tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43279238944671626262022-07-07T13:46:29.676-05:00Insight Crunchby Rahul BhattacharyaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-69791394507445684892021-04-16T12:55:00.012-05:002021-05-06T14:21:52.063-05:00Whole to part panorama<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-80LLzzCwExk/YJRAsaeVV4I/AAAAAAAPWtc/7ikYDiGTNoUgUilz84Ru3JkyXx1rEd5oACLcBGAsYHQ/s425/2020-10-14%2B18_37_34-Window.png" style="width: 50%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 2em;; display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-80LLzzCwExk/YJRAsaeVV4I/AAAAAAAPWtc/7ikYDiGTNoUgUilz84Ru3JkyXx1rEd5oACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-10-14%2B18_37_34-Window.png"/></a></div><p> Any new initiative brings with it several bytes of data to start with. When we start with the goal to derive insights, evaluating the available raw data becomes the only activity for days. Fields stop making sense with relation to another if at all when we challenge it enough but often enables modeling with precision with regards to the context.</p><p> It all began with a few spreadsheets with lots of related data from respective areas, the discovery activity started with all the enthusiasm and energy similar to past activities. When we dived deeper to build the whole picture we started to struggle in putting the individual parts together. It seemed more complex than we anticipated, after adding moving and rolling aspects to current key measures. The more we focused on deriving the key metrics, the more the data fought back. </p><p>It was then a transformative journey where narrowing down from the goal backward for a change proved helpful. Adding in the variables and factors to account for precision along the way, moving ahead and backward in timelines, until it looked well enough to be stable. Few metrics that apparently did not look convincing enough proved useful in enhancing the accuracy of our insights. </p><p>A data discovery journey is not without its fair share of hurdles, but it gets more exciting when we are able to create something more than what actually existed before and what we hoped to achieve. Overturning the conventional part to whole relationships and stereotypes it was an incredible satisfaction on being able to finish painting the final picture. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-48856987354196584452021-02-11T23:07:00.003-06:002021-05-06T14:28:23.121-05:00The Elusive Paradox<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sCoHQr1c0X8/YJRDNeT8MSI/AAAAAAAPWtk/ccKgzJq4LqM541Bjtzp449ukNDay_aBiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s356/2020-10-14%2B12_00_22-Window.png" style="width: 50%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 2em;; display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sCoHQr1c0X8/YJRDNeT8MSI/AAAAAAAPWtk/ccKgzJq4LqM541Bjtzp449ukNDay_aBiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-10-14%2B12_00_22-Window.png"/></a></div><p>Curiosity to derive a metric however simple or complex it may be requires clear objective and precision right from the initial stages. Adding to it the modern examples of flashy dashboards and infinite interactivity, and we have all the ingredients of a recipe that can go extreme either way. All that dazzles and sparkles need not help visualize data in the best possible way.</p><p>In our efforts to derive insights from an ocean of data, all that we initially managed in the first few weeks was plain text, and then some more fields of plain text, and more such fields of plain text. It is only when we were halfway through our intense data prepping process that we gradually started to realize the opportunities ahead of us, and how much more calculations and fields we needed to implement the aesthetics in our insights. It was interesting to learn from some of the pros about how the landscape changed in exactly these same phases of data processing over the years, and how we approach similar scenarios differently today.</p><p>Some of the easily derivable figures helped us get the straightforward metrics, but then it was all up to the questions that were posed before us. Answers that were impossible with what was available to us slowly started to take shape and led to more intuitive insights which were not evident. To our delight, it was then time to choose our visuals and once the effectiveness of each variety and classification were assessed, we were able to narrow down to a few that best suits over our pages of topics.</p><p>Some of the most decisive areas of study are often on where we are headed, contrary to the usual focus of comparisons and forecasting magnitudes of change. Where we can specify and identify values of combinations that we can focus on for further investigation. The elusive areas of interest get tougher to detect amidst the noise, and that is when modern concepts of data processing help us step up the game.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-56989178459983132082020-11-06T08:59:00.029-06:002021-05-06T14:47:07.093-05:00Catch 22 Paradigms<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sjo-kE6iQV0/YJRHmFsPuqI/AAAAAAAPWts/654KtQtJ2CMEdH0xDAQa9WbEWTzz22FTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1146/2020-10-30%2B15_50_55-Tableau%2BPublic%2B-%2BMusic%2B1.png" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width:50%; margin-top: 2em; display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sjo-kE6iQV0/YJRHmFsPuqI/AAAAAAAPWts/654KtQtJ2CMEdH0xDAQa9WbEWTzz22FTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-10-30%2B15_50_55-Tableau%2BPublic%2B-%2BMusic%2B1.png"/></a></div><p>It seldom comes as a surprise when a fascinating vision of deriving insights starts with tons of bytes of texts and numbers looking like anything but structured to start with. An engagement gets all the more exciting while engaging with a pool of bright data individuals, and a great pleasure to be able to interact with a thoughtful team discussing the subtle intricacies and popular industry challenges and solutions. The tougher the path became, the more exciting the discussions became, often for hours.</p><p>If we push a data long enough, it will take a shape or form that we might be looking for it to get to. This is a scenario we would like to stay away from, stay unbiased, and prep the data to the fullest form of its usability. The analysis of the raw data is what can be called the most painful and time-consuming of all. Something that seems a mere non-classifier is an excellent piece when combined with another, or maybe not just one more, a few more. There is no guarantee that the data will learn to talk to us easily, hence we went down the path for weeks, implementing all our concepts and techniques along the way of prepping data. With quite a few tools at our disposal and picking up a few more along the way, things slowly turned to take the form which finally seemed insightful enough to all of us.</p><p>However, did we force the data to project this insight? Or is the insight a natural outcome of the way we processed the data? Would we still be getting this same answer from our data had we processed it differently? Was our question biased in some way unknown to us even after so much analysis? Are traditional obvious methodologies so imbibed in us that we tend to apply them erroneously where we shouldn’t be? Did we wrap up cleaning the data too early before we learned more? This was one of the main challenges that we faced, leading to iterative cycles of workshops and giving rise to deeper questions in every iteration. Often it seemed so dark without any possibility of light around. What works in one place, will very likely not work in another, even when things look almost identical, we learned this the hard way.</p><p>A situation like this is extremely satisfying and yet challenging after weeks of brainstorming, and enables more learning and nerve-wracking workshops. Hours where anomalies seem valuable, and omitting outliers feels like a sin, feeling the data blend into ourselves all around us as we crave towards the perfect insight with every tougher question presented to us, finally helped arrive at data analysis in front of us rich enough to satisfy most of us. While enough items remain unexplored still, strategic solutions such as these are quite a step in the vast expanse of the data world.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-72763285532762129322020-08-04T18:23:00.016-05:002020-08-24T19:20:24.876-05:00Counting hails in the hailstorm<div>The true essence of technological advances comes with our understanding of the surroundings, getting better with the aid of tools that never existed before. As analytics continues to evolve at a blistering pace, it brings with it the ability to take decisions that affects the lives of millions around us. Out of seeming nothingness we get concrete patterns that could only have been imagined few decades back.<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uqLx8_Bub1s/Xyns9g7GNKI/AAAAAAANuT4/Wvwm0ZMYuxgQFE28KMxU3pRrivpeynLqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1023/IC2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 2em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1023" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uqLx8_Bub1s/Xyns9g7GNKI/AAAAAAANuT4/Wvwm0ZMYuxgQFE28KMxU3pRrivpeynLqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h226/IC2.jpg" width="410" /></a><br /></div><div><div></div>As interesting scenarios continue to emerge in a changing superfluous landscape, the veil is lifted gradually as we intensely dig deeper using instruments ready to redefine our future. Our profound ignorance often becomes bluntly evident as we start to passionately navigate the curves of the charts, allowing us to gradually achieve a level of awareness at which we learn to be amused rather than shocked. The below graphical representation using Tableau of Coronavirus statistics of India depicts statistics of confirmed cases, cured cases and death cases across all the states as of Aug 22nd 2020. It’s strikingly concerning when clicking through the percentages of health stats, we find some states which seemingly have low confirmed cases are not doing too well in overall death percentage. Or states that appear dangerously higher up in rankings of confirmed cases are often actually doing comparatively well considering their cured percentages. The below analytics can be best viewed on a larger screen display.</div><div></div><div><br /><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1596583365696" style="position: relative;"><noscript><a href='#'><img alt=' ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Ka/KaggleIndiaCOVID1/IndiaStatesAnalysis/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" style="display: none;"><param name="host_url" value="https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F" /> <param name="embed_code_version" value="3" /> <param name="site_root" value="" /><param name="name" value="KaggleIndiaCOVID1/IndiaStatesAnalysis" /><param name="tabs" value="no" /><param name="toolbar" value="yes" /><param name="static_image" value="https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Ka/KaggleIndiaCOVID1/IndiaStatesAnalysis/1.png" /> <param name="animate_transition" value="yes" /><param name="display_static_image" value="yes" /><param name="display_spinner" value="yes" /><param name="display_overlay" value="yes" /><param name="display_count" value="yes" /><param name="language" value="en" /></object></div> <script type="text/javascript"> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1596583365696'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-2021819245354129552020-07-13T16:51:00.013-05:002020-07-19T21:44:25.394-05:00Interacting with Enhanced Data Interpretations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As we traverse one of the most uncertain times in our history to a new future where things may never allow us to be the same, informed decision-making in the age of data analytics can go a long way to help see the unseen often right infront of us. Correlation, causality, related dimensions that otherwise would be difficult to interpret easily surfaces up when seen from the right context.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L3O16t72mio/XwzdKKnZWeI/AAAAAAANozo/o253C87_HXMNKINkCyk5ZhmGnyYUhm0IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s952/WB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="952" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L3O16t72mio/XwzdKKnZWeI/AAAAAAANozo/o253C87_HXMNKINkCyk5ZhmGnyYUhm0IgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h195/WB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In the eastern part <font face="inherit">of the <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">2<sup style="line-height: 1;">nd<i> </i></sup></span>mos</font>t populous country of the world in India, lies the diverse state of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal" target="_blank">West Bengal</a> with a population of nearly 100 million and land area of 34,267 mi². To put that into perspective, that translates to nearly ¼ of the US population in an area that is <span style="background-color: white;">¹⁄₁₁₀ </span>the size of US land area, a population density of 28 times more. Upholding the safety protocols at this juncture will need prolific planning and execution, as we all try to overcome the Coronavirus pandemic together.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>The below schematics has been created using data from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_West_Bengal#District_wise_cases_&_Graphs" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> which currently holds active cases counts as of mid-June 2020. The intensity of colors represent amount of active cases in comparison to other districts, almost always proportionate with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal#Districts" target="_blank">population</a> in the respective district. The population figures pertain to Census 2011 however would provide a rough comparative summary of the districts. Deselecting the toppers from the District dropdown below starts to reveal more distinguishable comparative shades of the districts.