Loops

For a query to be able to return a result, the definition of an analysis realm must be unique. This means that the links and dependencies specified in an analysis realm must be consistent. The definition of a cyclical link of tables is not allowed in Data analytics because the solution path cannot be resolved unambiguously in a loop.

Example

In this example, the additional association between the criteria Administrators and Subsidiaries leads to an inconsistent association in the analysis realm. If a query requests the application name (applications.name) and subsidiary (subsidiary.city) the system cannot determine unambiguously which of the associations defined is to be used. This is due to the fact that there are two solution paths, each of which leads to a different result.

If the additional association between the criteria Administrators and Subsidiaries were used, the result displayed would be the subsidiaries (subsidiaries.city) where the administrators of the application work. However, if the association was applied via the host table, the result displayed would be the physical (or organizational) locations where the hosts of the applications reside.

Analysis realm with a loop that is not allowed:

s_ppm_da_query_logic_ex7.png

Tip

Two options for solving this problem exist.