published outputs on 2026-09-03. A field the README omits is discoverable only by reading the source, and a published key nothing documents is a capability nobody can reference.

Field	Type	Description
`note`	string	Cube 'note of the day', set after the operation succeeds. InTouch appends the completion timestamp, so cube users can see how fresh the data is. Applies to any database operation (load, calculation, report, export, dimension build).
`makeOutputFileUnique`	boolean	Create unique output file per report script
`physicalClearRegion`	boolean	Physical region clear (vs logical)
`makeErrorFileUnique`	boolean	Create unique error file per dimension build item
`sqlLogin`	string	SQL login for SQL-based data load/dimension build
`sqlPassword`	string	SQL password for SQL-based data load/dimension build
`aggregate`	boolean	Run aggregation after load (ASO only)
`aggregateLimitRatio`	string	Aggregation stop limit ratio

Essbase