</div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1594616854745" style="position: relative;"><noscript><a href='#'><img alt=' ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestBengal/PopulationandActiveCasesbyDistrict/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" style="display: none;"><param name="host_url" value="https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F" /> <param name="embed_code_version" value="3" /> <param name="site_root" value="" /><param name="name" value="WestBengal/PopulationandActiveCasesbyDistrict" /><param name="tabs" value="no" /><param name="toolbar" value="yes" /><param name="static_image" value="https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestBengal/PopulationandActiveCasesbyDistrict/1.png" /> <param name="animate_transition" value="yes" /><param name="display_static_image" value="yes" /><param name="display_spinner" value="yes" /><param name="display_overlay" value="yes" /><param name="display_count" value="yes" /><param name="language" value="en" /></object></div><script type="text/javascript"> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1594616854745'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <br /><div>A geomap creation with overlaying useful dimensions helps strengthen the visualization. It took some digging around and fine-tuning as there wasn't a readily available dataset with accurate latitudes and longitudes to plot the required districts. Now along with the headquarters of each district and the containment zone coloring as of June <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_West_Bengal#District_wise_cases_&_Graphs" target="_blank">data</a>, we have an enhanced visibility of the current scenario.</div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1594621210898" style="position: relative;"><noscript><a href='#'><img alt=' ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestBengal_Mapper/PopulationandZonesbyDistrict/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" style="display: none;"><param name="host_url" value="https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F" /> <param name="embed_code_version" value="3" /> <param name="site_root" value="" /><param name="name" value="WestBengal_Mapper/PopulationandZonesbyDistrict" /><param name="tabs" value="no" /><param name="toolbar" value="yes" /><param name="static_image" value="https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestBengal_Mapper/PopulationandZonesbyDistrict/1.png" /> <param name="animate_transition" value="yes" /><param name="display_static_image" value="yes" /><param name="display_spinner" value="yes" /><param name="display_overlay" value="yes" /><param name="display_count" value="yes" /><param name="language" value="en" /></object></div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1594621210898" style="position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1594621210898" style="position: relative;">The charts above are best viewed in a bigger screen area. For the latest figures, we can find them in these curated sites for <a href="https://www.wbhealth.gov.in/pages/corona/bulletin/" target="_blank">West Bengal</a> and <a href="https://www.covid19india.org/" target="_blank">India</a>.</div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1594621210898" style="position: relative;"><br /></div><script type="text/javascript"> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1594621210898'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-43681914229818405422020-02-19T21:10:00.010-06:002020-05-28T22:18:35.936-05:00নীরবতার সম্মোহনে<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> পৃথিবীর রূপরেখার দুর্লভ অনুভূতিগুলোর খোঁজে সহস্র মাইল ভ্রমণ ও পরিশ্রান্তি ততখানি রোমাঞ্চকর যতটা কল্পনাতীত ইতিহাসসিক্ত বিস্ময়গুলির সম্মূখীন হওয়া । বৈচিত্রের প্রলেপে উইন্টার অলিম্পিকের দাবিদার হওয়া থেকে শুরু করে রক ক্লাইম্বিংয়ের খেলাঘর - য়োসেমিতে ন্যাশনাল পার্কের রূপমাধুর্য্যের আকর্ষণ সময় ও ঋতুর শৃঙ্খল না মেনে ক্রমাগত ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যায় এক সমান্তরাল মহাবিশ্বে । প্রশস্ত উপত্যকায় অসীমত্ব যেন এক জলসার প্রতিধ্বনি হয়ে নীরবে সূর্য ও পাথরের সংমিশ্রণে এল ক্যাপিটান এবং হাফ ডোমের ছদ্মবেশে আমাকে পরিচয় জিজ্ঞেস করছে - শহুরে প্রজাতির জীব দেখে য়োসেমিতের আরণ্যক প্রজাতিরাও যে অবাক চোখে তাকায়নি তা নয়। <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FB-SORn_ppg/XtB9R_4IQDI/AAAAAAANaI8/xN0EKMMxnlIDZIYaW42M6ihBzeKRBfKsQCK4BGAsYHg/2018-05-27%2B12.27.52.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FB-SORn_ppg/XtB9R_4IQDI/AAAAAAANaI8/xN0EKMMxnlIDZIYaW42M6ihBzeKRBfKsQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/2018-05-27%2B12.27.52.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>পাহাড়ের গা বেয়ে জলপ্রপাতের হাজার ফুট ওপর থেকে পাথরের ওপর পড়ার আওয়াজের দিকে হাটতে হাটতে বিশালাকার দেবদারূ, পাইন এবং হেমলক গাছের মধ্যে দিয়ে পথ হারিয়ে ফেললে অন্ধকারে কি হবে তা না ভেবে ঝলমলে দিনের আলোতে এদিক ওদিক তাকাতে তাকাতে হাটতে থাকলাম। কিছুক্ষণের মধ্যেই চারপাশের পাহাড়ের মাঝে জলপ্রপাতের নান্দনিক দৃশ্য কাটিয়ে দিলো মধ্যাহ্নভোজের চমৎকার রেশ । মোবাইল ক্যামেরার প্রতি সুবিচার করার পর ফেরার পথে মানুষের ভিড় কাটিয়ে চারপাশে ঘুরতে ঘুরতে বেশ কয়েকবার হরিণের বিভিন্ন প্রজাতির মুখোমুখি হওয়াতে হকচকিয়ে তাদের নিমেষে গাছের আড়ালে পালানো যেন প্রকৃতির এক অলীক সুর বিঘ্ন হওয়ার অনুভূতি দিচ্ছিল । আমাদের অরণ্যবিনাশের প্রভাব থেকে এরম কিছু জায়গাকে এখনো যেভাবে সংরক্ষণ করে রাখা হয়েছে তা দেখে দারুন লাগলো। <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" frameborder="0" height="182" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z_rxMztBGdM?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe><br /><br /> ক্যালিফোর্নিয়ার বিখ্যাত উপাদেয় এবং সুস্বাদু মেক্সিকান সান্ধ্যভোজনের উদ্দেশ্যে রওনা হলাম সূর্যাস্তের আগেই । পাহাড়ি রাস্তার গা ধরে আঁকেবাঁকে বহুক্ষণ চলার পথ যে রাতের দিকে কিরকম মেঘে ঢেকে কুয়াশাচ্ছন্ন অথবা শিলাবৃষ্টির সম্মুখীন হতে পারে তা সাউথ ডাকোটার এবং কলোরাডোর স্মৃতিবিজড়িত অভিজ্ঞতার পর ভোলা অসম্ভব । আজ আর সেরকম হলো না, জানলার কাঁচ কতটা তুলবো আর কতটা নামাবো আর ঠিক কতটা হাওয়া খাওয়ার পর ঠান্ডা লেগে যেতে পারে সেই ক্যালকুলেশন করতে করতে পৌঁছে গেলাম টলেডোস বিশুদ্ধ মেক্সিকান রেস্তোরাঁতে । রকমারি আস্বাদনের চক্করে প্রতিবারের মতন অর্ডারের পরিমানে মন না রেখে, লাইভ মিউজিক এবং খাঁটি মেক্সিকান পরিবেশে ক্রমাগত কানে ভেসে আশা বহু শব্দের অজানা ধ্বনির আলোআঁধারিতেই হারিয়ে গেলাম । সভ্যতার অস্তিত্বের সুর, সময়ের সাংস্কৃতিক প্রাচীর, ঝলমলে বাতির উত্তেজনা, সুস্বাদু নৈশভোজের গভীর অনুভূতির সাথে মিশে যেতে থাকলো |</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-79282513957693986642019-12-27T17:51:00.000-06:002020-01-06T15:51:03.337-06:00Hikes in Death Valley National Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">During my recent visit to Death Valley National Park, it was a breathtaking experience to absorb the variety of trails and landscapes it offers in just a few miles apart from each other. Starting from sand dunes to canyons to basins to trails, and adding to it the changing ambience at different times of the day and at different altitudes - it's a must for nature lovers.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" frameborder="0" height="190" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pnBwfkViUxI?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe> Some intensive research and study went into planning the trip and reading through the guides to make sure we can make the most of the trip. Here's a detailed hiking guide for Death Valley. Some statistics may vary across the different websites of National Park Service and social sites like AllTrails based on route taken. The details here are focussed on NPS data.<br /><br /><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Current Weather</b></span> - A beautiful day can suddenly surprise us in this unpredictable landscape, hence a good study of the weather forecast is an essential ingredient for planning. The last thing we want is to get stuck in snow, closed roads, hailstorms or rains in the middle of the memorable moments of our life. Here's the current weather right now. <script src="https://darksky.net/widget/default/36.4573,-116.8653/us12/en.js?width=100%&height=310&title=Death Valley, California&textColor=333333&bgColor=ransparent&transparency=false&skyColor=undefined&fontFamily=Trebuchet MS&customFont=&units=us&htColor=333333&ltColor=8d8787&displaySum=yes&displayHeader=yes" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Trailheads</b></span> - The starting points of the trails are shown below, click on the expand bar on the left top below to see the names of each.<br /><br /><iframe border="0" height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1rQnWm50Cg9k4NgUkyMq1_ED2LMxY-e_k" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br /><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><i>Easy Hikes</i></u></b></span> - The hikes are termed easy when the distances are very few miles and accompanied by almost negligible elevation gain and thus suitable for everyone.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A) HARMONY BORAX WORKS</span></b> - This is located near a historic mining site where the mule wagons started their famous journey. This is around <b>0.4 mile</b> round trip and has an elevation gain of <b>less than 50 feet</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Harmony+Borax+Works&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=HARMONY+BORAX+WORKS" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g13547698-d143007-Reviews-Harmony_Borax_Works-Furnace_Creek_Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_Califor.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/harmony-borax-works" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">B) SALT CREEK INTERPRETIVE TRAIL</span></b> - The Salt Creek Interpretive Trail is one of the short yet most well-known trails of Death Valley and home to some rare fishes. This is also around <b>0.5 mile</b> round trip and has nearly <b>zero elevation shift</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=SALT+CREEK+INTERPRETIVE+TRAIL&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SALT+CREEK+INTERPRETIVE+TRAIL" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d3152653-Reviews-Salt_Creek_Interpretive_Trail-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/death-valley-national-park-salt-creek-interpretive-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R3p51r2DpT8/XgZ1OUPy7lI/AAAAAAAMhRk/SMUGjrziSkAMvPucrk9bsNQqOgaFAyRsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DSC01086%2B-%2BCopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R3p51r2DpT8/XgZ1OUPy7lI/AAAAAAAMhRk/SMUGjrziSkAMvPucrk9bsNQqOgaFAyRsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/DSC01086%2B-%2BCopy.JPG" width="200" /></a><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">C) BADWATER SALT FLAT</span></b> - The Badwater Salt Flat at Death Valley is one of the largest in the world and the lowest point in North America. At many places the salt forms a thin crust over mud so tricky to stray away from known paths. The salt flat forms amazing patterns with accumulated salt crystals and constantly changing temperatures. This is around <b>1 mile</b> round trip and has nearly <b>zero elevation shift</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=BADWATER+SALT+FLAT&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=BADWATER+SALT+FLAT" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d116979-Reviews-Badwater-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/badwater-basin-salt-flats-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D) NATURAL BRIDGE CANYON</span></b> - The Natural Bridge Canyon is a trip into exquisite views inside a canyon and gifts us a marvellous naturally formed picturesque bridge. This is around <b>1 mile</b> round trip and has <b>180 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=NATURAL+BRIDGE+CANYON+DEATH+VALLEY&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=NATURAL+BRIDGE+CANYON+DEATH+VALLEY" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d3941864-Reviews-Natural_Bridge_Canyon-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/death-valley-natural-bridge-road" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">E) MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES</span></b> - With a plethora of views at different times of the day casting immersive shadows, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes truly are a gem in this vast valley. This is around <b>2 miles</b> round trip and has around <b>185 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=MESQUITE+FLAT+SAND+DUNES&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=MESQUITE+FLAT+SAND+DUNES" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d2255762-Reviews-Mesquite_Flat_Sand_Dunes-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mesquite-flat-sand-dunes-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>Moderate Hikes</u></i></b></span> - The hikes are termed moderate when the distance and landscape elevation gain combined often requires us to stay in moderately good shape or otherwise might need rests and breaks to catch our breath a few times. Hence choosing the hike category is always a wise decision before we embark.