When Essbase calculates a block storage (BSO) cube using Intelligent Calculation, it tracks which data blocks it calculates using markers. If you then load a subset of data, on subsequent calculations, Essbase calculates only the blocks that have not been calculated, and any blocks that require recalculation.

Intelligent Calculation is based on Essbase marking data blocks as clean or dirty.

For straightforward, full BSO calculations, Essbase performs faster when Intelligent Calculation can be used. It is designed to provide significant calculation performance benefits for these types of calculations:

• A full calculation of a database (CALC ALL), with some exceptions.

  See Limitations of Intelligent Calculation.

• A calculation script that calculates all members in one CALC DIM statement.

• For situations where Essbase cannot use Intelligent Calculation for the whole calculation, it may be able to use Intelligent Calculation partially.

  For example, to improve performance for a default consolidation followed by an allocation, you can enable Intelligent Calculation for the default consolidation and then disable it for the allocation.

Intelligent Calculation applies only to non-federated, block storage cubes, and does not apply to aggregate storage.

By default, Intelligent Calculation is on, for BSO cubes. You can turn it on or off. See Turn Intelligent Calculation On or Off.

• Ways to Use Intelligent Calculation

• Intelligent Calculation and Data Block Status

• The SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS Command

• Intelligent Calculation of Data Blocks

• Examples with SET CLEARUPDATESTATUS

• Effects of Intelligent Calculation

• Limitations of Intelligent Calculation

• Considerations for Intelligent Calculation on Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine