Ssas Olap Iq

8/9/2019 Ssas Olap Iq

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What is the diference between SSAS 2005 and SSAS2008?

1. In 2005 its not possible to create an empty cube but in 2008 we can create an empty

cube.

2. A new feature in Analysis Services 2008 is the Attribute Relationships tab in the Dimension

Desiner . to implement attribute relationship is comple! in ssas 2005

". we can create #$%& 2000 partitions per 'easure (roup in ssas 2005 an) the same limit of

partitions is remove) in ssas 2008.

&ou can answer more but if you en) this with these then the interviewer feel that you are R*A%

*+,*RI*$-*D.

What is datawarehouse in short DWH?

he )atawarehouse is an informational environment that

,rovi)es an interate) an) total view of the enterprise

'a/es the enterprises current an) historical information easily available for )ecision

ma/in

'a/es )ecisionsupport transactions possible without hin)erin operational systems

Ren)ers the oraniations information consistent

,resents a 3e!ible an) interactive source of strateic information

#R a warehouse is a

Sub4ect oriente)

Interate)

ime variant

$on volatile for )oin )ecision support

#R

-ollection of )ata in support of manaements )ecision ma/in process. 6e )e7ne) the terms in

the sentence as follows.

#R

Sub4ect oriente)

It )e7ne the speci7c business )omain e! ban/in9 retail9 insurance9 etc:..

Interate)It shoul) be in a position to interate) )ata from various source systems

*! s;l9oracle9)b2 etc::

ime variant

It shoul) be in a position to maintain the )ata the various time perio)s.

$on volatile

#nce )ata is inserte) it cant be chane)

What is data mart?

A )ata mart is a subset of an oraniational )ata store9 usually oriente) to a speci7c purpose or

ma4or )ata sub4ect that may be )istribute) to support business nee)s. Data marts are analytical

)ata stores )esine) to focus on speci7c business functions for a speci7c community within anoraniation.

Data marts are often )erive) from subsets of )ata in a )ata warehouse9 thouh in the bottomup

)ata warehouse )esin metho)oloy the )ata warehouse is create) from the union of

oraniational )ata marts.

hey are " types of )ata mart they are

1. Depen)ent

2. In)epen)ent

". %oical )ata mart

What are the diference between data mart and data warehouse?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_warehousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_warehouse


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Datawarehouse is complete )ata where as Data mart is Subset of the same.

*!

All the oraniation )ata may relate) to 7nance )epartment9 6R9 ban/in )ept are store) in )ata

warehouse where as in )ata mart only 7nance )ata or 6R )epartment )ata will be store). So

)ata warehouse is a collection of )i


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A name) calculation is a SJ% e!pression represente) as a calculate) column. his e!pression

appears an) behaves as a column in the table. A name) calculation lets you e!ten) the

relational schema of e!istin tables or views in a )ata source view without mo)ifyin the tables

or views in the un)erlyin )ata source.

$ame) calculation is use) to create a new column in the DS usin har) co)e) values or by

usin e!istin columns or even with both.

What is named )uery?

$ame) ;uery in DS is similar to iew in Database. his is use) to create irtual table in DS

which will not impact the un)erlyin )atabase. $ame) ;uery is mainly use) to mere the two or

more table in the )atasource view or to 7lter columns of a table.

Why we need named )ueries?

A name) ;uery is use) to 4oin multiple tables9 to remove unnecessary columns from a table of a

)atabase. &ou can achieve the same in )atabase usin iews but this $ame) Jueries will be the

best bet whe you )ont have access to create iews in )atabase.

How wi## you add a new co#umn to an e&istin! tab#e in data source view?

Fy usin name) calculations we can a)) a new column to an e!istin table in the )ata source

view. $ame) -alculation is e!plaine) above.

What is dimension tab#e?

A )imension table contains hierarchical )ata by which you) li/e to summarie. A )imensiontable contains speci7c business information9 a )imension table that contains the speci7c name of

each member of the )imension. he name of the )imension member is calle) an Kattribute

he /ey attribute in the )imension must contain a uni;ue value for each member of the

)imension. his /ey attribute is calle) Kprimary /ey column

he primary /ey column of each )imension table correspon)in to the one of the /ey column in

any relate) fact table.

What is act tab#e?

A fact table contains the basic information that you wish to summarie. he table that stores the

)etaile) value for measure is calle) fact table. In simple an) best we can )e7ne as Khe table

which contains '*RI-S that are use) to analyse the business.It consists of 2 sections

1H oreine /ey to the )imesion

2H measuresLfactsGa numerical value that use) to monitor business activityH

What is *act#ess act tab#e?

his is very important interview ;uestion. he Kactless act able is a table which is similar to

act able e!cept for havin any measureM I mean that this table 4ust has the lin/s to the

)imensions. hese tables enable you to trac/ eventsM in)ee) they are for recor)in events.

actless fact tables are use) for trac/in a process or collectin stats. hey are calle) so

because9 the fact table )oes not have areatable numeric values or information. hey are

mere /ey values with reference to the )imensions from which the stats can be collecte)

What is attribute re#ationships" why we need it?

Attribute relationships are the way of tellin the analysis service enine that how the attributes

are relate) with each other. It will help to relate two or more attributes to each other.,rocessin

time will be )ecrease) if proper relationships are iven. his increases the -ube ,rocessin

performance an) 'D+ ;uery performance too.

In 'icrosoft SJ% Server Analysis Services9 attributes within a )imension are always relate) either

)irectly or in)irectly to the /ey attribute. =hen you )e7ne a )imension base) on a star schema9

which is where all )imension attributes are )erive) from the same relational table9 an attribute

relationship is automatically )e7ne) between the /ey attribute an) each non/ey attribute of the


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)imension. =hen you )e7ne a )imension base) on a snow3a/e schema9 which is where

)imension attributes are )erive) from multiple relate) tables9 an attribute relationship is

automatically )e7ne) as follows

Fetween the /ey attribute an) each non/ey attribute boun) to columns in the main

)imension table.

Fetween the /ey attribute an) the attribute boun) to the forein /ey in the secon)ary

table that lin/s the un)erlyin )imension tables.

Fetween the attribute boun) to forein /ey in the secon)ary table an) each non/ey

attribute boun) to columns from the secon)ary table.

How many types o attribute re#ationships are there?

hey are 2 types of attribute relationships they are

1. Rii)

2. le!ible

+i!id, In Rii) relationships where the relationship between the attributes is 7!e)9 attributes

will not chane levels or their respective attribute relationships.

*!ample he time )imension. =e /now that month KNanuary 200Bwill #$%& belon to &ear

K200Ban) it wont be move) to any other year.

*#e&ib#e , In le!ible relationship between the attributes is chane).

*!ample An employee an) )epartment. An employee can be in accounts )epartment to)ay butit is possible that the employee will be in 'ar/etin )epartment tomorrow.

How many types o dimensions are there and what are they?

hey are " types of )imensions

1. con7rm )imension

2. 4un/ )imension

". )eenerate attribute

What are con-rmed dimensions" .unk dimension and de!enerated dimensions?

-on7rm )imension It is the )imension which is sharable across the multiple facts or )ata mo)el.

his is also calle) as Role ,layin Dimensions.

4un/ )imension A number of very small )imensions miht be lumpe) Ga small irreularly shape)Htoether to form a sinle )imension9 a 4un/ )imension O the attributes are not closely relate).

(roupin of Ran)om 3as an) te!t Attributes in a )imension an) movin them to a separate sub

)imension is /nown as 4un/ )imension.

Deenerate) )imension In this )eenerate )imension contains their values in fact table an)

the )imension i) not available in )imension table. Deenerate) Dimension is a )imension /ey

without correspon)in )imension.

*!ample In the ,oint#fSale ransaction act table9 we have

Date Pey GPH9 ,ro)uct Pey GPH9 Store Pey GPH9 ,romotion Pey G,H9 an) ,#S ransaction $umber

Date Dimension correspon)s to Date Pey9 ,ro)uction Dimension correspon)s to ,ro)uction Pey.

In a tra)itional parentchil) )atabase9 ,#S ransactional $umber woul) be the /ey to the

transaction hea)er recor) that contains all the info vali) for the transaction as a whole9 such as

the transaction )ate an) store i)enti7er. Fut in this )imensional mo)el9 we have alrea)y

e!tracte) this info into other )imension. herefore9 ,#S ransaction $umber loo/s li/e a

)imension /ey in the fact table but )oes not have the correspon)in )imension table.

What are the types o database schema?

hey are " types of )atabase schema they are

1. Star

2. Snow3a/e

". Star3a/e


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What is star" snow'ake and star 'ake schema?

Star schema,In star schema fact table will be )irectly lin/e) with all )imension tables. he star

schemas )imensions are )enormalie) with each )imension bein represente) by a sinle

table. In a star schema a central fact table connects a number of in)ivi)ual )imension tables.

Snow'ake,he snow3a/e schema is an e!tension of the star schema9 where each point of the

star e!plo)es into more points. In a star schema9 each )imension is represente) by a sinle

)imensional table9 whereas in a snow3a/e schema9 that )imensional table is normalie) into

multiple loo/up tables9 each representin a level in the )imensional hierarchy. In snow 3a/e

schema fact table will be lin/e) )irectly as well as there will be some interme)iate )imension

tables between fact an) )imension tables.

Star 'ake,A hybri) structure that contains a mi!ture of starG)enormalie)H an)

snow3a/eGnormalie)H schemas.

How wi## you hide an attribute?

=e can hi)e the attribute by selectin KAttribute6ierarchyisible C alse in properties of the

attribute.

How wi## you make an attribute not process?

Fy selectin K Attribute6ierarchy*nable) C alse9 we can ma/e an attribute not in process.

What is use o /sA!!re!atab#e property?

In Analysis Service we enerally see all )imension has All member. his is because ofIsAreatable property of the attribute. &ou can set its value to false9 so that it will not show All

member. Its )efault member for that attribute. If you hi)e this member than you will have to set

other attribute value to )efault member else it will pic/ some value as )efault an) this will create

confusion in browsin )ata if someone is not /nown to chane in )efault member.

What are key" name and va#ue co#umns o an attribute?

ey co#umn o any attribute, -ontains the column or columns that represent the /ey for the

attribute9 which is the column in the un)erlyin relational table in the )ata source view to which

the attribute is boun). he value of this column for each member is )isplaye) to users unless a

value is speci7e) for the $ame-olumn property.

1ame co#umn o an attribute,I)enti7es the column that provi)es the name of the attributethat is )isplaye) to users9 instea) of the value in the /ey column for the attribute. his column is

use) when the /ey column value for an attribute member is cryptic or not otherwise useful to the

user9 or when the /ey column is base) on a composite /ey. he $ame-olumn property is not

use) in parentchil) hierarchiesM instea)9 the $ame-olumn property for chil) members is use) as

the member names in a parentchil) hierarchy.

(a#ue co#umns o an attribute, I)enti7es the column that provi)es the value of the attribute.

If the $ame-olumn element of the attribute is speci7e)9 the same DataItem values are use) as

)efault values for the alue-olumn element. If the $ame-olumn element of the attribute is not

speci7e) an) the Pey-olumns collection of the attribute contains a sinle Pey-olumn element

representin a /ey column with a strin )ata type9 the same DataItem values are use) as )efault

values for the alue-olumn element.

What is hierarchy" what are its types and diference between them?

A hierarchy is a very important part of any #%A, enine an) allows users to )rill )own from

summary levels hierarchies represent the way user e!pect to e!plore )ata at more )etaile) level

hierarchies is ma)e up of multipule levels creatin the structure base) on en) user

re;uirements.

QyearsQ;uarterQmonthQwee/ 9are all the levels of calen)er hierarchy

hey are 2 types of hierarchies they are

1. $atural hierarchy
http://www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/star-schema.htmlhttp://www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/star-schema.html


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2. >nnatural hierarchy

1atura# hierarchy,his means that the attributes are intuitively relate) to one another. here

is a clear relationship from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom.

*!ample An e!ample of this woul) be )ate year9 ;uarter an) month follow from each other9 an)

in part9 )e7ne each other.

nnatura# hierarchy,his means that the attributes are not clearly relate).

*!ample An e!ample of this miht be eoraphyM we may have country Q state Q city9 but it is

not clear where ,rovince miht sit.

What is Attribute hierarchy?

An attribute hierarchy is create) for every attribute in a )imension9 an) each hierarchy is

available for )imensionin fact )ata. his hierarchy consists of an KAll level an) a )etail level

containin all members of the hierarchy.

you can oranie attributes into user)e7ne) hierarchies to provi)e naviation paths in a cube.

>n)er certain circumstances9 you may want to )isable or hi)e some attributes an) their

hierarchies.

What is use o AttributeHierarchyDisp#ay*o#der property ?

AttributeHierarchyDisp#ay*o#der, I)enti7es the fol)er in which to )isplay the associate)

attribute hierarchy to en) users. or e!ample if I set the property value as Kest to all the

Attributes of a )imension then a fol)er with the name Kest will be create) an) all the Attributeswill be place) into the same.

What is use o AttributeHierarchy%nab#ed?

AttributeHierarchy%nab#ed, Determines whether an attribute hierarchy is enerate) by

Analysis Services for the attribute. If the attribute hierarchy is not enable)9 the attribute cannot

be use) in a user)e7ne) hierarchy an) the attribute hierarchy cannot be reference) in

'ulti)imensional *!pressions G'D+H statements.

What is use o AttributeHierarchy3ptimi4edState?

AttributeHierarchy3ptimi4edState, Determines the level of optimiation applie) to the

attribute hierarchy. Fy )efault9 an attribute hierarchy is ully#ptimie)9 which means that

Analysis Services buil)s in)e!es for the attribute hierarchy to improve ;uery performance. heother option9 $ot#ptimie)9 means that no in)e!es are built for the attribute hierarchy. >sin

$ot#ptimie) is useful if the attribute hierarchy is use) for purposes other than ;ueryin9

because no a))itional in)e!es are built for the attribute. #ther uses for an attribute hierarchy

can be helpin to or)er another attribute.

What is use o AttributeHierarchy3rdered ?

AttributeHierarchy3rdered, Determines whether the associate) attribute hierarchy is

or)ere). he )efault value is rue. 6owever9 if an attribute hierarchy will not be use) for

;ueryin9 you can save processin time by chanin the value of this property to alse.

What is the use o AttributeHierarchy(isib#e ?

AttributeHierarchy(isib#e , Determines whether the attribute hierarchy is visible to client

applications. he )efault value is rue. 6owever9 if an attribute hierarchy will not be use) for

;ueryin9 you can save processin time by chanin the value of this property to alse.

What are types o stora!e modes?

here are three stan)ar) storae mo)es in #%A, applications

1. '#%A,

2. R#%A,

". 6#%A,

ompare the 6hree Stora!e 7odes ?

Summary an) comparison


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Fasic

Stora

e 'o)e

Storae

%ocation for

Detail Data

Storae

%ocation for

SummaryL

Areations

Storae

space

re;uirement

Juery

Respons

e ime

,rocessin

ime

%atency

'#%A, 'ulti)imensio

nal ormat

'ulti)imensio

nal ormat

'e)iumFeca

use )etail

)ata is

store) in

compresse)

format.

ast ast 6ih

6#%A, Relational

Database

'ulti)imensio

nal ormat

Small 'e)ium ast 'e)iu

mR#%A, Relational

Database

Relational

Database

%are Slow Slow %ow

What is 73A9 and its advanta!e?

'#%A, G'ulti )imensional #nline Analytical ,rocessinH '#%A, is the most use) storae type.

Its )esine) to o


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A)vantaes

1. 6#%A, is best use) when lare amounts of areations are ;uerie) often with little )etail

)ata9 o


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6ype sae About 50 of the time.

=hen to use ype 1 ype 1 slowly chanin )imension shoul) be use) when it is not necessary

for the )ata warehouse to /eep trac/ of historical chanes.

6ype 2, In ype 2 Slowly -hanin Dimension9 a new recor) is a))e) to the table to represent

the new information. herefore9 both the oriinal an) the new recor) will be present. he newrecor) ets its own primary /ey.

In our e!ample9 recall we oriinally have the followin table

-ustomer Pey $ame State

1001 -hristina Illinois

After -hristina move) from Illinois to -alifornia9 we a)) the new information as a new row into

the table

-ustomer Pey $ame State

1001 -hristina Illinois

1005 -hristina -alifornia

A)vantaes his allows us to accurately /eep all historical information.Disa)vantaes

1. his will cause the sie of the table to row fast. In cases where the number of rows for the

table is very hih to start with9 storae an) performance can become a concern.

2. his necessarily complicates the *% process.

>sae About 50 of the time.

6ype= , In ype " Slowly -hanin Dimension9 there will be two columns to in)icate the

particular attribute of interest9 one in)icatin the oriinal value9 an) one in)icatin the current

value. here will also be a column that in)icates when the current value becomes active.

In our e!ample9 recall we oriinally have the followin table

-ustomer Pey $ame State1001 -hristina Illinois

o accommo)ate ype " Slowly -hanin Dimension9 we will now have the followin columns

-ustomer Pey9$ame9#riinalState9-urrentState9*


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1. his )oes not increase the sie of the table9 since new information is up)ate).

2. his allows us to /eep some part of history.

Disa)vantaes ype " will not be able to /eep all history where an attribute is chane) more

than once. or e!ample9 if -hristina later moves to e!as on December 159 200"9 the -alifornia

information will be lost.

>sae ype " is rarely use) in actual practice.

What is ro#e p#ayin! dimension with two e&amp#es?

+o#e p#ay dimensions, =e alrea)y )iscusse) about this. his is nothin but -#$IR'*D

Dimensions. A )imension can play )i


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recor) while the surroate /ey will be enerate) by the system Gsay a serial numberH since the

SP is $# )erive) from the )ata.

How many types o re#ations are there between dimension and measure !roup?

hey are si! relation between the )imension an) measure roup9 they are

1. $o Relationship

2. Reular

". Refernce

?. 'any to 'any

5. Data 'inin

@. act

What is re!u#ar type" no re#ation type" act type" reerenced type" many>to>

many type with e&amp#e?

1o re#ationship,he )imension an) measure roup are not relate).

+e!u#ar,he )imension table is 4oine) )irectly to the fact table.

+eerenced,he )imension table is 4oine) to an interme)iate table9 which in turn9is 4oine) to

the fact table.

7any to many,he )imension table is to an interme)iate fact table9the interme)iate fact table

is 4oine) 9 in turn9 to an interme)iate )imension table to which the fact table is 4oine).

Data minin!,he taret )imension is base) on a minin mo)el built from the source )imension.he source )imension must also be inclu)e) in the cube.

*act tab#e,he )imension table is the fact table.

What are ca#cu#ated members and what is its use?

-alculations are item in the cube that are eveluate) at runtime

-alculate) members &ou can create customie) measures or )imension members9 calle)

calculate) members9 by combinin cube )ata9 arithmetic operators9 numbers9 an)Lor functions.

*!ample &ou can create a calculate) member calle) 'ar/s that converts )ollars to mar/s by

multiplyin an e!istin )ollar measure by a conversion rate. 'ar/s can then be )isplaye) to en)

users in a separate row or column. -alculate) member )e7nitions are store)9 but their values

e!ist only in memory. In the prece)in e!ample9 values in mar/s are )isplaye) to en) users butare not store) as cube )ata.

What are 9/s and what is its use?

In Analysis Services9 a P,I is a collection of calculations that are associate) with a measure roup

in a cube that are use) to evaluate business success. =e use P,I to see the business at the

particular point9 this is represents with some raphical items such as traEc sinals9ane etc

What are actions" how many types o actions are there" e&p#ain with e&amp#e?

Actions are powerful way of e!ten)in the value of SSAS cubes for the en) user. hey can

clic/ on a cube or portion of a cube to start an application with the selecte) item as a parameter9

or to retrieve information about the selecte) item.

#ne of the ob4ects supporte) by a SJ% Server Analysis Services cube is the action. An action is

an event that a user can initiate when accessin cube )ata. he event can ta/e a number of

forms. or e!ample9 a user miht be able to view a Reportin Services report9 open a =eb pae9

or )rill throuh to )etaile) information relate) to the cube )ata

Analysis Services supports three types of actions..

+eport action, Report action Returns a Reportin Services report that is associate) with the

cube )ata on which the action is base).

Dri## throu!h, Drillthrouh Returns a result set that provi)es )etaile) information relate) to the

cube )ata on which the action is base).

Standard, Stan)ar) has 7ve action subtypes that are base) on the speci7e) cube )ata.


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Dataset,Returns a mutli)imensional )ataset.

9roprietary,Returns a strin that can be interprete) by a client application.

+owset,Returns a tabular rowset.

Statement,Returns a comman) strin that can be run by a client application.

+, Returns a >R% that can be opene) by a client application9 usually a browser.

What is partition" how wi## you imp#ement it?

&ou can use the ,artition =iar) to )e7ne partitions for a measure roup in a cube. Fy )efault9 a

sinle partition is )e7ne) for each measure roup in a cube. Access an) processin performance9

however9 can )era)e for lare partitions. Fy creatin multiple partitions9 each containin a

portion of the )ata for a measure roup9 you can improve the access an) processin

performance for that measure roup.

What is the minimum and ma&imum number o partitions re)uired or a measure

!roup?

In 2005 a 'A+ of 2000 partitions can be create) per measure roup an) that limit is lifte) in

later versions.

In any version the 'I$I'>' is #$* ,artition per measure roup.

What are A!!re!ations and its use?

Areations provi)e performance improvements by allowin 'icrosoft SJ% Server Analysis

Services GSSASH to retrieve precalculate) totals )irectly from cube storae instea) of havin torecalculate )ata from an un)erlyin )ata source for each ;uery. o )esin these areations9

you can use the Areation Desin =iar). his wiar) ui)es you throuh the followin steps

1. Selectin stan)ar) or custom settins for the storae an) cachin options of a partition9

measure roup9 or cube.

2. ,rovi)in estimate) or actual counts for ob4ects reference) by the partition9 measure

roup9 or cube.

". Specifyin areation options an) limits to optimie the storae an) ;uery performance

)elivere) by )esine) areations.

?. Savin an) optionally processin the partition9 measure roup9 or cube to enerate the

)e7ne) areations.5. After you use the Areation Desin =iar)9 you can use the >saeFase) #ptimiation

=iar) to )esin areations base) on the usae patterns of the business users an)

client applications that ;uery the cube.

What is perspective" have you ever created perspective?

,erspectives are a way to re)uce the comple!ity of cubes by hi))en elements li/e measure

roups9 measures9 )imensions9 hierarchies etc. Its nothin but slicin of a cube9 for e! we are

havin retail an) hospital )ata an) en) user is subscribe) to see only hospital )ata9 then we can

create perspective accor)in to it.

What is dep#oy" process and bui#d?

u#id,eri7es the pro4ect 7les an) create several local 7les.

Dep#oy, Deploy the structure of the cubeGS/eletonH to the server.

9rocess,Rea) the )ata from the source an) buil) the )imesions an) cube structures

*laboratin the same is iven below.

ui#d, Its is a use) to process the )ata of the cube )atabase. Fuil) is a version of a proram. As

a rule9 a buil) is a prerelease version an) as such is i)enti7e) by a buil) number9 rather than by

a release number. Reiterative Grepeate)H buil)s are an important part of the )evelopment

process. hrouhout )evelopment9 application components are collecte) an)

repeate)ly compile)for testin purposes9 to ensure a reliable 7nal pro)uct. Fuil) tools9 such
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as ma/eor Ant9 enable )evelopers to automate some prorammin tas/s. As a verb9 to buil) can

mean either to write co)eor to put in)ivi)ual co)e) components of a proram toether.

Dep#oyment, Durin )evelopment of an Analysis Services pro4ect in Fusiness Intellience

Development Stu)io9 you fre;uently )eploy the pro4ect to a )evelopment server in or)er to

create the Analysis Services )atabase )e7ne) by the pro4ect. his is re;uire) to test the pro4ect.

for e!ample9 to browse cells in the cube9 browse )imension members9 or verify /ey performance

in)icators GP,IsH formulas.

What is the ma&imum si4e o a dimension?

he ma!imum sie of the )imension is @ !b.

What are the types o processin! and e&p#ain each?

hey are @ types of processin in ssas 9they are

,rocess ull

,rocess Data

,rocess In)e!

,rocess Incremental

,rocess Structure

>n,rocess

9rocess *u##, ,rocesses an Analysis Services ob4ect an) all the ob4ects that it contains. =hen

,rocess ull is e!ecute) aainst an ob4ect that has alrea)y been processe)9 Analysis Services

)rops all )ata in the ob4ect9 an) then processes the ob4ect. his /in) of processin is re;uire)

when a structural chane has been ma)e to an ob4ect9 for e!ample9 when an attribute hierarchy

is a))e)9 )elete)9 or rename). his processin option is supporte) for cubes9 )atabases9

)imensions9 measure roups9 minin mo)els9 minin structures9 an) partitions.

9rocess Data, ,rocesses )ata only without buil)in areations or in)e!es. If there is )ata is

in the partitions9 it will be )roppe) before repopulatin the partition with source )ata. his

processin option is supporte) for )imensions9 cubes9 measure roups9 an) partitions.

9rocess /nde&, -reates or rebuil)s in)e!es an) areations for all processe) partitions. his

option causes an error on unprocesse) ob4ects. his processin option is supporte) for cubes9

)imensions9 measure roups9 an) partitions.9rocess /ncrement, A))s newly available fact )ata an) process only to the relevant partitions.

his processin option is supporte) for measure roups9 an) partitions.

9rocess Structure, If the cube is unprocesse)9 Analysis Services will process9 if it is necessary9

all the cubes )imensions. After that9 Analysis Services will create only cube )e7nitions. If this

option is applie) to a minin structure9 it populates the minin structure with source )ata. he

)i


14/33

or e!ample9 a cube of or)er )ata miht be areate) by time perio) an) by title9 ma/in the

cube fast when you as/ ;uestions concernin or)ers by wee/ or or)ers by title.

What is A73?

he full form of A'# is Analysis 'anaament #b4ects. his is use) to create or alter cubes

from .$* co)e.

Ater creatin! the cube" i we added a new co#umn to the 369 tab#e then how

you add this new attribute to the cube?

Nust open the )atasourceview an) on riht clic/ we 7n) the option R*R*S6. -lic/ the R*R*S6

then it will a)) new attributes to the table which can be a))e) to -ube.

+%A 6/7% /16%+(/%W %S6/31S >

What is the si4e o the ube in your #ast 9ro.ect?

Answer to this ;uestion varies from pro4ect to pro4ect an) mainly )epen)s on how FI( is your

)atabase an) how -#',%*+ the )atabase )esin is. (enerally for the )atabase with a

RA$SA-I#$ AF%* of 50 crore recor)s9 the cube sie will be aroun) 100(F. So9 better o with

100(F as answer to this ;uestion.

What is si4e o the database in your #ast 9ro.ect?

&ou can e!pect this ;uestion imme)iately after you answer 100(F to the last ;uestion. he

)atabase sie will be @00 to 800(F for which the cube will come to 100 (F. So o with 800(F for

this ;uestion. What is si4e o the act:6ransaction; tab#e in your #ast 9ro.ect?

his will be the ne!t ;uestion if you answer 800(F as your )ataabase sie. 6ere he is not

e!pectin SI* in (Fs but the interviewer will be e!pectin $>'F*R # R#=S in the ransaction

table. (o with 5-rore recor)s for this ;uestion.

How re)uent#y you process the cube?

&ou have to be very careful here. re;uency of processin cube )epen)s on 6#= R*J>*$%&

> AR* (*I$( $*= DAA. #nce the new )ata comes then SSIS team loa)s it an) sen) a mail

to SSAS team after loa) is complete) successfully. #nce SSAS team receives the mail then these

uys will loo/ for best time to ,R#-*SS.

ypically we et )ata either =ee/ly or 'onthly. So you can say that the processin of the cubewill be )one either =ee/ly or monthly.

How re)uent#y you !et DA6A rom c#ients?

his answer shoul) be base) on your last answer. I you answere) =**P%& to last ;uestion then

the Answer to this ;uestion also shoul) be =**P%&. I '#$6%& for last ;uestion then this

answer also shoul) be '#$6%&.

What type o 9rocessin! 3ptions you used to process the cube in your 9ro.ect?

his is the touhest ;uestion to answer. his )epen)s on DAA you have an) -%I*$S

re;uirements. %et me e!plain here.

1. If the )atabase is S'A%%9 lets say it has only 1 crore recor)s then people )o >%%

,R#-*SS as it wont ta/e much time.

2. If the )atabase is '*DI>'9 lets say it has only 15 crore recor)s then people prefer to )o

I$-R*'*$A% ,R#-*SS unless -%I*$S as/ us to )o >%% ,R#-*SS as it ta/es little bit of

time.

". If the )atabase is 6>(*9 lets say it has more than "5 to ?0 crore recor)s then people

prefer to )o I$-R*'*$A% ,R#-*SS unless -%I*$S as/ us to )o >%% ,R#-*SS as it

ta/es lot of time. In this case we R& to convince clients for I$-R*'*$A% an) if they )ont

aree then we )ont have any other option.

?. Incremental process will come into picture #$%& when there is no up)ates to the #%D )ata

i.e no chanes to alrea)y e!istin )ata else $# #6*R #,I#$ than >%% ,R#-*SS.


15/33

How you provide security to cube?

y de-nin! ro#es we provide security to cubesB sin! ro#es we can restrict users rom

accessin! restricted dataB 9rocedure as o##ows >

1. De7ne Role

2. Set ,ermission

". A)) appropriate >sers to the role

How you move the cube rom one server to another?

here are many ways to )o the same. %et me e!plain four here an) cleverly you can say KI

wor/e) on ? SSAS pro4ects till )ate an) implemente) )i-I#$ environment. or this you nee) access to

,ro)uction which will not be iven by clients unless the clients are UUUUUUUUU. #ne of the

client I wor/e) for iven >%% access to me ..

". >n)er Srart OQ All ,rorams OQ S;l Server OQ Analysis Services you can see )eployment

wiar). his is one way of movin the cube. his metho) has some steps to follow. irst)eploy your cube an) #>R 7les will be create) in FI$ fol)er of ,R#N*- fol)er. -opy

those #>R 7les an) paste in ,ro)uction server in any )irectory. hen #,*$ this

D*,%#&'*$ =iar) in pro)uction an) when it as/ for Database 7le then point to the

location where you copie) the 7les. After that $*+9$*+9$*+ : #P .. -ube will be

)eploye) an) processe).

?. his way is most beautiful one. Synchroniation9 In this we will 7rst )eploy an) process the

cube in SA(I$( *$IR#$'*$ an) then we will o to pro)uction server. -onnect to

Analysis services in SS'S an) select Synchronie by riht clic/in on Databases fol)er in

SS'S of analysis services. hen select source as SA(I$( S*R*R an) then clic/ on #P.

he chanes in the cube present in the Stain server will be copie) to the pro)uction

server.

What is the tou!hest cha##en!e you ace in your 9ro.ect?

here are couple of this where we face )iEculty.

1. =hile wor/in on R*%AI#$S6I,S between 'easure (roups an) Dimensions.

2. =or/in on -omple! calculations

". ,erformance tunin

How you created 9artitions o the cube in your ast 9ro.ect?

,artitions can be create) on )i- $A'* wise an) many

prefer to )o it on DA* )ata wise. you o with DA* wise.

In )ates9 we can create '#$6 wise9=**P wise9J>AR*R wise an) some times &*AR wise. his

all )epen)s on how much )ata you are comin per =**P or '#$6 or J>AR*R : If you areettin 50 la/hs recor)s per month then tell you )o '#$6 wise.

How many dimensions in your #ast cube?

? to 50.

How many measure !roups in your #ast cube?

otal 10 an) in that ? are act tables an) remainin @ are act less fact tables.

What is the Schema o your #ast cube?

Snow3a/e

Why not S6A+ Schema ?

'y )ata base )esin )oesnt support SAR Schema.


16/33

What are the diferent re#ationships that you are used in your cube?

1. Reular

2. Reference)

". 'any to 'any

?. act

5. $o Relationship

Have you created the 9/Cs " / then %&p#ain?

Dont a)) much to this as the ;uestions in this will be tric/y. Nust tell that you wor/e) on couple

of P,I an) you have basic /nowle)e on this. GDont worry9 this is not 'A$DA#R&H

How you de-ne A!!re!ations in your 9ro.ect?

=e )e7ne) the areations for '#S R*J>*$%& >S*D )ata in SSRS reports.

Si4e o SSAS team in your #ast 9ro.ect?

Nust 2 uys as we uys are really in )eman) an) lot of scarcityH

How many +esources worked on same ube in your 9ro.ect?

#nly 2 an) one in mornin shift an) another in *venin shift.

How much time it take to 9rocess the ube?

his is ery very important ;uestion. his aain )epen)s on the SI* of )atabase9-omple!ity of

the )atabase an) your server settins. or )atabase with 50 cr transaction recor)s9 it enerally

ta/es ".5 hrs.

How many a#cu#ation you done in our 9ro.ect?

I answer more than 5000 an) if you tell the same then you are cauht unless you are super oo)

in 'D+. Fest answer for you is K=or/e) on 50 calculations.

What are Database Dimension and ube Dimension? What is the diference between

them?

A Database Dimensionis a Dimension which e!ists in)epen)ent of a -ube. &ou can see a

Database Dimension as a separate entityL7le in the Solution *!plorerL,ro4ect ol)er. An analoy9

this is pretty similar to a -lass in a ,rorammin %anuae.

A -ube Dimension is an Instance of a Database Dimension. An analoy9 this is pretty similar toan #b4ect GInstance of a -lassH in a ,rorammin %anuae.

6ere are some of the hihlihtsL)i


17/33

What are the diferent ways to create a 6ime Dimension in Ana#ysis Services?

ime Dimension is one of the most important an) most common type of )imensions as pretty

much every metric is analye) over time. Analysis Services o


18/33

o >sin this Storae 'o)e will result in best ;uery performance compare) to any

other Storae 'o)es available in SSAS.

What is the diference between Attribute Hierarchy and ser De-ned Hierarchy?

An Attribute 6ierarchy is a 6ierarchy create) by SJ% Server Analysis Services for every Attribute

in a Dimension by )efault. An Attribute by )efault contains only two levels An VAllV level an) a

VDetailV level which is nothin but the Dimension 'embers.

A >ser De7ne) 6ierarchy is a 6ierarchy )e7ne) e!plicitly by the userL)eveloper an) often

contains multiple levels. or e!ample9 a -alen)ar 6ierarchy contains &ear9 Juarter9 'onth9 an)

Date as its levels.

6ere are some of the hihlihtsL)iser De7ne) 6ierarchies

Attribute 6ierarchies are always wo%evel G>nless All %evel is suppresse)H whereas >ser

De7ne) 6ierarchies are often 'ulti%evel.

Fy )efault9 *very Attribute in a Dimension has an Attribute 6ierarchy whereas >ser

De7ne) 6ierarchies have to be e!plicitly )e7ne) by the userL)eveloper.

*very Dimension has at least one Attribute 6ierarchy by )efault whereas every Dimension

)oes not necessarily contain a >ser De7ne) 6ierarchy. In essence9 a Dimension can

contain ero9 one9 or more >ser De7ne) 6ierarchies.

Attribute 6ierarchies can be enable) or )isable). Disable the Attribute 6ierarchy for those

attributes which are commonly not use) to slice an) )ice the )ata )urin analysis9 li/eA))ress9 ,hone $umber9 an) >nit ,rice etc. Doin this will improve the cube processin

performance an) also re)uces the sie of the cube as those attributes are not consi)ere)

for performin areations.

Attribute 6ierarchies can be ma)e visible or hi))en. =hen an Attribute 6ierarchy is

hi))en9 it will not be visible to the client application while browsin the DimensionL-ube.

Attribute 6ierarchies for those attributes which are part of the >ser De7ne) 6ierarchies9

li/e Day9 'onth9 Juarter9 an) &ear9 which are part of the -alen)ar 6ierarchy9 can be

hi))en9 since the attribute is available to the en) users throuh the >ser De7ne)

6ierarchy an) helps eliminate the confusionLre)un)ancy for en) users.

What is an Attribute +e#ationship? What are the diferent types o Attribute+e#ationships?

An Attribute Relationshipis a relationship between various attributes within a Dimension. Fy

)efault9 every Attribute in a Dimension is relate) to the Pey Attribute. Juite often these )efault

Attribute Relationships nee) to be mo)i7e) to suit the >ser De7ne) 6ierarchies an) other en)

user re;uirements.

here are basically two types of Attribute Relationships

Rigi% Attribute Relationship shoul) be set to Rii) when the relationship between those

attributes is not oin to chane over time. or e!ample9 relationship between a 'onth

an) a Date is Rii) since a particular Date always belons to a particular 'onth li/e 1st

eb 2012 always belons to eb 'onth of 2012. ry to set the relationship to Rii)

wherever possible.

&lexible Attribute Relationship shoul) be set to le!ible when the relationship between

those attributes is oin to chane over time. or e!ample9 relationship between an

*mployee an) a 'anaer is le!ible since a particular *mployee miht wor/ un)er one

manaer )urin this year Gtime perio)H an) un)er a )i


19/33

Pey-olumns is a property of an SSAS Dimension Attribute an) it forms the Pey G>ni;ueH for the

attribute. It can be boun) to one or more columns in the un)erlyin )atabase table. =hen >ser

De7ne) 6ierarchies are create) in the )imension GAttribute Relationships )e7ne)H9 settin this

property becomes very critical an) often re;uires settin this to a combination of more than one

column from the Data Source iew. or *!ample9 say you have a Date Dimension an) a hierarchy

calle) -alen)ar 6ierarchy G&ear Q Juarter Q 'onthH. $ow what happens is that9 'onth ets

repeate) across )i


20/33

an) presents the same information in )i


21/33

6ere are some hihlihts of a $atural Pey

his can be numeric9 strin9 a combination of both etc. )epen)in on the type of )ata you

are )ealin with. In case of nonnumeric )ata9 N#I$s are slower an) occupies more space

than an inteer.

6istory cannot be maintaine) if use) as a ,rimary Pey.

'erin )ata from )iID G>ni;ue i)enti7erH9 etc.

6ere are some hihlihts of a Surroate Pey

'ost of the times this is a numeric value Gli/e I$9 FI(I$9 etc.H an) hence the N#I$s are

faster an) occupies less space than character base) )ata.

Allows for maintenance of history )ata GS-D ype 2H when use) as a ,rimary Pey.

Data comin from multiple source systems can be easily interate) Gespecially in the

scenarios li/e 'erers9 Ac;uisitions etc. in the in)ustryH.

What is a Hierarchy in S Server Ana#ysis Services? What are the diferent types o

Hierarchies? %&p#ain each one o themB

A 6ierarchy is a collection of one or more relate) Attributes which are oranie) in a ,arent-hil)

fashion. An Attribute at a hiher level is a parent of an Attribute at the ne!t level an) so on. hey

provi)e a very convenient way to perform roll upL)rill )own analysis an) helps in rollin up an)

)rillin )own the numeric )ata in a very enbalance) 6ierarchy is a 6ierarchy in which number of

members an) number of %evels varies across )i


22/33

he Slowly -hanin Dimension GS-DH concept is basically about how the )ata mo)i7cations are

absorbe) an) maintaine) in a Dimension able. In an S-D the contentsLmembers chane over a

perio) of time. Apart from the e!istin members which are mo)i7e)9 new recor)s are a))e) to

the )imension similar to any other )imension.

6ere are the ma4or " types of Slowly -hanin Dimensions

6ype


23/33

here is a ,arent-hil) relationship between )i


24/33

6ere are some hihlihts of Deenerate Dimension

It is )erive) from the act able an) )oes not have an un)erlyin physical Dimension able

of its own.

It is also calle) as a act Dimension.

Since these )imensions are built on top of act able9 these are usually very lare

)imensions.

he attribute of a Deenerate Dimension is not a orein Pey in the act able.

What is a Funk Dimension in S Server Ana#ysis Services? /n what scenarios do youuse it?

A Nun/ Dimension is often a collection of >nrelate) Attributes li/e in)icators9 3as9 co)es9 etc.

his Dimension usually contains )ata which cannot be create) as a separate Dimension as they

ten) to be too small GoftenH an) are not worth havin a separate Dimension.

hese Dimensions can be use) in various scenarios9 but one of the common scenarios is when a

act able contains a lot of Attributes which are li/e in)icators9 3as9 etc. >sin Nun/ Dimensions9

such Attributes can be remove)Lcleane) up from a act able.

Example It contains values li/e &esL$o9 ,en)inLIn ,roressL-omplete)9 #penLResolve)L-lose)9

etc.

6ere are some hihlihts of a Nun/ Dimension

It is also calle) as a (arbae Dimension.

Nun/ Dimensions are usually small in sie.

It is a convenient way to consoli)ate many Smaller Dimensions which are not really worth

havin as a separate Dimension.

What are a!!re!ates? What is the purpose o de-nin! an a!!re!ation desi!n in

Ana#ysis Services?

Areates are summarie) values9 each of which correspon)s to a combination of an attribute

from each )imension an) a measure roup. An areate in SSAS is the )i


25/33

Desin Areations until the person9 )esinin the areations9 clic/s the VStopV button

As we can see9 the above options osae Fase) #ptimiation =iar) are similar to

the ones osae Fase)

#ptimiation =iar)9 the importance is base) on the actual ;ueries bein 7re).

o use the >sae Fase) #ptimiation =iar)9 Juery %o ,roperties nee) to be con7ure) at the

SSAS Server %evel for the tool to be able to lo the ;ueries 7re) by users for accessin the cube.

What are the diferent a!!re!ation unctions avai#ab#e in SSAS? an you e&p#ain each

one o them?

SSAS supports the followin types of areation functions for 'easures

*u##y Additive

o Sum:his is the )efault areation type an) calculates the sum of all the chil)

members of a member at any level in the hierarchy9 e!cept for leaf level.

o Count: -alculates the count of all the chil) members of a member at any level in the

hierarchy e!cept for the leaf level.

Semi Additive

o Min: Returns the lowest value amon all the chil) members.

o Max: Returns the hihest value amon all the chil) members.

o FirstChild: Returns the value of the 7rst chil) of a member.

o LastChild: Returns the value of the last chil) of a member.

o FirstNonEmpty: Returns the value of the 7rst nonempty chil) of a member.

o LastNonEmpty: Returns the value of the last nonempty chil) of a member.

o ByAccount:his areation type is applicable only if there is an Account Dimension

in the cube. A Dimension is treate) as an Account Dimension by SSAS9 only when

the ype property of the )imension is set to VAccountV. his function areates the

)ata base) on the areation function set for members of an Account Dimension.

If an Account Dimension )oes not e!ist9 then settin this areation type is

e;uivalent to $o Areation G$oneH.

o Average!Children: -alculates the averae of values of all the nonempty chil)members of a member at any level of a hierarchy9 e!cept at the leaf level.

1on Additive

o None: =hen an areation function is set to $one9 no areation is performe)

an) the value of the member Gboth leaf an) nonleafH is returne) )irectly.

o "istinctCount: Returns the count of uni;ueL)istinct chil) member of a member at

any level of a hierarchy9 e!cept for leaf level.

What is 6ime /nte##i!ence? How is it imp#emented in SSAS?

ime Intellience is a techni;ue9 which allows us to alin the ime Dimension in SSAS with our

actual -alen)ar9 thereby ma/in time calculations li/e ,erio) to Date9 -omparison across ,arallel

ime ,erio)s9 -umulative areates9 etc. very simple without the nee) for us to write e!plicit'D+ ;ueriesLe!pressions.

or implementinime Intellience9 the ype property of the ime Dimension shoul) be e!plicitly

set to VimeV an) the attributes of this )imension shoul) be set appropriately li/e year9 month9

etc.

SSAS o


26/33

an) -aptions of various SSAS ob4ects in )isers are either allowe) or )enie) access to speci7c )imensions an)

thereby enablin or restrictin them from browsin the )ata usin those speci7c)imensions.

7easure eve#, *ither one or more measures can be e!pose) or restricte) from the user.

e## eve#,his can be of two types Security for )imension members an) security for

)ata cells. =ith )imension members9 users can be allowe) or restricte) to see speci7c

members of a )imension. =ith )ata cells9 users can be allowe) or restricte) to see a

speci7c rane of cells. In both of these scenarios9 users can be iven rea)9 rea)Lwrite9 etc.

permissions.

What is writeback unctiona#ity in SSAS? /n what scenarios is it useu#?

=ritebac/ is a functionality in SSAS which allows the users to write the )ata bac/ into the cube.

'eanin9 while browsin the cube9 they can ma/e chanes to the )ata an) those chanes are

written bac/ into the cube.

=ritebac/ can be enable) primarily at two levels9 either at the )imension an)Lor partition. or

)imension level writebac/9 the users can mo)ify the members of a )imension. or partition

writebac/9 users are allowe) to mo)ify the cells of )ata an) hence it is commonly referre) to as

cell level writebac/.

>sers re;uire special permissions to be able to use the writebac/ functionality to write the )ata

bac/ into the cube. or )imension writebac/9 users shoul) have the rea)Lwrite permissions an)

the Venable )imension writebac/V property shoul) be set. In the case of cellLpartition level
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2186/how-to-setup-row-level-security-for-sql-server/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1834/introduction-to-dimension-security-in-sql-server-analysis-services-ssas-2005/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2186/how-to-setup-row-level-security-for-sql-server/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1834/introduction-to-dimension-security-in-sql-server-analysis-services-ssas-2005/


27/33

writebac/ users nee) to have rea)Lwrite permissions an) the partition shoul) be enable) for

writebac/.