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">F) UBEHEBE CRATER RIM</span></b> - This is a hike around the rim of a deep volcano. Going a little further around the loop we can see the Uberhebe Crater in all it's glory. This is around <b>1.5 miles</b> round trip and has an <b>elevation gain of 500 feet</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=UBEHEBE%20CRATER%20RIM&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=UBEHEBE+CRATER+RIM" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d126711-Reviews-Ubehebe_Crater-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ubehebe-and-little-hebe-crater-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">G) DARWIN FALLS</span></b> - The Darwin Falls is drinking water! It's a desert waterfall and the path maybe slightly rocky but it's a nice trip and back. A SUV or similar vehicle is prefered on this route. This is also around <b>2 miles</b> round trip and has <b>450 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=DARWIN%20FALLS&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DARWIN+FALLS" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d3161662-Reviews-Darwin_Falls-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/darwin-falls-trail-via-old-toll-road" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">H) BADLANDS LOOP / GOLDEN CANYON / ZABRISKIE POINT </span></b>- The trailheads start at Golden Canyon and Zabriskie Point. These are hikes through pretty colorful canyons carved across colorful rocks. The recommended route is starting at either of these points and looping back through Gower Gulch. This is around <b>2.7-5 miles</b> round trip and has <b>535 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=BADLANDS+LOOP+%2F+GOLDEN+CANYON+%2F+ZABRISKIE+POINT+%2F+GOWER+GULCH+LOOP&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=BADLANDS+LOOP+%2F+GOLDEN+CANYON+%2F+ZABRISKIE+POINT+%2F+GOWER+GULCH" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d116978-Reviews-Zabriskie_Point-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/golden-canyon-and-gower-gulch-loop-via-zabriskie-point" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a> (<a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/death-valley-national-park-zabriskie-point" target="_blank">view only Zabriskie Point reviews</a>)<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I) DESOLATION CANYON</span></b> - A beautiful trip through the colorful rocks of the canyons provide cherishable moments to capture. This is <b>3.6 miles</b> round trip and has <b>600 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=DESOLATION+CANYON+DEATH+VALLEY&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DESOLATION+CANYON+DEATH+VALLEY" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d3941864-Reviews-Natural_Bridge_Canyon-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/desolation-canyon-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">J) SIDEWINDER CANYON</span></b> - With a twisted formation of rocks and passages, an exciting hike awaits everyone in this canyon. This is around <b>5 miles</b> round trip and has a <b>1,580 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=SIDEWINDER%20CANYON&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SIDEWINDER+CANYON" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d13359711-Reviews-Sidewinder_Canyon-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/sidewinder-canyon" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">K) FALL CANYON</span></b> - If the rock formations weren't enough, look for the steepness in this canyon and if you're lucky, a glimpse of bighorn sheep might prop up out of nowhere. This is around <b>6 miles</b> round trip and has <b>2,460 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=FALL%20CANYON&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=FALL+CANYON" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d7725754-Reviews-Fall_Canyon-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/fall-canyon-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">L) DANTES RIDGE</span></b> - A miraculous view as far as the eye can go, Dante's View point is one of the main attractions in Death Valley National Park. The best art is there is unobstructed view of the entire landscape. This is <b>8 miles</b> round trip and has a <b>1,200 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=DANTES%20RIDGE&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DANTES+RIDGE" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d531585-Reviews-or1270-Dante_s_View-Death_Valley_National_Park_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/dantes-view-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M) PANAMINT DUNES</span></b> - The exquisite dunes are best watched during sunrise or sunset when the shadows mark their shapes prominently. This is <b>7 miles</b> round trip and has near <b>1,028 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=PANAMINT%20DUNES&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PANAMINT+DUNES" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d13799716-Reviews-Panamint_Dunes-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/panamint-dunes-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>Difficult Hikes</u></i></b></span> - The hikes are termed difficult when the distances and elevation gains combined requires us to stay in excellent shape or else is advisable to avoid the risk. Choosing a difficult hike is recommended only with full preparation of atleast 3 litres of water per person, and after knowledge of the current road and weather conditions.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">N) MOSAIC CANYON</span></b> - Colorful polished rocks mark the specialty of this canyon over narrow passages and bends. This is <b>4 miles</b> round trip and has an <b>elevation gain of 1,200 feet</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=MOSAIC%20CANYON&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=MOSAIC+CANYON" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d2523358-Reviews-Mosaic_Canyon-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mosaic-canyon-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">O) WILDROSE PEAK</span></b> - A hike through the woodlands offers amazing views every now and then. The rocks and gravel are similar to the other hikes. Due to the elevation gain snow can be expected at times. This is about <b>8.4 miles</b> round trip and has <b>2,200 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=WILDROSE%20PEAK&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=WILDROSE+PEAK" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d10072925-Reviews-Wildrose_Peak_Trail-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/wildrose-peak-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e7be1e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">P) TELESCOPE PEAK </span></b>- If the road is not closed due to winter conditions, highly recommended is to answer the call of the highest peak in Death Valley. All the prerequisites of attempting a difficult trail applies strictly here. This is around <b>14 miles</b> round trip and has <b>3,000 feet elevation gain</b>.<br /><br />➤ <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=TELESCOPE+PEAK&tbm=isch" target="_blank">View Images</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TELESCOPE+PEAK" target="_blank">View Videos</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143021-d252037-Reviews-Telescope_Peak_trail-Death_Valley_National_Park_Inyo_County_California.html" target="_blank">View TripAdvisor Reviews</a> ➤ <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/telescope-peak-trail" target="_blank">View AllTrails Reviews</a><br /><br /><rssapp-carousel id="Vn0hBzHCp7mrqFzQ"></rssapp-carousel><script src="https://widget.rss.app/v1/carousel.js" type="text/javascript" async></script><br /><rssapp-list id="QYbWh69DAzXeJpuQ"></rssapp-list><script src="https://widget.rss.app/v1/list.js" type="text/javascript" async></script><rssapp-list id="60slvJAeIL01iexo"></rssapp-list><script src="https://widget.rss.app/v1/list.js" type="text/javascript" async></script><rssapp-list id="JeH7caJl4C8D7yaD"></rssapp-list><script src="https://widget.rss.app/v1/list.js" type="text/javascript" async></script><rssapp-list id="TsKhb8M5NRODdu3j"></rssapp-list><script src="https://widget.rss.app/v1/list.js" type="text/javascript" async></script> <br />Queries? Feel free to <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/eYGSSPpabempWphl2" target="_blank">connect</a>.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-89705134208885858722019-03-22T15:35:00.003-05:002020-05-30T00:58:00.489-05:00আহ্বানের ছায়াতে<div><a href="https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/7655/uNsJyw.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/7655/uNsJyw.jpg" width="150" /></a>নিউ ইয়র্ক । নামটার মধ্যেই রয়েছে এক নতুন চকচকে ঝকঝকে ব্যাপার । লা গুয়ার্দিয়া এয়ারপোর্টে নেমে পাশে একটি বেকারি থেকে ব্রেকফাস্ট করে নিউ ইয়র্ক সিটি-পাস কিনে হোটেলে পৌঁছানোর মাঝেই আভাস পাওয়া যায় গতিশীল স্রোতের জালে নিখুঁত ভাবে বোনা প্রতিটি মানুষের দৈনন্দিন জীবন । রাজকীয় অট্টালিকার ঔজ্জ্বল্যের বিপরীত চিত্র শহরের বহু গলিতে স্পষ্ট করে দেখিয়ে দেয়ে একবিংশ শতাব্দীর অনিচ্ছয়তা । </div><div> <br /></div><div><div>চারদিকের অজস্র সাইনবোর্ড ক্রমাগত জানাতে থাকে নম্বর আর লাল নীল হলুদ রুটের সাবওয়ে যাতে করে ম্যানহাটানের যেকোনো প্রান্ত থেকে আরেক প্রান্তে পৌঁছে যাবে কেউ নিমেষের মধ্যে । ফাইভ ষ্টার রেস্টুরেন্ট থেকে শুরু করে স্ট্রিট ফুডের স্বাদে বৈচিত্রের সীমা মাপতে মাপতে ঝলমলে বিকেলে স্ট্যাচু অফ লিবার্টির কাছে ইতিহাসের তীব্র স্রোত গ্রাস করলো এলিস আইল্যান্ড মিউসিয়ামে । <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WH8s3xdJhbY?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe> কঠিন পরিস্থিতি থেকে সুদিনের আকাঙ্ক্ষায় মাসের পর মাস প্রাণ ঝুঁকি করে আটলান্টিক মহাসাগর পারি দেবার কাহিনী আরো রোমহর্ষক করে তোলে এলিস আইল্যান্ডের বিখ্যাত ইমিগ্রেশন রেজিস্ট্রি হলকে । প্রতিটি সিঁড়ির ধাপ, জানলার বাইরের দৃশ্য, গাছের পাতার ফাক দিয়ে হলের মেঝেতে সূর্যরশ্মি, ইতিহাসের মুহূর্তগুলোকে মিউজিয়ামের বাঁধানো ফটোফ্রেমের থেকে উঠিয়ে এনে এক অদৃশ্য মায়াজাল ছড়িয়ে দেয়ে । একের পর এক ঘর আর তার বিবরণ অদৃশ্য মুহূর্তগুলোকে প্রাণবন্ত করে অন্য রকম এক পরিবেশ সৃষ্টি করে । </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>ওয়ান ওয়ার্ল্ড ট্রেড সেন্টারের জোরালো উপস্থিতি এবং সংশ্লিষ্ট সাম্প্রতিক ইতিহাসকে উপেক্ষা করা অসম্ভব নিউ ইয়র্কের মাটিতে দাড়িযে । গ্রাউন্ড জিরো রয়ে গেছে বেদনা, কৃতজ্ঞতা, প্রার্থনা, ব্যর্থতা, প্রত্যাশা, স্মৃতি, নিষ্ঠুর বাস্তবের সাথে সংঘর্ষের স্মারক হয়ে । বিষন্নতার পরিবেশ কাটিয়ে উঠে আধুনিক প্রযুক্তি দ্বারা আকর্ষণীয় প্রতিরক্ষা চারদিকে এখন চোখে পড়ার মতন । ইন্টেলিজেন্স এজেন্সীগুলির সাথে প্রযুক্তির সংমিশ্রনে নিরাপত্তার ঘেরাটোপে রাতের টাইমস স্কোয়ারের অতুলনীয় প্রাণবন্তে আমেজসিক্ত হওয়ার পর তার রেশ কাটতে কয়েকশ বছর লেগে যায় ।</div></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-85985116282375752232019-01-11T22:49:00.000-06:002019-10-05T14:26:16.870-05:00সময়ের আঁকে বাঁকে<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://imageshack.com/a/img922/3711/bO7QlP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://imageshack.com/a/img922/3711/bO7QlP.jpg" width="150" /></a>সেপ্টেম্বর মাসের ঝলমলে রোদে মার্কিন যুক্ত রাষ্ট্রের পশ্চিম প্রান্তে হারিয়ে যাওয়ার স্বপ্ন দেখলাম একদিন । কিছু বৈশিষ্ট আছে পশ্চিম দিকের লাল মাটির দেশে যা দেখার চেও বেশি অনুভব করা যায় শুধু । ভাগ্যক্রমে ঠান্ডা পড়ার আগেই ঐতিহাসিক সব যুদ্ধের সেই পীঠস্থানে যাওয়া হলো । গাছ পশু প্রাণী সব আলাদা ... অবাক রকমের বৈপরীত্ব জাস্ট কয়েকশো মাইল এদিক ওদিকের মধ্যে ... শুকনো লাল মাটির দেশে সব কিছুই অন্য রকম লাগে । পথের ধারের বিশাল বিশাল লাল পাথর থেকে শুরু করে গাড়ি থেকে নেমে গ্যাস ভরার সময় যত দূরে চোখ যায় ততদূর রোমাঞ্চকর উঁচুনিচু ল্যান্ডস্ক্যাপের দিকে তাকিয়ে চোখের সামনে ভেসে ওঠে কয়েকশো বছর আগের সিউক্স, আপাচে ও নাভাজো উপজাতিদের জীবিকা । বহু জায়গাতে তাদের দোকান ও ষ্টল ও মিউজিয়াম এ গিয়ে কথা বলে জানা যায় মানুষ আজ যেমন তখনও তেমনি ছিল ... পার্থক্য হচ্ছে শুধু আজ রয়েছে ইউনাইটেড নেশনস আর জি৮ সামিটের শৃঙ্খল আর তখন ছিল যার যত বড় আগ্নেয়াস্ত্র । যুগ যুগ ধরে যারা দাপিয়ে বিচরণ করেছিল উত্তর থেকে দক্ষিণ, যারা ঘোড়ার পিঠে চড়ে অভ্রান্ত নিশানায় করতো বাইসন শিকার, যাদের বীরত্বের প্রতীক নিউ মেক্সিকো থেকে শুরু করে অ্যারিজোনা হয়ে উটাহ থেকে ডাকোটা অবধি পাওয়া যায়, যাদের <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/512nDknbE-A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LyeuFKonlJY?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe>ইনস্টাগ্রাম পেজ এ আজও ফুটে ওঠে গভীর যন্ত্রণার আর্তনাদ, যাদের আত্মসমর্পনের হাড় হিম করে দেওয়া কাহিনী বরাবরের জন্য রাঙিয়ে দিয়েছে মার্কিন ইতিহাস - সেই তাদের পদধ্বনি অসম লড়াইয়ে নীরব থেকে নিস্তব্ধ হয়ে নিষ্প্রাণ অশ্রূ রয়ে গেলো বিশ্বাসঘাতকতার দৃষ্টান্ত ট্রেইল অফ টিয়ারস নামে বিখ্যাত হয়ে । <br /><br />লেক পাওয়েল নামে পরিচিত সুগম ও ইতিহাসের পাতা থেকে উঠে আসা এই বিস্ময় উপলব্ধি করতে হলে অবগত হতে হয় গত সহস্র বছরের ইতিহাসের সাথে - বিশেষ করে ১৯৫৬ - ৬৬ সময়টি গ্লেন ক্যানিয়ন বাঁধের আবির্ভাব এবং আপার বেসিনে জল সঞ্চয়ের মনুষ্যসৃষ্ট এই অভিনব লেকের গল্প । গ্রান্ড ক্যানিয়নের প্রকাণ্ডতা ও রোমাঞ্চে ভরা রোদ আর ছায়ার রেশ কাটার আগেই ছোট্ট শহর পেজ থেকে একটু দূরে নাভাজো স্যান্ডস্টোনের রঙিন প্রদেশে গাঢ় নীল আহ্বানে ভেসে পড়লাম। মোটর চালিত নৌকার ছাদের থেকে প্রকৃতির নিঃস্বার্থ আবেগের প্রলেপে মিশে গিয়ে অনুভব করা যায় তীব্র এক জীবিত উপত্যকার গভীর কাহানি - যেখানে জলের থেকে শুরু করে দুদিকের পাথররাও জানাতে চায় তাদের বছরের পর বছরের অবক্ষয়ের ও সহিষ্ণুতার অমর শিলালিপি । গ্লেন ক্যানিয়নের সান্নিধ্যে আর অভিভাবত্বে প্রতিনিয়ত নিজেকে আবিষ্কার করে চলেছে এন্টিলোপ ক্যানিয়নের ভেতর দিয়ে প্রবাহমান ৫০০ ফুট গভীর মেঘের রঙে তাল মিলিয়ে নীল উন্মাদনা । স্যান্ডস্টোনের ঝলমলে সময়ের রঙের বহির্প্রকাশ দেখে ভুলে যাই কোন দিকে তাকাবো আর কিসের ছবি তুলবো - প্রাচীনত্বের সুরে বয়ে চলার সাথে সাথে অবিরাম তীক্ষ্ন চমক । সময়ের জালে বোনা গভীর পাওয়া না পাওয়ার স্রোতে ভেসে যেতে যেতে পাথরের ক্যানভাসে প্রকৃতির অন্তর্লিখনের রহস্যোদ্ধার করার আকর্ষণ যে মোহময় অনুভূতির সৃষ্টি করে সেই স্মরণীয় মুহূর্ত গুলোই সব চেয়ে বড় প্রাপ্তি । <br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-58971281120630736602018-12-19T16:44:00.000-06:002020-05-30T00:00:54.111-05:00Unix find Lines containing specific string, then Cut and Insert these Lines after specific Lines containing another specific string<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://imageshack.com/a/img921/9472/PLWnmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="670" height="200" src="https://imageshack.com/a/img921/9472/PLWnmo.jpg" width="200" /></a>The world of data integration and transformation gets more and more exciting every day. Where we have data fuelling intelligent applications, and transformations paving the way to create cleaner and leaner data. Let's dive in to some sorting and ordering transformations using shell scripting which will subsequently be triggered via ODI. We now have an interesting scenario where we have to identify all the records having the string "Parmesan Cheese", and after identifying the unique identifier, we have to cut this record and paste it under the immediate next record having the string "Filet Mignon" with the same unique identifier. Let's see a quick example below:<br /><br /><b>Base Dataset:</b><br /><b style="color: #eead0e;">"X1","Y1","Z1</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b><br /><span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>"X1","Y1","Z1","Grilled Salmon","Amazing","Tender"</b></span><br /><span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>"X1","Y1","Z1","Filet Mignon","Juicy","Exquisite"</b></span><br /><span style="color: #eead0e;"><b>"X2","Y2","Z2</b></span><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X2","Y2","Z2","Grilled Salmon","Amazing","Tender"</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X2","Y2","Z2","Filet Mignon","Juicy","Exquisite"</span></b><br /><br /><b>Required Dataset:</b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X1","Y1","Z1","Grilled Salmon","Amazing","Tender"</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X1","Y1","Z1","Filet Mignon","Juicy","Exquisite"</span></b><br /><b style="color: #eead0e;">"X1","Y1","Z1</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X2","Y2","Z2","Grilled Salmon","Amazing","Tender"</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">"X2","Y2","Z2","Filet Mignon","Juicy","Exquisite"</span></b><br /><div><span style="color: #eead0e;"><b>"X2","Y2","Z2</b></span><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b></div><div><br /></div>The below Unix script will process the data as per our required logic. First it will create a lookup file <i>lookup.txt</i> containing all the records having "Parmesan Cheese".