KB440643: Dashboard/Dossier running against Live Intelligent Cubes cause server crash when filtering options of the inner metric of a nested aggregate metric are not applied

Starting with the release of Strategy ONE (March 2024), dossiers are also known as dashboards.

SUMMARY

This article describes an issue when users created a Dashboard or a Document using a Connect-Live Cube, using Metric Qualification with an output level that is lower than the template level and created at least 2 layers of nested aggregation on top of the cube metrics, the iServer crashes. This issue only occurs in Strategy 10.4, 10.4.1, and 10.5.

SYMPTOM

1. The data source is a Connect-Live Cube
2. There is a Metric Qualification filter with a specified Output Level and the Output Level is lower than the template level, e.g., the Metric Qualification is at Quarter level, the lowest attribute level on the template is Year, and Year and Quarter are in the same hierarchy. 
3. At least 2 layers of nested aggregation on top of the cube metrics

Glossary

• Live Connect
• Metric Qualification 
• Output Level
• Nested Metrics

Steps to reproduce

Before 10.4.2 and 10.6, this issue can cause an iServer crash.

This case is built with the Strategy Tutorial project and using the latest version of Strategy Web. 
1. Create a New Dossier. Add External Data. Choose Databases. Import “QTR_CATEGORY_SLS” and “LU_QUARTER” Table from the Tutorial warehouse. 

2. Save the Cube with Connect Live Data Access Mode.
3. Add Year Id and Quarter Duration to the Grid. 
4. Edit Filter and add New Qualification with Output Level set to “Dataset level”.

5. Create a Set and set to “Quarter Id”

6. The data on the Grid may have changed based on the version of Tutorial Warehouse. 

7. Right click the Metric “Quarter Duration”, add a Shortcut Metric, Percent to Total, and choose Grand Total

8. Right click the newly created Derive Metric “Percent to Grand Total(Quarter Duration)”, add a Shortcut Metric, Percent to Total, and choose Grand Total.
9. In 10.4, 10.4.1 or 10.5, an error is thrown and iServer is crashed.

Cause

The iServer crash is a known defect in Strategy 10.4, 10.4.1, and 10.5; the query optimization is introduced in 11.0.

Solution

If the user is using 10.4 or 10.4 HF1, to resolve the crash issue, upgrade to 10.4 HF2 or 10.6 or later. We recommend the latest version. 
If the user is using 10.11, change Data Engine Version to be 11 to pick up the fix and the above case should run successfully instead of crashing the server, or upgrade to 11.0 or later and the above case should run successfully instead of crashing the server. Additionally, users can change the Data Engine Version to be 11 to run with improved Engine logic.
After the fix, the case will look like below:

After the crash is fixed, Engine filter application logic for Nested metrics is optimized and the change has been put into behind Data Engine Version 11.

Strategy reference numbers for this technical note are KB440643 and DE42284.