=ritebac/ functionality can be useful in many scenarios such as to perform =hatIf analysis. Say

a business user wants to un)erstan) how much impact a chane in freiht an) other ta!es can

have on pro7tability9 which they can simply achieve by tryin to set a )i


28/33

processin mo)e is use) to remove the )ata from an Analysis Services ob4ect. Data is

remove) from an ob4ect an) all the subse;uent chil) level ob4ects.

9rocess #ear Structure,his processin mo)e is available only for 'inin Structures as

part of the Data 'inin component of SSAS. his processin mo)e is use) to clear the

trainin )ata previously loa)e) into a minin structure.

9rocess Data,his processin mo)e is available for Dimensions9 'easure (roups9

,artitions9 an) -ubes. his processin mo)e is use) to process the )ata without actually

buil)in or creatin the areations an) in)e!es.

9rocess Deau#t,his processin mo)e is available for Dimensions9 'easure (roups9

,artitions9 'inin 'o)els an) Structures9 -ubes9 an) #%A, GSSASH )atabases. =hen this

process is applie) to any of these ob4ects9 it 7rst )etermines the current state of the ob4ect

from a processin stan)point an) then )oes the necessary processin to brin the ob4ect

to currentLfully processe) state.

9rocess *u##,his processin mo)e is available for Dimensions9 'easure (roups9

,artitions9 'inin 'o)els an) Structures9 -ubes9 an) #%A, GSSASH Databases. =hen this

processin mo)e is applie) to an ob4ect9 the ob4ect itself an) all the subse;uent lower

level ob4ects are fully processe). he )ata is cleare) from an ob4ect if it alrea)y has some

previously processe) )ata.

9rocess /nde&,his processin mo)e is available for Dimensions9 'easure (roups9,artitions9 an) -ubes. his option wor/s only on the processe) ob4ects an) for

unprocesse) ob4ects you will et an error. =hen applie) on any processe) ob4ects9 it

creates areations an) in)e!es if they )onYt alrea)y e!ist. It recreates them if they

alrea)y e!ist.

9rocess Structure,his processin mo)e is available for 'inin Structures an) -ubes.

=hen this processin mo)e is applie) to a cube9 it creates the cube structure an) it also

processes the cube )imensions if they are not alrea)y processe). his processin mo)e

loa)s the )ata into the 'inin Structure9 when applie) on it.

9rocess pdate,his processin mo)e is available only for Dimensions. =hen this

processin mo)e is use)9 it freshly rea)s all the )imension )ata from the )atabase an)up)ates the )ata in the )imension.

What are the diferent ways to process ob.ects in SSAS?

SSAS ob4ects can be processe) usin various techni;ues. he followin are the most popular

tools an) techni;ues use) to process ob4ects in SSAS

S Server /nte!ration Services :SS/S; Analysis Service ,rocessin as/in SSIS can

be use) to process SSAS ob4ects.

usiness /nte##i!ence Deve#opment Studio :/DS; SSAS #b4ects can be processe)

via Fusiness Intellience Development Stu)iofrom within the SSAS ,ro4ect. FIDS was

replace) by the SJ% Server Data ools in SJ% Server 20129 but has much of the same

functionality.

S Server 7ana!ement Studio :SS7S; SJ% Server 'anaement Stu)io can be use)

in multiple ways to process SSAS ob4ects.

o b#ect Explorer >sin SS'S9 one can )irectly connect to Analysis Services Server

an) process the ob4ects throuh the #b4ect *!plorerG(>IH.

o $MLA An +'% for Analysis Services G+'%AHscript can be e!ecute) )irectly in SS'S

to process the SSAS ob4ects.

o S%L Server Agent An +'%A script can be e!ecute) usin a SJ% Server AentNob

which also helps in sche)ulin the script to perform the processin )urin o< hours.
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1560/analysis-services-processing-task-in-sql-server-integration-services-ssis/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/229/business-intelligence-development-studio-bids/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1935/using-object-explorer-details-and-object-search-feature-of-ssms-2008/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2227/process-a-sql-server-analysis-services-cube-using-an-xmla-query/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/27/sql-server-agent/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1560/analysis-services-processing-task-in-sql-server-integration-services-ssis/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/229/business-intelligence-development-studio-bids/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1935/using-object-explorer-details-and-object-search-feature-of-ssms-2008/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2227/process-a-sql-server-analysis-services-cube-using-an-xmla-query/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/27/sql-server-agent/


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ommand ine SSAS osin this utility9 one can e!ecute the

relevant scripts to process the SSAS ob4ects.

9ro!rammatica##y Analysis 'anaement #b4ects GA'#H is a collection of SSAS

manaement classes9 which can be use) for processin SSAS ob4ects. Apart from this9

A'# can be use) for various manaement activities in SSAS.

What are the pro!rammabi#ity options avai#ab#e in SSAS?

In Analysis Services there are two ma4or prorammability options A'# an) AD#'D.$*.

A'# GAnalysis 'anaement #b4ectsH is a set of classes use) for manain an Analysis Services

instance an) can be use) to perform various manaement activities relate) to SSAS. >sin A'#9

the followin operations can be performe) on the SSAS ob4ects

-reation

'o)i7cation

Deletion

,rocessin

=ith A'#9 one cannot ;uery the SSAS ob4ects. o ;uery the )ata from SSAS prorammatically9

one can use AD#'D.$* which is a .$* base) )ata provi)er. It is primarily use) to

communicate with SSAS an) uses 'ulti)imensional *!pressions G'D+H9 Data 'inin *!tensions

GD'+H9 an) Analysis Services Scriptin %anuae GASS%H9 etc. comman)s to ;uery the )ata.

What are the diferent )ueryin! and pro!rammin! #an!ua!es supported by SSAS?

he followin lanuaes are supporte) by SSAS

6>S,ransactSJ%;ueries can be use) to ;uery certain aspects of SSAS.

7DG, It stan)s for 'ulti)imensional *!pressions. 'D+ ;ueries are the primary means of

;ueryin )ata in SSAS. D7G, It stan)s for Data 'inin *!tensions. D'+ is use) for ;ueries relate) to Data 'inin

in SSAS.

A73, It stan)s for Analysis 'anaement #b4ects. It is .$* base) an) can be use) to

manae SSAS ob4ects9 creatinLmo)ifyinL)eletin SSAS ob4ects an) implementin

security in certain scenarios.

What are the diferent too#s used or accessin! cubes?

6ere is a list of )i


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tables9 charts9 etc. It is use) by many )ecision ma/ers9 business analysis9 an) even

)evelopers for reportin purposes.

S Server +eportin! Services :SS+S; SSRS allows Analysis Services )atabases or

cubes as a )ata source to buil) reports. his option is available both in FIDSZSJ% Server

Data ools while buil)in canne) reports an) in Report Fuil)er while )oin a)hoc

reportin.

9erormance9oint Services :99S; ,,S which is now a part of Share,oint 2010 allows

buil)in P,Is9 scorecar)s9 reports9 an) )ashboar)s with Analysis Services cubes as )ata

source.

hese are the ma4or tools in the 'icrosoft FI stac/ which support Analysis Services )ata sources.

Apart from these9 there are various thir) party tools which support Analysis Services as a )ata

source.

How do you capture which users are connectin! to SSAS" which ob.ects o SSAS are

bein! used" which )ueries are bein! e&ecuted" etcB?

Analysis Services o


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o ,rovi)er

o Server $ame

o Database $ame

o Impersonation Information

SSAS Supports both .$et an) #%* DF ,rovi)ers. ollowin are some of the ma4or sources

supporte) by SSAS SJ% Server9 'S Access9 #racle9 era)ata9 IF' DF29 an) other

relational )atabases with the appropriate #%* DF provi)er.