<br /><br /><b>lookup.txt</b><br /><b style="color: #eead0e;">"X1","Y1","Z1</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b><br /><span style="color: #eead0e;"><b>"X2","Y2","Z2</b></span><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Parmesan Cheese</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Yummy</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">","</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">Delicious"</b><br /><br /><b>In summary,</b> for each record being read in <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">getEntireRecord</span> from this lookup file, it will take the <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">getUniqueRecIdentifier</span> (<b style="color: #eead0e;">"X1","Y1","Z1</b><b style="color: #eead0e;">"</b>) and find the line number <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">lineNumOfFiletMignon</span> (3) of the "Filet Mignon" record having same identifier (<b style="color: #a64d79;">"X1","Y1","Z1"</b>). Now we know where to insert the "Parmesan Cheese" record <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">getEntireRecord</span> - the line number will be <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese</span> which is the next line, so add one (3+1=4).<br /><br /><b>Full logic:</b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">filename</span>="file.txt"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">grep </span>'Parmesan Cheese' $filename > lookup.txt</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lkpfilename</span>="lookup.txt"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">while </span>read -r line</span><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">do</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">readLine</span>=$line</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">getUniqueRecIdentifier</span>="$(cut -c1-8 <<<"$readLine")"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">getEntireRecord</span>="$(cut -c1-100 <<<"$readLine")"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">generateSameIdFiletMignon</span>=$getUniqueRecIdentifier""',"Filet Mignon"'""</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumOfFiletMignon</span>="$(grep -n "$generateSameIdFiletMignon" $filename | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese</span>=$((lineNumOfFiletMignon + 1))</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">sed </span>-i ''"$lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese"'i '"$getEntireRecord"'' file.txt</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumToBeDeleted</span>="$(grep -n "$getEntireRecord" $filename | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">sed </span>-i ''"$lineNumToBeDeleted"'d' file.txt</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">done </span>< "$lkpfilename"</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">rm </span>$lkpfilename</span><br /><br /><b>Detailed Explanation:</b> To identify <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumOfFiletMignon</span> we are using grep -n as seen below, with head -n 1 to get the first record for the specific combination, even though we know it will give only one record in our case. Then we have cut -d: -f1 to get the first column as the Unix line number.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumOfFiletMignon</span>="$(grep -n "$generateSameIdFiletMignon" $filename | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Now we are adding one to <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumOfFiletMignon</span> to get <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese</span>=$((lineNumOfFiletMignon + 1))</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Once we have identified <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese</span> we can use sed -i then the line number where we want to insert our record followed by the record string and file name. Since we are iteratively storing the entire records iteratively in <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">getEntireRecord</span> from <i>lookup.txt</i>, we are using the same in the sed -i command.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">sed </span>-i ''"$lineNumToInsertParmesanCheese"'i '"$getEntireRecord"'' file.txt</span><br /><br />After we do the above, we are going to have a duplicate original record of "Parmesan Cheese" that has to be deleted, this is calculated in <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumToBeDeleted</span> by using the entire record string <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">getEntireRecord</span> which was retrieved from <i>lookup.txt</i>.<br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">lineNumToBeDeleted</span>="$(grep -n "$getEntireRecord" $filename | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div>The duplicate original line will be removed by the below sed -i command where we are providing the line number <span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lineNumToBeDeleted</span> to be deleted with d at the end for deletion, followed by the file name.</div><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">sed </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-i ''"$lineNumToBeDeleted"'d' file.txt</span><br /><br />Then at the end we can safely delete our lookup file, which was happily storing all the "Parmesan Cheese" for us until now!<br /><br />The above activity can also be done in Excel macro, but considering the amount of maintenance and scalability factors, we are clear which option to choose now.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-4473376763664064942018-08-26T13:09:00.000-05:002020-05-30T00:00:36.549-05:00ODI BI Apps Machine Learning Power-Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Like many millenials, one of my favorite video game was Mario. The most satisfying thing about <b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Super Mario</span></b> were the power-up mushrooms - that gave it added abilities, to keep conquering world after world. Similarly, today when data and information are created at an accelerating rate, outstripping the ability of humans to keep up - it becomes imperative for enterprise operations to enable a digital workforce to achieve demonstrable gains in efficiency and productivity.<br /><br /><a href="https://imageshack.com/a/img922/3755/Nbbvxk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="500" height="280" src="https://imageshack.com/a/img922/3755/Nbbvxk.png" width="320" /></a>Operational Analytics, with subjective experience, is indeed very much useful - but it's more inclined towards Descriptive Analytics, based on what has already happened in the past. With <b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Predictive Analytics</span></b>, it opens up a whole new world where we can design algorithms to detect complex pattern - and provide powerful insights to predict the future. The more powerful our mathematical algorithm, and the more robust our datasets, the better we get with our statistical and strategic inferences.<br /><br />With a journey that started few months back with <a href="http://www.insightcrunch.com/2018/07/snpsession-data-analysts-dream-table-of.html" target="_blank">analyzing and synthesizing vast amounts of logs generated by Oracle BI Apps, Oracle Hyperion Essbase, and Oracle Data Integrator</a>, it's fascinating to see how today unprecedented levels of efficiency and quality can be achieved by transcending conventional performance tradeoffs. Let's coin in the term <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Intelligent Process Automation</b></span> here - since it will not be fair to navigate this picturesque landscape without getting a deep feel of the next-gen tools forming the core of this cognitive technical process.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How does IPA fit in our ODI BI Apps Power-Up?</span></b> Well, wait for it, let's put it out there in as much crispy and munchy (reminding me of chocolate chip cookies...umm..) way as possible. We get to know the answers to all the following questions today, in near real-time. When does the application encounter "ODI-10188: Error while login from OPSS" due to Authentication issues which causes critical Production ODI jobs to fail? When does the application face errors due to "Unable to create connection to LDAP" which creates fatal scenarios in complex running processes? When does the application face errors like "LDAP response read timed out" which causes ODI jobs or online OBIEE reports to error out? Can our IPA model figure out what went wrong by itself and let me know?<br /><br />Now, let's see <b><span style="color: #f1c232;">what happens when</span></b> we create a model that will continuously "teach" our "agent" to "learn" from the stream of situational data, analyze the same, and respond to complex queries. What happens when we inject decision-making capabilities to enhance our "agent", such that it is able to learn and adapt with time? We start getting answers to all the following questions - how stable does the system look? Since applications and jobs running fine does not necessarily indicate everything is fine, should we be aware of any "indicators" that can serve as giving us predictive information of the future state? Why is the application or system behavior the way it is now? Which teams need to be involved right away when the system behaves in a specific pattern? Can the system auto-heal given a specific scenario and then share that information? When can we anticipate a specific good news scenario that happened in the past? How can we predict a major upcoming issue that has happened in the past? How close are we to reaching our specific target figures?<br /><br />Thus with the interplay of concepts, technologies, it's fascinating to see how we are able to create <b><span style="color: #f1c232;">strategic assets</span></b>, helping us achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, control, quality, and most importantly, speed - which is definitely poised to transform the existing workforce, with radically enhanced response times, and ofcourse, reduced operational risks.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-84952916889084074072018-07-10T22:29:00.000-05:002020-05-30T00:00:54.142-05:00SNP_SESSION - The Data Analyst’s Dream Table of Oracle Data Integrator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Oracle Business Intelligence Applications stack provides an array of tools during the implementation, and each of them comes with its rich set of features. The awesomeness comes when we get to experience several business use-cases and scenarios, analyze the metrics and data, interpret them along the lines of the business process, and ultimately when also we encounter product limitations - and <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>discover amazing ideas to make our lives easier</b></span>. Happiness...as deep the word sounds, becomes almost synonymous in such cases, as we make breakthroughs through innovative complex ideas.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://imageshack.com/a/img923/9902/1sGyAL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="179" src="https://imageshack.com/a/img923/9902/1sGyAL.png" width="320" /></a></div>All of us are aware of this repository table <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>SNP_SESSION</b></span> in ODI, the unattractive component that shows lots of rows and numbers and dates, often just helps only to find a specific information and then we are done with it. In an environment where overnight several incremental loads consume around 6 hours daily, it generates lots of logs and data and writes to all of the repository tables, including session level details in SNP_SESSION. All information of every session like rows processed, rows inserted, rows updated, period and filter variables used, duration taken, start time, end time - are logged in SNP_SESSION.<br /><br />To understand the prowess of SNP_SESSION, we need to get to a <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>few questions first</b></span>, and then the train of thoughts and discoveries can follow. For a session am interested in, what is the behavior of this session over the last 4 months? Does it have any pattern during specific periods? Does it have any relation with other sessions’ attributes? Does a data volume of another session or duration of a different session influence this? Since rows processed do not always proportionately impact session durations, does a % variance of a different session impact the session am interested in to an extent? Say in my today’s load, can I find which scenarios from the past repeated today, say with similar data volume or % variance in duration? Can I foresee untold information or what is going to happen as the loads progress by real-time analysis of the data?<br /><br />It’s been very exciting to know over the last few weeks that all of the above questions can be answered, tremendously <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>by using SNP_SESSION</b></span>, and with some help from SNP_LP_INST and SNP_LPI_STEP. We have implemented a solution which is now in its final testing phase with live data, and will heavily complement manual human monitoring activities - by providing root causes before the impact happens, and providing additional insights into the application which otherwise often gets overlooked due to the vastness of the system.