# Introduction

Welcome to the online API Reference. To help you get started using this document, this introduction provides the following information:

- What you'll find in this document, what it intends to accomplish and how it's organized.
- What you won't find in this document and where you might find what you're looking for in other books or help files.
- What you should know before you start using this document.
- The formatting conventions used.
- Where to go for other sources of information.

## Who Should Read This Document

This document is designed for engineers and programmers who need to develop custom front-end programs that access Hyperion Essbase OLAP server.

## What's in This Document

The online API Reference is a comprehensive reference to the functions and libraries you can use to develop custom front-end programs that access Essbase application servers. The document provides:

- General information about installing and using the API
- Specific reference material for programmers in C and Visual Development Environments, such as Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, and other supported VDE programs

## What's Not in This Document

This document describes the Hyperion Essbase API. If you need information on other topics, see the following manuals.

- For an introduction to installing Essbase, basic data retrieval, application design, report construction, and for more advanced topics including security plan design anddatabase administration, see the Essbase Database Administrator's Guide.
- For information about using C, Visual Basic, Java, or any other computer language, see your program documentation.

## What You Should Know Before You Start

To use this book, you need the following:

- A working knowledge of the operating system your server uses and the ones your clients use.
- An understanding of Essbase concepts and features.
- Knowledge of programming in Windows or UNIX.
- Familiarity with the C, Visual Basic, or Java programming language.

## Conventions Used in This Guide

To make the online API Reference easier to use, it uses the syntax and text conventions described in this section.

### Text Conventions

The following text conventions are used throughout this guide:

Convention | Purpose
1, 2, 3 | Procedures or steps that you follow in order.
( ) | Bulleted lists provide information, not procedural steps.
This Font | Member names and the names of other Essbase objects.
italics | Titles of books, important terms and special emphasis.
| | Vertical bar separator between pop-up menu items and top-level menu items (shown in the menu bar). For example, Essbase|FlashBack means the FlashBack command on the Essbase menu in the Spreadsheet Add-in
enter | Type characters, then press the Enter key.

### Syntax and Text Formatting Conventions

To make code and examples easier to understand, this guide uses the following conventions.

Convention | Purpose | Example
    monospace font
| Function, structure, file, directory, and environment variables names in text |
    ESS_STS_T, ESSAPIW.LIB
italic | Anything you replace with a value in syntax | EsbOtlCloseOutline (hOutline)
    " "
| Double quotes enclose text parameters or parameters that include a space |
    "appName"
    SETDEFAULTCALC "CALC ALL";
    ()
| Parentheses enclose function parameters, show order of execution for operations |
    EsbOtlDeleteMember

    (hOutline, hMember);
    (a + b) * c
    //
| Comment marker indicates text from // to end of line should be ignored in processing |
    // Gets results
; | Statement terminator marks end of command | EXIT;

### Using Function Reference Entries

API function entries supply the following kinds of information:

#### Function Name

Description | Brief description of the function.
Syntax | Function syntax. Function name and required keywords: bold. Parameters: italics.
Parameters | Definitions of the parameters of the function.
Return Value | Value returned by the function.
Notes | Bulleted notes on using the function.
Access | Level of security or other access required to use the function.
Example |
    How to use the function.
See Also | Related functions

## Related Publications

The Essbase documentation set includes:

- New Features Guide. New feature summary for this release, and platform support information.
- Installation Guide. Installation, configuration, and migration information for the Essbase Analytic server, spreadsheet clients, and sample applications.
- SQL Interface Guide. Information about all data sources supported through the Essbase SQL Interface.
- Database Administrator's Guide. Designing, building, and managing Essbase applications and servers.
- Online Technical Reference. Complete listing and description of Essbase functions, calculation commands, MaxL syntax, ESSCMD commands, configuration file settings, and report commands.
- Online Spreadsheet Add-in User's Guide for Excel. Using the Essbase spreadsheet features with Microsoft Excel for Windows.
- MaxL User's Guide. Using MaxL to automate Essbase administration tasks.

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