Understanding the System Status Page

This article contains the following topics: 

• Accessing the System Status Page
• Purpose of the Page
• When to Use It
• System Status Definitions
• Hourly vs. Daily Refresh
• Refreshing a Single Scenario
• Refresh the Cube
• Data Integration Sync
• Administration and Job Execution
• Tips and Optimization

Accessing the System Status Page

If you're an administrator or a user with access to change system settings, you'll also have access to the System Status page, which is found under the drop down arrow by your name or via the Administration tab along the left. This page is where you can visualize status, refresh data, and run jobs related to your analysis and reporting.

Purpose

The System Status page is designed to provide real-time insights into administrative tasks, recent changes, and selective cube and scenario refreshes. Its primary focus is on offering a snapshot of the status of all scenarios for the Financial and Profitability cubes.

When to Use It

Utilize the System Status page after making structural changes to your data, like adding new hierarchies or mapping new information. For instance, running jobs post-changes ensures that updates are reflected promptly.

Note: This page is unrelated to nightly automations, which pulls data from your ERP to your Catalyst instance.

Status Definitions

• Current: All data is in sync and current in the database and in the cubes. 
  
• Pending Data: Data is out of sync, and both the database and cubes need refreshing to update. Precedes cube rebuilding. In other words, the system itself is digesting changes made to the data or data structure. This process occurs before the cube itself can be rebuilt.
  
• Pending Cube: Data is current in the database, pending a cube refresh. Follows Pending Data completion. After Pending Data is complete, the Pending Cube status should begin. Once it's complete the data is then available in Excel by clicking Refresh All Cubes in the EBM Office Bridge Ribbon. 
  
• Processing: Data is out of sync, but is currently being processed. 
  

Hourly vs. Daily Refresh

• Configure scenarios to refresh either on an hourly basis or once daily during overnight processing. It is advisable to schedule the hourly refresh for scenarios frequently used and updated, such as current year actuals, prior year actuals, and variance scenarios. For scenarios with less frequent usage or updates, opt for a daily refresh. This strategy enhances hourly refresh processing times, ensuring users promptly see cube updates.
• Use the "Refresh Financial" and "Refresh Profitability" buttons located under Scheduled Hourly and Scheduled Daily to refresh the corresponding cube for all scenarios within the respective daily or hourly refresh groupings.

Setting Up Scenarios for Hourly or Daily Refresh

Navigate to "Manage Scenario," accessible in the Administration section of Catalyst. Within this section, users can edit a selected scenario, adjusting its refresh frequency. Opting for either "Hourly" or "Daily" under "Scenario Refresh Frequency" configures the scenario to refresh at the chosen interval. After saving changes to the scenario, the System Status page will reflect the updated settings.

Refreshing a Single Scenario

To update an individual scenario, click on the colored icon under Financial or Profitability corresponding to the specific scenario. During processing, the icon will shift to yellow, indicating "Processing," and revert to a green icon displaying "Current" once the scenario has completed refreshing.

Refresh Cube Button

Upon selecting their name at the top right of the Catalyst window, users can access the "Refresh Cube" option, available on most pages within Catalyst.

Opting for "Refresh Cube" initiates the refresh for all Hourly Scenarios in both the Financial and Profitability cubes of the Catalyst instance. Notably, this process excludes the Daily Scheduled Scenarios. While this method provides a quick overview of changes or updates made in Catalyst within the cube, it's important to acknowledge that processing time might be extended compared to selectively refreshing a specific scenario or cube.

Data Integration Sync

For Catalyst instances with automated nightly data pulls automated from an ERP or GL system, users can utilize the "Run Job" button for Integration to manually initiate an on-demand data pull. The "Last Build Time" feature provides information on the elapsed time since the most recent automated data pull in minutes.

It's essential to note that while most Catalyst instances are synchronized with users' ERP systems and process data overnight, not all instances include the option to manually run the overnight integration job via the System Status page. This functionality may require a separate add-on development purchase.

Administration and Run Job Button

• Once a change has been made in Catalyst, such as loading new financial data, updating a hierarchy, or re-arranging account sort order in Tree View, the system will load these changes, known as jobs, to a queue for execution on the next system refresh.
• The "Run Job" button empowers users to manually execute tasks in the queue. The "Total" indicates the number of outstanding jobs awaiting processing during hourly or daily refresh cycles or when manually initiated by the user through "Run Job." The displayed email and associated number reveal the user-specific job count. Additionally, "File Upload(s)" showcases the number of uploaded files currently in the validation or processing phase within Catalyst.
• It's important to note that the system processes one job at a time. While the scheduled hourly refresh job is in progress, other tasks like file uploads or hierarchy updates will be queued and processed only after the hourly job is completed.

Catalyst System Status Page Tips & Recommendations

Processing Speed Averages

1. Upload
   • Duration: 5-10 minutes (may be longer for large files).
   • Note: This timeframe specifically accounts for Catalyst processing, not cube processing, which is a separate step.
2. Cube Rebuild
   • Duration: 15 minutes - 2 hours.
   • Can range greatly, based on a number of factors, such as how much data is getting reprocessed, the number of active scenarios and the number of cubes being rebuilt.
3. Updating a Single Scenario
   • Duration: 15 minutes - 2 hours.
   • Based on the number of cubes rebuilding (generally on the shorter end for single scenarios with minimal data processing).

Why Does It Take So Long?

Processing delays often result from scenarios marked as "Daily." Catalyst marks scenarios as "Pending Data" for various reasons, not necessarily indicating that the data wasn't refreshed. This ensures that changes in configurations (like hierarchy changes, actuals changes, or other configurations) are fully represented in the cube.

What Can You Do?

1. Archive Scenarios
   • Consider archiving scenarios that are no longer in use to optimize system performance.
2. Disable Cube and Report Availability
   • Edit scenarios and untick the "Available in the Cube" and "Available in Reports" checkboxes.
   • This simple action can significantly speed up processing times.

Optimizing your scenarios and configurations as mentioned above can contribute to a smoother processing experience on Catalyst.

The Catalyst System Status Page serves as a vital hub for administrators and users shaping system settings, streamlining the analysis and reporting process. From understanding status definitions to configuring scenarios, refreshing cubes, and running integration jobs, this guide empowers users with the flexibility and control needed to optimize their Catalyst experience. The shared tips and recommendations provide valuable insights for enhancing processing speeds and making the most out of Catalyst's capabilities. Whether you're an experienced administrator or a user navigating system settings, this comprehensive guide equips you to confidently and efficiently navigate the Catalyst System Status Page.