<br /><br />We have <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>calculated</b></span> the weighted average of each session duration, load plan wise, over a period of last several months, with an <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>algorithm </b></span>that took a long time to develop after a lot of brainstorming. Then came the perilous task of calculating the standard deviation of the weight samples so as to help calculate the accuracy of our analysis, but it finally happened! Next came analyzing the data volume - with NB_ROW, NB_INS, NB_UPD already available in SNP_SESSION and waiting for us. Comparing today’s volume with the weighted average for the corresponding session itself started giving insights, but we <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>wanted more</b></span>. We asked what next, what if, why now, what then, and each metric opened up new paths before us to explore.<br /><br />Each field of SNP_SESSION gave rise to almost 3-4 metrics of it’s own, giving rise to real-time daily calculation and analysis of the datasets during executions, and the impact it causes to the parent load plan. During the execution of each load, we are able to get <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>insightful emails</b></span> consisting of detailed analysis of the load - and a similar day in history if today’s scenario matched, and what happened then, and how the day went with the consequent activities.<br /><br />But again, we need a single indicating factor, giving rising to the <span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>calculation of probability</b></span> - as a single point of figure to indicate the possibility of actual realization of our real-time predictions, for each prediction. Hence more brainstormings followed, and finally now every email gets tagged by a probability that makes it so much more meaningful. Thus it becomes so true in today’s world, data is only useful when we know how to process it to our benefit - and it will truly continue to become more and more the case in future!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-31508712523473023792018-06-09T17:27:00.001-05:002018-06-09T19:16:16.909-05:00Sensational Sequoia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The exquisite Sierra Nevada, in the magnificent slopes of California, is the home to some of the oldest living things on earth – the dazzling Giant Sequoia trees, some as old as 3500 years. The stunning facts of these exquisite trees were as overwhelming to me as a 10-year old, as it is today – and the long dream of experiencing these breathtaking wildernesses came true few days back.<br /><br />Driving via Three Rivers Visalia through the wild fascinating roads uphill to the Giant Forest is an experience in itself that takes some time to sink in. The gradual change in the landscape around us as we approach is magnificent, the appearance of the trees, the heights, the feeling of suddenly shrinking is so electrifying – one just gets dazed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdDdobOucrk/WxxVgA5u2EI/AAAAAAAKuXA/6hSNj__OW5svraq83FTSHwfHl6VTAxhPgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0757.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdDdobOucrk/WxxVgA5u2EI/AAAAAAAKuXA/6hSNj__OW5svraq83FTSHwfHl6VTAxhPgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_0757.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>The role of forest fires on the lifecycle of the Sequoia trees is interesting. Due to reduction in the number of natural forest fires today, the Park Service executes controlled fires to remove competing vegetation to allow Sequoia seedlings to germinate - which has difficulty otherwise. The Giant Forest Museum is a storehouse of some gripping figures and facts – the Sentinel tree greets all the visitors as we enter the museum, a statuesque of over 250 feet high.<br /><br />As we went down from the parking lot via the Sherman Tree Trail, we could feel the energy and excitement around us – the weather felt perfect for visitors, not a surprise given that the Sequoias thrive best in humid climates. When we reached, standing in front of the General Sherman Tree – the magnificence and awe was too much to absorb, and took an hour of lingering around; to really believe it's happening for me. A part of me felt complete. For me, it was always more than a tree. That day I realized it for real. The largest living tree – the all so familiar impressive artistry that we all have craved to see for so long after reading about it in books – right before us.<br /><br />The enchanting walks around Sequoia forest, the rousing emotions, the captivating views, the grace and elegance of surviving thousands of years withstanding fires and storms, converted it into a spellbinding magical forest – resulting in an indelible weekend. <br /><br />The wildlife comprises of hundreds of black bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and some friendly rodents. The visitor guide below is really well versed with all the different situations that our curious minds wandered on, and it was interesting to read. <br /><br /><iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G_5vRStRW2pyrkBaqpX96H50dPZ7zF6H/preview" style="height: 700px; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-58500160549655145732018-06-08T15:54:00.000-05:002019-07-09T14:37:19.640-05:00Coinbase and the Blockchain Revolution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As we step over into the age of new technologies that has the power to revolutionize the very meaning of currency and fundamental aspects of society, it's evident that such transition will take time to absorb and fill into our lives at a mass scale. Some notable authorized organizations being the <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320x240q90/921/bwudz2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="245" src="https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320x240q90/921/bwudz2.png" /></a></div>driving force today like Coinbase and Facebook helps bring in an air of assurance and credibility into this world, which is otherwise often torn apart regularly due to hacking and other mishaps.<br /><br />The concept of Coinbase at being the most friendly user interface driven product appealed to the people so much that millions have subscribed to it over last few years. But with the growing volume of interest in BTC, XRP, ETH, XLM, LTC, ETC, BCH, EOS, TRX, ADA, XMR, and other cryptocurrencies, it's natural that delays in deposit, withdrawal, and transfer of the currencies will start to pile up and create frustration among users unless addressed regularly. Even with security features like Coinbase Vault, Trezor, Electrum, Robinhood and Exodus, the landscape is as good as it's processing time is, and speed is thus a prerequisite to be able to get into our daily lives as live currencies. The sudden variances in the volume of user hits due to rise and drop in market price of a cryptocurrency does not seem likely to calm down soon, and needs a strong infrastructure to support this craze.<br /><br />The below will capture a snapshot of your experience and will get added to the consolidation summary of all users.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="700" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="1" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemoj0l0_RcelSCRVFN9RyrzGly1CgPjbANfVE1RBmDkqG9Pw/viewform?embedded=true" width="550"></iframe> <br /><br />The summary of all the data that is being recorded is represented schematically below to get an overview of the nature of all user experiences.<br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT4HZGp6Rn6Lk8ZILN3wdW4s9NB8pHxiHY5HUeNUwqN76P-L4ScC5AbYU6qaeMMEtwgRDO8Hiv-tGTp/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true&widget=true&headers=false" style="height: 1250px; width: 420px;"></iframe> <br /><br />Optional: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/request/mG8iq30ac6h2Fu4jFVxs" target="_blank">Upload a file</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-77778393259677775452018-03-18T00:06:00.000-05:002019-10-22T19:11:42.332-05:00Excel Pivot Table Count Distinct Values Challenge Overcoming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrknzppvcA0/Xa-Yj5mt_oI/AAAAAAAMZBs/8XWoKbdsKCIN0ylZSAxetD6HmbFwa4MGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrknzppvcA0/Xa-Yj5mt_oI/AAAAAAAMZBs/8XWoKbdsKCIN0ylZSAxetD6HmbFwa4MGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Image.png" width="100" /></a></div>The use of Microsoft Excel automatically becomes a powerful tool to dive deep into the sea of data and form perceptions while generating interesting data models. Recently while in the middle of such an exciting activity came a moment where we were stuck with a not-so-latest version of Excel and thus we are missing the oh-so-lovely built-in Count Distinct formula for a Pivot Table. Yes it's a deal-breaker, when we cannot avoid a pivot, and also desperately don't want to create a different standalone table or formula for a calculation to count the number of distinct values for a combination.<br /><br />Say, we need to find <span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>for each Attrib_1 values (Column B) how many distinct IDs (column A) exist</b></span>. Thus we can see AX and BY are repeated in rows 5 and 9 and so we need to tag their duplicate occurrences with a 0.<br /><br />In the first approach, column E, we check if the row number of each row equals the first occurence of the unique combination (Column D) we are looking for:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">=SUM(IF(ROW([@Combination])<>MATCH([@Combination],D:D,0),0,1))</span><br /><br />In the second approach, column F, we check if the counted value for the unique combination (Column D) we are looking for exceeds 1, in which case it's a duplicate and tagged 0. The range of this formula increases like $D$2:D3 $D$2:D4 $D$2:D5 as it goes down and thus the countif function can calculate from the top down. This needs tad more effort to type and create than the former.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">=IF(COUNTIF($D$2:D2,D2)>1,0,1)</span><br /><br /><iframe src="https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=A5C8A4E7872827F9&resid=A5C8A4E7872827F9%21617645&authkey=APWkqOlcD1oqElQ&em=2" style="width:100%; height:500px; border: 0px"></iframe><br />Now if we select values from the purple buttons above we can see how vibrantly the pivot chart tells us that the count of distinct combinations for X is 3 (i.e. AX, BX, CX), Y is 2 (i.e. BY, AY), and Z is 1 (i.e. CZ). Once the data is ready, we can use ODI or any integration tool to further process this intelligent dataset.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-54519229842226875452018-01-06T21:11:00.000-06:002020-05-29T23:59:48.496-05:00wss_username_token_service_policy use case for Oracle EBS and DRM Integration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The year of 2017 was an incredible year with tremendous ups and equal downs both at a professional and personal level. However it has again helped in garnering some very fruitful insights regarding everything around me and to plan few things better ahead. This is not to undermine any of the other years like say 2016 or 2015, but it is just that the impact of some of the incidents and the decisions that I have done and taken in 2017 will be changing my life forever. Let's see what 2018 has in hold! Wishing you a very happy new year ahead!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://imageshack.com/a/img924/9580/nmS6yY.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://imageshack.com/a/img924/9580/nmS6yY.png" width="200" /></a></div>The web services play an important role in the authentication process for the EBS and DRM metadata integration. Few months back during the DRM repository movement we came across a few challenges with the MDS schema database host info which enlightened a few areas and paved way for some more personal study. After the initial setup, once the oracle-epm-drm-webservices WSDL is up and running fine, we need to attach a security policy to this application. This will ensure that clients like the program "Load Segment Values and Hierarchies" makes the request to the WebLogic Server to get the system generated token for the user (say EbsIntegrationUser) which can be passed to DRM. Then DRM can validate that token with OID to verify authentication instead of requiring a username/password.<br /><br />Oracle Web Services Manager (OWSM) will need to be deployed first in the same EPM Server and domain where DRM Web Service is deployed. The database repository schema name for OWSM is set to a different value and usually ends with *_MDS which corresponds to Metadata Schema.<br /><br />Once done, the new policy needs to be created in Weblogic under Farm_EPMSystem <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">→</span> Weblogic Domain <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">→</span> EPM System <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">→</span> Web Services <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">→</span> Policy Sets. Then in Step 3 for "Add Policy References" we need to select and assign wss_username_token_service_policy.<br /><br />The details of the steps to be followed can be referred <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I07Ak2lu3WKfs8i7d6ZkcwIiyh-DGSg5" target="_blank">here</a>. There are other policies also that can be used as per the scenario faced, however for this specific integration an authentication token suffices. <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E12839_01/web.1111/b32511/configuring.htm#WSSEC1154" target="_blank">Here</a> are some more details related to authentication and uses of web services.<br /><br />The ultimate test will be to make sure the token name is visible in the WSDL url. If the attachment of the policy is done fine, it will reflect in the URL. Else there's another approach to manually attach the policy which is kind of a workaround and done only in exception scenarios, which we faced few months back.