PM Hub – Why go Hub-less?
As a part of Planning Analytics for Excel version 2.0.42 release on 13th May 2019, the PAX has gone PMHub-less, meaning it no longer requires Performance Management Hub, also known as PMHub. So what does that mean for you? But before that let’s first understand what roles does PMHub play in IBM Planning Analytics architecture framework.
What is Performance Management Hub?
To put it simply, it is a web based application in Application layer within a typical server framework and a web based user interface that provides necessary application services wherein applications such as PAX or Operations Console, etc are interoperable with TM1 Server. It uses old API to make connections with TM1 Server.
Modus Operandi of PMHub:
When a report in PAX is refreshed, it initially sends the request through the TM1 Application Server via PMHub. Thereafter, the request gets sent to TM1 Server. Once the request is processed in TM1 Server, it is sent back to TM1 Application Server via PMHub which in return processes the request and finally returns it back to PAX. PAX then finishes the processing of the request locally.
As you may notice, it’s a bit of back and forth exchange of requests before the data is finally rendered in PAX report as opposed to a direct communication between TM1 Server and PAX - this leads to some processing of system resources and additional time spent on the execution of requests before the data is finally displayed resulting in performance degradation.
The subset editor, exploration views, however, are shared components between PAW and PAX that runs through PAW that uses OData compliant Rest API, as a result execution of any request that relates to it directly communicates with TM1 Server.
So to go back to initial question, why go Hub-less? To that I say why not(?) since it provides key performance benefits for server based formula processing and a simpler architecture(one less factor to consider for troubleshooting performance and other issues), it is definitely one of the most significant step ahead from IBM to make key improvements on the server side architecture.
To know the applicability criteria for leveraging PAX without PBHub and boost the report performance, go through the technote link from IBM, below:
https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10883120
Note: A known issue has recently been identified when using PM-Hubless on PA version 2.0.7 wherein the files appears to be missing after publishing from PAX to TM1 Application Server(see the technote below). While IBM finds a resolution for the issue, caution must be taken until then when publishing new files using PAX.
https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10886593&myns=swgimgmt&mynp=OCSSD29G&mync=E&cm_sp=swgimgmt-_-OCSSD29G-_-E
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