Partitions improve the query response of SSAS cube by narrowing the MDX query to a pre-defined subset of data. Usually cubes are developed with few basic partitions to begin with and new partitions are added over time. Partitions are created using XMLA commands. The rest of this post explains the steps to create partitions using metadata and SSIS package.
Continue ReadingSSAS Partitions are primarily geared towards better query performance by narrowing the MDX query to a pre-defined subset of data. Each partition must be in processed state for the cube to be available for browsing. However in a delta ETL run, it is more than likely that only some partitions would be refreshed with data while the rest remain unchanged. For example in a hospital admissions cube partitioned by month, data movements are frequent for admissions made during the current/last month compared to earlier months. This means if the partitions updated by the ETL run can be identified, then we can tailor SSIS package to dynamically process only those partitions that require data refresh while leaving the remaining partitions untouched.
Continue ReadingSome coding tips when using Analysis Management Objects (AMO) methods
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Analysis Management Objects (AMO) opens up the object model of SSAS cube for programming. With a bit of .NET programing, AMO can be effectively used to automate administration tasks. Securing the cube is one such task that can be easily automated using AMO. The rest of this post explains how to automate cube security using AMO. Continue Reading
This post compares Analysis Services and PowerPivot. Continue Reading…
If you recently upgraded to SQL Server 2008 or considering an upgrade, you would be glad to know that the Deployment Wizard of Analysis Services works in the way it should (long overdue). In earlier versions, if a new version of the Analysis Service database was deployed over an one, immediately after deployment all the roles would have no permission to the cube even if “retain role and members” option is chosen. Not only that, the role definition especially Dimension Data and Cell Data Access permissions would be lost after deployment. The only saving grace was the role membership remained intact. Continue Reading
This post is an extension to a popular post Reporting Action in Analysis Services on this blog . In this post, I explain the steps to deploy a report action using Analysis Services Deployment Wizard. By using the Analysis Service Deployment Wizard, Report Actions can be deployed effortlessly without hard coding the report URLS in your Analysis Services project. Continue Reading
Analysis Service Database can be backed up from SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This process is pretty much UI based. In this post, I explain two different techniques to automate the backup of an Analysis Service Database. Continue Reading…
❗UPDATE: This post has been superseded by SSAS: Using AMO to Secure Analysis Service Cube. Updates include new methods specifically those related to Dimension Data Security and all methods are now in C#
Analysis Management Objects (AMO) allows you to programmatically interact with the object model of Analysis Services. The AMO layer interacts with Analysis Services by issuing XMLA commands. In this post I will explain the steps to automate the process of securing an Analysis Service Cube by building wrappers around AMO objects. Continue Reading
Benny Austin 