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-65848313126637316042017-11-22T21:25:00.000-06:002020-05-06T01:17:10.849-05:00দাবানলের ইন্দ্রজালে<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqZ3fXYEJFw/Xa-4yLnRGtI/AAAAAAAMZB8/m9OPS1lyrIU1SUda0LAFeI17GdYjCri6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/14680995_10154105153802972_4204036771406151144_o_10154105153802972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqZ3fXYEJFw/Xa-4yLnRGtI/AAAAAAAMZB8/m9OPS1lyrIU1SUda0LAFeI17GdYjCri6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/14680995_10154105153802972_4204036771406151144_o_10154105153802972.jpg" width="200" /></a>হেমন্তের হাওয়া বারান্দায় গিয়ে দাঁড়ালেই বোঝা যায় । কোথাও কিছু একটা কোনো ভাবে ইশারা করতে থাকে আমি এসে গেছি বলে । অন্য কোনো ঋতুর সময় এটা হয়না, বেশি না ভেবে নিঃসন্দেহে লালমোহন বাবুর ভাষায় বলে চলে হাইলি সাস্পিসাস ! যেখানে সীমানার কোনো বাধা ধরা নেই, স্বাধীন চিন্তার এবং ঠিক ভুল বিচার করে রাস্তা নির্বাচন করার জটিলতা নেই - সরল ভাবে উত্তরের শীতলতম প্রদেশ থেকে কয়েক সপ্তাহের মধ্যে ক্রমশ দক্ষিণে নেমে আসার এই রূপ নজর করার মতন । <br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zf_D5py7H1M/Xa-5Z29jn5I/AAAAAAAMZCE/RBfSs-DzfvcI4tvU6ugYQAxvDc-kwCgZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/14753435_10154107378437972_5980104395255146298_o_10154107378437972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zf_D5py7H1M/Xa-5Z29jn5I/AAAAAAAMZCE/RBfSs-DzfvcI4tvU6ugYQAxvDc-kwCgZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/14753435_10154107378437972_5980104395255146298_o_10154107378437972.jpg" width="200" /></a>প্রযুক্তির সুবিধায় এখন প্রকৃতির পরের পদক্ষেপ হিটম্যাপের্ মাধ্যমে ইন্টারনেটে আগাম জেনে নেওয়া যায় । সেই মতো রওনা হয়ে পড়লাম রঙের বাহারের মাঝখানে । শুরুতে কিছু গাছের উজ্জ্বল লাল অথবা গাঢ় কমলা রং নজর কারে, আস্তে আস্তে তা আগুন হয়ে ছড়িয়ে পড়লো যত দূরে চোখ যায় ততোদূরে । সূর্যের আলো পাতার ফাক দিয়ে রং পাল্টে সব কিছুর রূপ বদলে দিচ্ছে মাটির কাছাকাছি । <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f5vtGgbgRyo?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe>অল্প বাতাসের ধাক্কাতেই রঙের বৃষ্টি শুরু হয়ে যাচ্ছে গাছের ওপর থেকে, জঙ্গলের ভেতর দিয়ে হাঁটার সময় তাই মোচর মোচর আওয়াজের কৌতূহল উত্তর রাখে নির্দয় তুষারের আগমনের মাঝে প্রাণোচ্ছলতার । ক্যামেরার লেন্সের দৃষ্টিকোণ খুঁজতে পাগল মানুষের ভিড় চতুর্দিকে ছড়িয়ে শত শত মাইল ভ্রমণ করে কেউ পৌঁছে যাচ্ছে উঁচু পাহাড় চূড়োতে, কেউ বা গভীর জঙ্গলের ভেতর লুকোনো কোনো নির্মল লেকের প্রতিফলনে, কেউ বা অভিভূত হয়ে প্রকৃতির রঙে মিশে যেতে চেয়ে ক্যাম্পিং করছে জঙ্গলের মাঝখানে, প্রকৃতির ঋতু পরিবর্তনের মাঝে সকলের প্রাণের সূত্র ধরে এরম উল্লাস ঐন্দ্রজালের চেয়ে কম নয় ।<br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpK_akFsJOQ/Xa-5lnCBMFI/AAAAAAAMZCI/nfjmu1oOEyY6c6zlsb6ulx9ks6TEiLUzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/14715536_10154105154962972_5224742532295313176_o_10154105154962972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpK_akFsJOQ/Xa-5lnCBMFI/AAAAAAAMZCI/nfjmu1oOEyY6c6zlsb6ulx9ks6TEiLUzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/14715536_10154105154962972_5224742532295313176_o_10154105154962972.jpg" width="200" /></a>জানলার কাঁচ তুলে রাখবো না নামিয়ে রাখবো, হাওয়াতে ঠান্ডা লেগে যাবে নাকি আরেকটু প্রাণ জুড়িয়ে নিঃশাস নেবো, লেকের ধারে গাছতলায় বসে সূর্যোদয় বেশি ভালো লাগলো নাকি স্থির জঙ্গলের মাঝে হঠাৎ চমকে দেওয়া উড থ্রাসের গান করে ওঠা বেশি স্মরণীয় হয়ে থাকলো, মেঘের ফাঁক দিয়ে রোদের স্পর্শে পাতার রং বেশি হৃদয়স্পর্শী নাকি মেঘলা আকাশে পাহাড়ের ওপর থেকে অল্প বৃষ্টিতে ভেজা ঘন জঙ্গলের উচ্ছসিত গন্ধের রহস্য বেশি রোমাঞ্চকর, এই তর্ক বিতর্কের শেষ ভ্রমণকালীন হয়নি, না হওয়াই রয়ে যাক ! </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-88068176908750494332017-11-05T01:45:00.002-05:002020-05-30T00:00:54.153-05:00Essbase Shared Member vs Duplicate Member vs New Dimension ODI Roller Coaster<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://imageshack.com/a/img921/5423/85f21G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img921/5423/85f21G.jpg" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="576" height="113" width="200" /></a>The beginning of winter brought with it some exciting rides into the world of Oracle Data Integrator and Essbase. Feels lovely when things start to unravel their beauty and prowess. After several sessions (more to come!) of brainstorming on Shared and Duplicate members, we came to a few interesting findings that can help us plan better.<br /><br />The "Duplicate" members are providing the below benefits:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Allows same member to be used multiple times across altogether different dimensions. This is different from a "Shared" member where members need to be part of the same dimension.</li><li>Besides the dimensions where we need Duplicate members, we can explicitly mark other dimensions as Unique which need not contain Duplicate members, thus ensuring integrity.</li></ul><div>One drawback being once the outline is marked as enabled for Duplicate member we will be unable to rollback this setting! </div><br />However, unlike a "Shared" member, some of the inconveniences that are caused by "Duplicate" members are:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>To get clarity on the dimension used, Smart View users will now have to select either the <a href="http://www.oracle.com/webfolder/technetwork/tutorials/obe/hyp/DisplayDupesSV-1112/DisplayDupesSV-1112.html#s7" target="_blank">fully qualified or ancestor-driven qualified name</a> to ensure the correct member is selected. This defeats the aesthetics to an extent. Like [Parent].[Member].</li><li>Existing calculations if used referring these members will need to be revisited to ensure they refer the correct required member from the corresponding dimension.</li><li>The KM "<a href="http://rahul-bhattacharya.blogspot.com/2016/10/how-odi-ikm-sql-to-hyperion-essbase.html" target="_blank">SQL to Hyperion Essbase (METADATA)</a>" doesn't seem to like allow loading the duplicate alias for the duplicate member. The second dimension loaded latter suffers, the first dimension gets loaded fine. The first gets all the alias fine, the next run doesn't get any alias for the members in the second dimension.</li></ul><div>Considering all the above, the most effective solution now becomes a "new dimension":</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>We are going to compromise on space and performance as a drawback for this</li><li>But now, we can have our distinct prefixing and naming convention for each member to make them identifiable at-a-glance</li><li>Reference of any members in any calculations can stay intact without any ambiguity </li><li>The KM "<a href="http://rahul-bhattacharya.blogspot.com/2016/10/how-odi-ikm-sql-to-hyperion-essbase.html" target="_blank">SQL to Hyperion Essbase (METADATA)</a>" is at it's best again</li></ul><div>Given the current world, this post will soon be updated over next few weeks.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-18379354177623443592017-10-14T15:43:00.003-05:002020-08-24T16:21:00.408-05:00Call of the South West<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span> trip to the southwest USA creates excitement even when we just imagine it, even though it is not my first time. It was during late winter that we started to plan a trip, but due to various changes in our lives things were regularly getting re-prioritized, until the month of August. It was extremely difficult to finalize a list of destinations, there were just too many to cover. My preference always lies towards places untouched by man, not that am not pro-progress, but the simple fact that we can unwind to unseen beauties and see the same things which has witnessed such notable historical events, listen to the amazing stories of the local people, the fact that so many lifeless mammoth rocks can be worshipped, and a cave that <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3KDr5vUZyb4/WeJztkQXW_I/AAAAAAAGfs4/dtJV3SchWX8xIQv0KbOM3IcBZj6LzkIWgCLcBGAs/s1600/20170902_222928677_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3KDr5vUZyb4/WeJztkQXW_I/AAAAAAAGfs4/dtJV3SchWX8xIQv0KbOM3IcBZj6LzkIWgCLcBGAs/s200/20170902_222928677_iOS.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>failed to serve as a hideout during invasion from the east leading to hundreds being dead, or a view from one of the toughest hiking destinations in the world, driving via an amazing scenic road that can only be felt by our senses, each such fact, moment and place gives so much intensity and meaning to the time and place we are in, it helps makes my decisions a lot less difficult.<br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span>early 20 places made it to my initial list, but after much deliberation it came down to 16, then finally to 9 places. As always, per our new rule, we do not want to stress out so much that the thoughts of reaching the next destination late, becomes a constraint for cherishing the times at the last destination. Needless to say, the best part of a trip is the planning part, the quest for the unknown, the curiosity of how the new places will be like, the excitement of the memories that are going to be in the making, really makes the weeks before the trip so much memorable. <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" frameborder="0" height="182" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MOsKYmLlrf0?&autoplay=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;" width="320"></iframe> This applies to not only special long-awaited trips, but even for mere neighborhoods trips for me. And as always, the planning part involves lot of research for the food explorer in me even before the trip begins, which never completes and continues till the last day of the trip.<br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>fter the bookings of the flights, the next best part was to decide between cottages or inns or motels or hotels. I have curated a mammoth collection in my Feedly (am so addicted to Feedly, besides Audible ofcourse) for specially travel blogs, and it has greatly influenced me on this aspect last few years. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XeCsldFVmeo/WeJ1hg1NklI/AAAAAAAGfs8/54pgiYkj7GYjAxCpQ2DCObvZ2B-J_7Q7wCLcBGAs/s1600/20170903_173143136_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XeCsldFVmeo/WeJ1hg1NklI/AAAAAAAGfs8/54pgiYkj7GYjAxCpQ2DCObvZ2B-J_7Q7wCLcBGAs/s200/20170903_173143136_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The closeness to the place and some local touch can only be felt easily if we can for once decide to reserve a cottage or resort close to our venue, which might be in a forest or at the foot of a mountain. With the landscape as it is in Arizona, it was not easy to find such a place in the<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nMFyNGzBFk/WeJ21w2DWdI/AAAAAAAGftA/s_mghaMNVoAFkRq8ryKmJFS52herJvFwQCLcBGAs/s1600/20170904_161509626_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nMFyNGzBFk/WeJ21w2DWdI/AAAAAAAGftA/s_mghaMNVoAFkRq8ryKmJFS52herJvFwQCLcBGAs/s200/20170904_161509626_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a>Navajo Reservation, but we managed to find one awesome place just 20 mins north-east to the Reservation, near Mexican Hat in Utah. We also reserved a cottage near Bryce Point in Utah, the slowness and calmness of these places really becomes a priority sometimes, due to which we often change our plans to spend more time at such places as I will divulge in the next post in this series. The sounds of nature seems music to our ears, days spend without earpods doesn't make us miss it anymore, it is then that we realize we are able to connect to what really matters in our lives.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-75284200658478565202017-08-29T17:09:00.004-05:002017-08-29T17:09:59.523-05:00The Fascinating World of Ford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> T</span>he stories of how the automobile industry revolution started had been in the air for sometime around me after watching a few documentaries in YouTube. It is then that I started learning more about the smallest of the small details of Henry Ford's life, and gradually it became an obsession. When I learnt that he has created a world where a snapshot of history is preserved so well, it was irresistible to drive up to Dearborn, Michigan.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWvb7zn8tCU/WaUF83tje2I/AAAAAAAGJrU/dTAmt43wnQIPVE-7z3J-cv9udofR-R-EACLcBGAs/s1600/Sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWvb7zn8tCU/WaUF83tje2I/AAAAAAAGJrU/dTAmt43wnQIPVE-7z3J-cv9udofR-R-EACLcBGAs/s200/Sheep.jpg" width="112" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he exquisite quality with which various aspects of historical importance, some original, some amazing replicas, has been created, leaves one awestruck and longing for more when returning. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village together form a masterpiece of portraying almost all aspects of the history of the growth of this country over the centuries. Horses, cattle and poultry are wandering in fenced areas created similar to centuries before. The Ford model cars from the earliest generations giving rides to tourists, it was hard to resist the goosies.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>everal artifacts like Edison's laboratory, the Wright brother's home and shop, and detailed housing complexes consisting of schools, courts, etc are arranged to give the feel of an actual city around us. Most of the objects are original or are close replicas of the originals, and arranged exactly how they were present in the actual laboratories. Each step felt like we needed to pause and absorb the intensity of the surroundings, the enormosity of the thoughts made even a lifeless historic backyard or fireplace grandeur.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o1-sItHFW-0/WaXUHzxz_7I/AAAAAAAGJyM/CRRh0Z5ByDs2E1sXl-XQ0Dq2PmzInDu4ACLcBGAs/s1600/Ford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o1-sItHFW-0/WaXUHzxz_7I/AAAAAAAGJyM/CRRh0Z5ByDs2E1sXl-XQ0Dq2PmzInDu4ACLcBGAs/s200/Ford.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span> visit to the world of Ford is not complete without getting a feel of the first Ford Model cars. Getting to know the stories of the struggle to create the car, and how much pain had to be endured to overcome each hurdle step by step to come where we are today, is astonishing. The respect for the legacy left behind continues to grow as we get to know more. We get to sit on the cars and assemble parts of the cars with the help of friendly guides, who walk us through the step to tighten screws for a few minutes to give us a feel of how things used to be done. Models of the Ford are kept showing each of the parts and how they can be assembled to create a car.<br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5txFqrDwx0M/WaXWB4TN4NI/AAAAAAAGJys/5ihEC5A1ysAc8AAwP9A3PqDFQtOpyUAbwCLcBGAs/s1600/Ford_Parts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5txFqrDwx0M/WaXWB4TN4NI/AAAAAAAGJys/5ihEC5A1ysAc8AAwP9A3PqDFQtOpyUAbwCLcBGAs/s200/Ford_Parts.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he widespread usage of the car and the way it changed lives by allowing x-large distances to be covered in such small times was a new thing for all, and was so beautifully captured. Earlier people used to be able to cover only small distances in the limited times, and travelling to cities was elusive for the majority. But after the spread of the car population, things changed in multiple ways, leading to better industrial growth, better agriculture, medical care, and all other aspects of life. It brought all of us close to each other, marking a significant step in the human evolution story.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-riEHfO9iRuY/WaXZj-tItZI/AAAAAAAGJzM/UHKrlg4JMCsen1nGF-HMC820Fuip2h6QQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lincoln_Chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-riEHfO9iRuY/WaXZj-tItZI/AAAAAAAGJzM/UHKrlg4JMCsen1nGF-HMC820Fuip2h6QQCLcBGAs/s200/Lincoln_Chair.jpg" width="150" /></a> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s we walk through the amazing time castle, we find ourselves walking through the growth of the civilization in this land, how each president contributed, and then the tumultuous 1860s during the Civil Wars. The details are explained in crisp and lucid style and is one of the most comprehensive collection that can be completed in a limited time. Several artifacts and memoirs are preserved, like Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theater, the bus where Rosa Parks sat before the Civil Rights Movement, and several signboards and newspapers from memorable times. Taking a seat in this bus triggered thoughts of all the events that followed decades back, it is just a grim recollection of the events that our past generations encountered.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aczMLYnoKxE/WaXZpRDkovI/AAAAAAAGJzQ/q627pDnXw3wjO53g25KwzmkyMnU4b3OyACLcBGAs/s1600/Rosa_Parks_Bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aczMLYnoKxE/WaXZpRDkovI/AAAAAAAGJzQ/q627pDnXw3wjO53g25KwzmkyMnU4b3OyACLcBGAs/s200/Rosa_Parks_Bus.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"> D</span>iscriminations of decades have been vividly described with references, reports, documents, printings pertaining to that time. It is hard to imagine a time where this was all true, but yet it was right there with evidences before our eyes. The first hand witness details and stories and reports of a time so near to our past gives chills and cannot stop us from continuously appreciating the grit and spirit of these brave people. The time is beautifully represented by lighting and color effects on fonts and texts simulating an atmosphere that gives a feel of the actual days decades back.<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJQVLd62_aU/WaXZprlj6hI/AAAAAAAGJzU/tG80s41hqqAkci1bvWVQlIiXVvqIx5RjgCLcBGAs/s1600/Cars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJQVLd62_aU/WaXZprlj6hI/AAAAAAAGJzU/tG80s41hqqAkci1bvWVQlIiXVvqIx5RjgCLcBGAs/s200/Cars.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s we continued our dream tour of this amazing place, we learned details of various cars, how they were made, and their standout features. It showed how the efforts were continuous on moving towards where we are today, and bit by bit how we gradually came here. It was nice to learn how different routes and roads started getting prioritized as cars evolved, how hotels, motels, inns, lodges came into existence. Replicas of the earliest lodges and inns gave glimpses of the life decades back and how we might have spent our nights had we lived during that time. The basic facilities we have today, regardless of the technological advances, are far more luxurious than anything we could have imagined that time for the same lifestyle.<br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ABwFIIByeEQ/WaXZquDGPcI/AAAAAAAGJzc/8WMpizK0Ze4FkT__9eQq8p0UshZEvbXXwCLcBGAs/s1600/Train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ABwFIIByeEQ/WaXZquDGPcI/AAAAAAAGJzc/8WMpizK0Ze4FkT__9eQq8p0UshZEvbXXwCLcBGAs/s200/Train.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he use of trains for large distances and the ever increasing power and speed of the engines that led to the Industrial Revolution was described in amazing details with several replicas and actual models of the engines kept, some of which were over 20 feet high. The impact these trains had on the lives of millions of people across the geography by carrying almost any amount of anything in short times led to growth in man's lifestyle that we have seldom seen in the recent history of man. The lives of everyone started changing due to the effect of this period and it is an incredible feeling to actually get to learn the stories by watching movie clips, reading features and news of these actual trains from that time.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpWvPp21790/WaXZpiheyfI/AAAAAAAGJzY/HRUKZBZUOTAltatWzz0DVNcMwQezUXr6ACLcBGAs/s1600/Kennedy_Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpWvPp21790/WaXZpiheyfI/AAAAAAAGJzY/HRUKZBZUOTAltatWzz0DVNcMwQezUXr6ACLcBGAs/s200/Kennedy_Car.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"> A</span> section of the Presidential cars awaited us where the names of each of the Presidents were engraved with details. All the cars were there including that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The amount of protection and the techniques used to guarantee safety for the most important men in the country was amazing to see, read and learn so closely. It was sad however for some cases no amount of protection could protect us from ourselves leading to sad early ending of promising lives.<br /> <span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span>ne can only thank Ford after visiting this place, for helping preserve a fraction of our lives from the most important times to learn about ourselves and help create a better, brighter, future.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-4349583120008737582017-08-25T17:31:00.000-05:002017-08-29T00:07:54.442-05:00Immersing in the Mystery of Dakota<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Time is the medium by which life unravels itself. We can understand ourselves better and get to know what right means by looking at the centuries of years behind us. A trip to Dakota sparks that consciousness in us which makes us question why we are what we are. A visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial triggers waves of emotions which are hard to explain. The questions of why, how, continued to plunge us down more and more into repentance, one which could do nothing about.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pMuSiXVFEQ/WaCZ8on2V8I/AAAAAAAGI9U/FvZAFrqguRY-tj9bSUvLrXDTd0Cqq4JFwCLcBGAs/s1600/20160729_201203291_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pMuSiXVFEQ/WaCZ8on2V8I/AAAAAAAGI9U/FvZAFrqguRY-tj9bSUvLrXDTd0Cqq4JFwCLcBGAs/s200/20160729_201203291_iOS.jpg" width="150" /></a>The days were spent equally amazing at the same time, understanding the undying spirit of Crazy Horse, Sleepy Eye, Little Crow, it just showed how we could not adjust with our fellow neighbors and how systems fell apart again and again. The struggle for existence deserves heroic mentions for each and every tribe, to preserve the individuality and trying to ensure a prosperous future for their future generations. Until gradually their population thinned, and they had to be in the run in the cold, hungry and without basic amenities.<br /><br />A trip to Dakota is never complete without understanding the history of the tribes and their years of struggle. If reading the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee has not given you goosebumps, it is sure to give goosebumps once we visit Dakota after reading the book. All the names that are so much familiar with us after reading the book comes almost alive in front of us with all the artifacts preserved in details. We get to see their way of life, the tools and techniques that were used, why they did what they did during hunting, fishing, cooking, and all other aspects of life.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LgFwTuYGrfY/WaCaCpirP-I/AAAAAAAGI9Y/ZSSaj2alV1kQRg_WWfZS1L7W_kY3mYI3QCLcBGAs/s1600/20160729_201534718_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LgFwTuYGrfY/WaCaCpirP-I/AAAAAAAGI9Y/ZSSaj2alV1kQRg_WWfZS1L7W_kY3mYI3QCLcBGAs/s200/20160729_201534718_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The meaning of trust got lost again and again with so many treaties of peace broken over the years. It is single most unfortunate trait of us when we want to take away from others for our own benefit, by betrayal. There is no doubt why warriors were worshiped when talks failed, since the only way one could stand up against untrustworthy negotiators is by taking up arms. Statues of Crazy Horse is found everywhere and the superhero stature transcends time, and has resoundingly found a place in the hearts of all. It was my wish if only the mountain carving could have been completed beyond the arm and the face when I went, as evident in the adjacent picture. The white statue is what the mountain carving in the background would have looked like had it been completed, it's still in progress currently, and it started in 1948.<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg5TPQl47yI/WaCaIdFIO9I/AAAAAAAGI9c/8jlQPTCDnDwd-kKUOeZnDTCr2DB78e7qQCLcBGAs/s1600/20160729_202515442_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg5TPQl47yI/WaCaIdFIO9I/AAAAAAAGI9c/8jlQPTCDnDwd-kKUOeZnDTCr2DB78e7qQCLcBGAs/s200/20160729_202515442_iOS.jpg" width="150" /></a>The conquest of lands by the people who could not (or did not want to) believe all of us could stay together did not destroy the culture of the tribes. They continued to carry forward their traditions in whichever way they could, and we were lucky to witness a show of their celebratory entertaining dance. The simple things of life made so much meaning for them, starting from animals to weather, colors to shapes, the smallest of the small things has become a part of their life which is really soothing to see from our WiFi centric vision.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3QPUFONqqIA/WaCaM5JIhhI/AAAAAAAGI9g/zkalYvOY4Gc-6539mCTJtELHPmTy2PqOgCLcBGAs/s1600/20160729_193615186_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3QPUFONqqIA/WaCaM5JIhhI/AAAAAAAGI9g/zkalYvOY4Gc-6539mCTJtELHPmTy2PqOgCLcBGAs/s200/20160729_193615186_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a>There are things which we so so wish we could undo, but we cannot today. Even if we wish what it would have been if this and that would not have happened. There's always another way, it is sad that we seldom put in the effort to find the better way, even if it maybe painful and difficult at the start. And this applies to every aspect of our life, where often the easy option becomes the solution that ultimately may not be helpful at all in the long run. The essence of Dakota thus lingers on even after coming back. Someone asked me today, why bother after the trip is over, it was just another weekend getaway. I only wished I could explain how this getaway changed everything.<br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-50659480360606703122017-08-07T20:44:00.004-05:002017-08-07T21:07:22.151-05:00A Trip to the 1850s<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The last few months have been incredible. It isn't something unusual to come across great movies every now and then, but the impact of a great book is so much more. It all started with the sci-fi 11.22.63 that held me spellbound for days till the last line. Time travel had always attracted me, not to mention how many times I watched Back to the Future every time it's on.<br /><br />Then flooded with amazing books on the native American history, visits to Dakota last year, witnessing the struggle of man over time, it actually starts to feel so much more than just facts. Every trip to a museum, every detail of the significances of each antique, emphasizes so much more regarding the nature of man than just that period. It's how we suffered and how we understood our surroundings, the cause and effect repeatedly over time that shaped us as who we are today. We are blessed today that we have documented collections of historical events that can enrich us into understanding who we are, what we have done, and what we can do. It's not about the landscapes, monuments, attractions, sceneries, instead it is all about the people and the cultures that have played role in shaping our today's world.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vOxLYc4FUoQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vOxLYc4FUoQ?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div><br />A recent visit to the historic site of Abraham Lincoln's home sparked several realizations, specially after reading the book Team of Rivals. It's amazing to know how someone could endure and tolerate so much in a single lifetime, and that too without letting it change the flow of life and the challenges that it brings with it. The visit felt an icing on the cake after finishing the book that had so much details that one can ever ask for.<br /><br />It is always a pleasure to be knowing what we could never have known had we not lived in the time. Maybe it's appearing too much obsession with the past, but maybe we really to need to know the past well to understand ourselves and create a better future. Really do not want some of the things in history to repeat itself!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-72516409086971177752017-05-24T15:13:00.001-05:002020-05-30T00:00:36.561-05:00OBIEE Dashboard Export to Excel PDF HTML using Custom Links<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://imageshack.com/a/img922/7471/7gtrif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img922/7471/7gtrif.jpg" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="365" height="259" width="320" /></a>Oracle Business Intelligence Application in it's out of the box form do not provide any solution to export a dashboard from another dashboard using custom links. But given the available resources, it is possible to create custom links to export a dashboard in Excel format, PDF format, or HTML format. To do this we need to create few snippets of HTML and Javascript coding, and can add some cool animations as well if need be.<br /><br />To achieve our goal, we first need to have the name of the dashboard and the tab which we will be using to create our extracts. Once that is ready, the below HTML and Javascript codes will help create few export links that will extract exactly what we want.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div id="exports_hdr" onmouseover="document.getElementById('exports_dtls').style.display = 'block'; document.getElementById('exports_hdr').style.display = 'none'"><br /><font color = "mediumblue" size = "2"><u><b>Export</b></u></font><br /></div><br /><div id="exports_dtls" style="display:none"><br /><img style="vertical-align:middle; margin:0px 0px 0px 5px" alt="" src="res/sk_blafp/catalog/exporttoexcel_ena.png"><a name="ReportLinkMenu" title="Export to different format" href="javascript:void(null)" onclick="return saw.dashboard.exportToExcel('<<dashboard_name>>', '<<dashboard_to_be_exported>>', true);"><font color = "mediumblue" size = "2"><b>Excel 2007+</b></font></a><br /><img style="vertical-align:middle; margin:0px 0px 0px 5px" alt="" src="res/sk_blafp/catalog/printtopdf_ena.png"></img><a name="ReportLinkMenu" title="Export to different format" href="javascript:void(null)" onclick="return PortalPrint('<<dashboard_name>>', '<<dashboard_to_be_exported>>', true, 'pdf');"><font color = "mediumblue" size = "2"><b>PDF</b></font></a><br /><img style="vertical-align:middle; margin:0px 0px 0px 5px" alt="" src="res/sk_blafp/catalog/printtohtml_ena.png"></img><a name="ReportLinkMenu" title="Export to different format" href="javascript:void(null)" onclick="return PortalPrint('<<dashboard_name>>', '<<dashboard_to_be_exported>>', true, 'html');"><font color = "mediumblue" size = "2"><b>HTML</b></font></a><br /></div></blockquote><div><br />Once this is working fine, it will show a cool 'Export' link, and when we do a mouse hover it will instantly show three Export links for Excel format, PDF format, and HTML format.<br /><br />Let me know if you have any other ideas to export in different formats!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-21459415860167491182017-01-08T23:05:00.000-06:002020-05-29T23:59:48.441-05:00DRM Data Loading Automation using ODI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Oracle Hyperion Data Relationship Management application is a pretty flexible tool and most of the activities that can be done manually can be automated (using ETL tools like ODI, Informatica PowerCenter, etc). Recently I was presented with a business scenario by one of my readers which is pretty interesting yet tricky. Yes it involves a request to automating a manual process as you might have already guessed.<br /><br />The requirement goes as below:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The source systems are DWH and HRMS. Hence, the data/master data which we will get would be through staging tables to DRM. The source system would send the full data every month on month to the staging table and from where DRM has to pick. The comparison process in table (interim changes) first should go to the business user in an email and once the reply is ok, it should be incorporated in DRM and then publish to down stream applications.</blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imageshack.com/a/img923/9155/RdLSo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img923/9155/RdLSo4.jpg" height="274" width="320" /></a></div>To proceed with this activity, first and foremost we need to be familiar with DRM action scripts - which will involve generating Add, AddInsert and Move scripts. In addition to that, if we have an ETL tool in our environment (like ODI, Informatica PowerCenter, etc) it's beneficial - else we can also use SQL to achieve our purpose as we will see next.<br /><br /><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><b>Approach 1:</b></span><br /><br />Since the source systems DWH and HRMS are sending the full dataset every month - there needs to be a mechanism to detect the changes arriving at the staging tables in DRM end. This is where the Changed Data Capture (CDC) feature of ODI can come in handy, or else if we are using any other equivalent tool this feature will come in handy. This changed data capture can also be achieved using standard query languages so that the records that have changed/inserted can be flagged (say U/I) accordingly.<br /><br />This set of records can be sent as an email (with attachment if data volume is too big) to the respective business users for approval. Let's say we have a field called "<i>APPROVED</i>" in our table and all these records are defaulted to N. Once the approval comes from the users - these fields need to be set to Y for the approved changes manually by the IT team. Until then these records will sit idly in the staging table without propagating to DRM. This manual flagging step unfortunately cannot be avoided since there is no integration yet between DRM and email server.<br /><br />Now, once the records (say 8 out of 10 got approved, so we have 8 Y's and 2 N's) are flagged Y - they will be considered for the next steps of processing. The next steps are to create the Action Scripts for DRM to create the Add and Move scripts. Assuming the DRM version and hierarchy are already existing - the scripts formatting once done as per the required format it will be ready to be loaded to DRM. If the target txt/csv Action Script file is not in the same server where DRM can read it from, it has to be further SFTP ed to that location. Or else we can use SQL Loader to fetch the data from the Action Script table to the DRM server and then schedule Windows Batch Scripts to load the action script. There are quite a few ways this can be done and all depends on the environment setup we have in place.<br /><br /><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><b>Approach 2:</b></span><br /><br />If we want to keep the DRM staging table untouched by the manual update of Y and N flags - we can fine tune our approach to a control-file based design where the member names that are approved, will be kept in a file - that will be used for lookup. So say N1 and N2 are approved, the file will contain the below data:<br /><br /> X,N1<br /> X,N2<br /><br />Here X denotes the batch id (yes, we need to create a "<i>BATCH_ID</i>" field in the DRM staging table which should be updated with a sequence generator type of ID for every record flagged U/I for that specific load run) - which should be unique for every load.<br /><br />Let's see why we need this BATCH_ID field. If tomorrow our load runs and detects a change for the same member N1, and it finds N1 already in the file, it will get processed without waiting for approval. So since the batch id will change in the DRM staging table for every run - we do not have chances to unapproved changes of the same member to flow through since the next steps will check if both the BATCH_ID and member name are present in the control file. Instead of a file, this can also be made into a small table with only 2 columns which the IT team will have update/delete privilege to manage it daily.<br /><br />This approach will provide a more safer control to the IT team and avoid the risk of accidentally modifying sensitive application tables or objects. Anyways working with DRM is always extremely a cautious activity day-in and day-out where a simple typo can cause widespread implications to multiple downstream systems - so minimizing risk and avoiding manual errors is preferred to be a part of any design.<br /><br />How do you prefer to automate your DRM data loading processes?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327923894467162626.post-88073428650249020432016-11-04T19:03:00.000-05:002020-05-30T00:00:54.157-05:00Oracle BI Apps dynamic hierarchy filtering in ODI incremental load plan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Oracle Business Intelligence Applications often sources data from various systems and it is often required to restrict or allow various dimension information during the loading processes. There are a variety of ways this can be done, let's take a walk through of few possible mechanisms of how this can be achieved in the Oracle Data Integrator incremental load plan with the maximum amount of flexibility.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imageshack.com/a/img924/4116/kS9Ymb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img924/4116/kS9Ymb.jpg" /></a></div><br />Our source system can be a number of applications like Oracle E-business Suite, Oracle Data Relationship Management, custom data warehouses, custom Essbase cubes, etc. To process the transaction data from each of these source systems, we need to first process the dimensional data from them.<br /><br />While <b>loading to Oracle BI Apps</b>, there a few integration points which need to be closely monitored. The first area to focus on is the table <b>W_GL_SEGMENT_DH</b> (loaded by the objects in the folder SIL_GLSegmentDimensionHierarchy) which holds all the hierarchy information. This table gets loaded from the table W_GL_SEGMENT_DHS, so we can put a filter based on the top node of the hierarchy tree we want to exclude - so our filter will look like:<br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> WHERE W_GL_SEGMENT_DHS.HIERARCHY_ID NOT IN ('<<top node name>>')</span><br />This will ensure that all the members in the hierarchy under the node <<top node name>> are excluded while loading to W_GL_SEGMENT_DH.<br /><br />While <b>sourcing from Oracle E-business Suite</b>, if we are using custom interfaces to source the hierarchy information, it becomes essential to make sure that the filtering process is robust to make sure all the intended members are filtered out (or in). This calls for a flexible dynamic filtering process instead of putting in all the individual member names. Here in the below query we will be able to recursively traverse the whole hierarchy tree starting from the top node. Then using these values we can easily implement in our design.<br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">SELECT SYS_CONNECT_BY_PATH (PARENT_FLEX_VALUE, '/') PARENT_VAL,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">LEVEL ACCOUNT_PARENT_LEVEL, H.FLEX_VALUE CHILD_VAL,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">H.SUMMARY_FLAG</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">FROM APPS.FND_FLEX_VALUE_CHILDREN_V H</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">START WITH PARENT_FLEX_VALUE IN ('<<top node name>>')</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">CONNECT BY NOCYCLE PRIOR FLEX_VALUE = PARENT_FLEX_VALUE</span><br /><br />While <b>sourcing hierarchy from Oracle Data Relationship Management</b>, the first step is to connect our DRM application to a database and then export the DRM hierarchy to a database table (unless you love to work with files more) with the values TOP_NODE, NODE_NAME, PARENT as the mandatory fields. Then, while sourcing from this table, we can similarly use our filter with a <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">CONNECT BY</span> query as above. We can also use DRM Properties as flags and then use the values of those flags (Y or N or some other value) from the table as part of our filtering, but that's usually required for more complex scenarios.<br /><br />While <b>sourcing data from an Essbase cube</b>, first we have to identify the full hierarchy information. Based on that information we can implement our filtering process. We will be using Essbase Report Script to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4F7SzVHoWX1ZTJFT0ZqSmFpLUU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">extract the Essbase outline information using IDESCENDANTS</a> - this will return the values of all the members in the hierarchy starting from the top node. Once the output of this Report Script is stored in a database table, it can be easily used to fetch our required information by placing the filter to include or exclude the members of a tree. Again, I always prefer keeping everything as dynamic and flexible as possible to minimize manual effort in the future in case of any changes - so <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4F7SzVHoWX1elM4UGMwWUE0cUU/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">CONNECT BY</span></a> is my go-to choice.<br /><br />While <b>sourcing hierarchy data from a custom data warehouse</b>, things cannot get more exciting. We are blessed with all the freedom in the world to optimize our design as much we want. I prefer designing and creating custom mappings for each dimension with different target dimension tables which provides a lot of ease of maintenance and troubleshooting in the long run. Each target table will be containing all the hierarchy information for the specific dimension along with it's corresponding keys. Then we can load these keys to the fact table as usual. Now, while sourcing each of the dimensions, we can choose to include or exclude specific trees in the hierarchy. The same logic using <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">CONNECT BY</span> will be used here, but need to be repeated for each specific dimension mapping - since we have separate target tables for each dimension as part of design and future troubleshooting optimization.<br /><br />In each of the above cases, we can see the <b>value for <<top node name>> is critical</b> for the dynamic filtering to work. It's better to keep the value(s) of the top node(s) as much flexible as possible so that any future change can be absorbed with minimal impact. This can be done by storing the values of the relevant top nodes in a table. And refreshing this table from a file at the first step of our ODI incremental load plan. The file will be containing the values of the top nodes, so our only single point of maintenance becomes the file - using this file we can control whether to include or exclude entire hierarchy trees or specific values while loading into our Oracle BI Apps warehouse. This sort of flexibility no doubt comes at the cost of a lot of effort during the initial development phase, but surely proves to be a very decent and robust solution in the long run.<br /><br />How do you prefer to control your hierarchy data?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0