What is /mpersonation? What are the diferent impersonation options avai#ab#e inSSAS?

Impersonation allows SSAS to assume the i)entityLsecurity conte!t of the client application

which is use) by SSAS to perform the server si)e )ata operations li/e )ata access9

processinetc. As part of impersonation9 the followin options are available in SSAS

o (se a speci)c *indo's user name and pass'ord his option lets you to specify

=in)ows account cre)entials which will be use) by SSAS to perform operations li/e

source )ata access9 processin etc.

o (se the service account =hen this option is selecte)9 SSAS uses the cre)entials of

the service account un)er which the Analysis Services service is con7ure)Lrunnin

for source )ata access9 processin etc.

o (se the credentials o! the current user =hen this option is set9 SSAS uses the

cre)entials of the current user for performin operations li/e D'+ #pen Jueries9

%ocal cubes etc. his option cannot be use) for performin server si)e operations

li/e source )ata access9 processin etc.

o +nherit his option letYs the SSAS server )eci)e which impersonation mo)e is

suitable for each type of operation. =hen this option is set9 by )efault SSAS will use

the service account for operations li/e processin an) the cre)entials of the current

user for operations li/e %ocal cubes9 ;ueryin the )ata minin mo)els9 etc...

What is a Data Source (iew?

A Data Source iew GDSHis a loical view of the un)erlyin )atabase schema an) on)erlyin )atabase ableGsHLiewGsH meta)ata

o ,rimary Pey W orein Pey relationshipsbetween the un)erlyin )atabase ableGsH

o A))itional columns in the form of $ame) -alculations

o -omple! loic on the un)erlyin ableGsHLiewGsH in the form of $ame) Jueries

SSAS can only see the schematic information present in the DS an) it cannot see the

schematic information from the un)erlyin )atabase.

What is a 1amed a#cu#ation? /n what scenarios do you use it?

A $ame) -alculation is a new column a))e) to a able in DS an) is base) on ane!pression. his capability allows you to a)) an e!tra column into your DS which is base)

on one or more columns from un)erlyin )ata source ableGsHLiewGsH combine) usin an

e!pression without re;uirin the a))ition of a physical column in the un)erlyin )atabase

ableGsHLiewGsH.

he e!pression use) in the $ame) -alculation shoul) conform to the un)erlyin )ata

source )ialect. or e!ample9 if the un)erlyin )ata source is SJ% Server9 then it shoul)

conform toSJ%9 If is it #racle9 then it shoul) conform to ,%LSJ%9 etc...

$ame) -alculations can be use) in many scenarios9 followin are some of the common

scenarios
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/2011/processing-dimensions-and-cube/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/2004/creating-a-star-schema-using-a-data-source-view/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/74/referential-integrity/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/23/tsql/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1448/execute-plsql-code-in-an-oracle-package-from-ssis/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/2011/processing-dimensions-and-cube/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertutorial/2004/creating-a-star-schema-using-a-data-source-view/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/74/referential-integrity/http://www.mssqltips.com/sql-server-tip-category/23/tsql/http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1448/execute-plsql-code-in-an-oracle-package-from-ssis/


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o or creatin Derive) -olumns. Say you have irst $ame an) %ast $ame in the

un)erlyin )ata source ableLiew an) you want to et the ull $ame as Virst $ame

[ space [ %ast $ameV. Such thins can be a))e) as a $ame) -alculation.

o or performin %oo/up #perations. Say you have an *mployee table which has

A))ressID an) an A))ress table in which A))ressID is the ,rimary Pey. $ow9 to et

the a))ress information Gsay -ountryH into the *mployee table in DS9 a $ame)

-alculation can be a))e) to the *mployee table with the followin e!pression

G

S*%*- -ountry

R#' A))ress

=6*R* A))ressID C *mployee.A))ressID

H

What is a 1amed uery? /n what scenarios do you use it?

A $ame) Juery is a SJ% ;ueryLe!pression in your DS which acts as a able. It is use) to

combine )ata from one or more ableGsHLiewGsH from the un)erlyin )ata source without

re;uirin any schematic chanes to the un)erlyin )ata source ableGsHLiewGsH.

he SJ% Juery use) in the $ame) Juery shoul) conform to the un)erlyin )ata source

)ialect. or e!ample9 if the un)erlyin )ata source is SJ% Server9 then it shoul) conform to

SJ%9 If is it #racle9 then it shoul) conform to ,%LSJ%9 etc... $ame) Jueries are use) in various scenarios9 followin are some of the common

scenarios

o -ombinin )ata from multiple ablesLiews from the un)erlyin )ata source by

usin either simple or comple! 4oin operations.

o A))in 7lter con)itions for 7lterin out unwante) )ata or selectin the re;uire) )ata

Glimitin the )ataH.

,retty much everythin that can be )one usin a $ame) -alculation can also be )one

usin a $ame) Juery.

What are the pros and cons o usin! 6ab#es and 1amed ueries in DS(?

ollowin are some of the pros an) cons of usin ables an) $ame) Jueries in DS. ablesin the below comparison refers to the able in DS which references a sinle able or a

iew in the un)erlyin source )atabase.

6ab#es 1amed ueries

$ame) -alculations can be a))e) to

ables in DS.

$ame) -alculations cannot be

a))e) to $ame) Jueries in DS.

Peys an) Relationships are automatically

set Gby the wiar)H base) on the Peys

an) Relationships in the un)erlyin)atabase schema.

Peys an) Relationships have to be

set e!plicitly in the DS.

#nly one ableLiew from the un)erlyin

)ata source can be reference) in DS.

'ore than one ableLiew from the

un)erlyin )ata source can be

reference) usin a SJ% *!pression

in the DS.

Any 7lterLlimitin con)itions cannot be

applie) on a table in DS.

ilterLlimitin con)itions can be

applie) as part of the SJ%

e!pression in the $ame) Juery in


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the DS.

Althouh $ame) -alculations an) $ame) Jueries can be use) to e!ten) the functionality

of SSAS to a))ress the evolvin business nee)s9 it is always a oo) practice to 7rst buil) a

oo) Dimensional 'o)elin the beinnin of a Data =arehousinLSSAS pro4ect.

What is the purpose o settin! o!ica# eys and +e#ationships in DS(?

'any of the user interfacesL)esinersLwiar)s in FIDS which are part of a SSAS pro4ect

)epen) on the ,rimary Pey an) Relationships between act an) Dimension tables. 6ence it

is important to )e7ne the ,rimary Pey an) Relationships in DS.

Fy )efault9 the Data Source iew =iar) )etects the ,hysical ,rimary Peys an)

Relationships between the tables in the un)erlyin source )atabase an) applies the same

Peys an) Relationships in DS layer. 6owever9 %oical Peys an) Relationships nee) to be

)e7ne) e!plicitly in the followin scenarios

o If the DS table is referrin to an un)erlyin )atabase iew.

o If the DS table is create) as a $ame) Juery.

o If any a))itional relationships nee) to be )e7ne) in the DS layer apart from the

ones that are physically )e7ne) in the un)erlyin source )atabase.

/s it possib#e to combine data rom mu#tip#e data sources in SSAS? / yes" how do youaccomp#ish it?

SSAS allows combinin )ata from multiple un)erlyin )ata sources into a sinle DS. o be

able to a)) ableGsHLiewGsH from multiple )ata sources9 7rst you nee) to create a DS

usin your 7rst source an) this source acts as the primary )ata source. $ow after the

initial DS is create)9 you can a)) one or more )ata sources into DS which will act as

secon)ary )ata sources an) you can choose a))itional ableGsHLiewGsH from the

secon)ary )ata sources which you want to inclu)e in your DS.

he /ey thin while combinin )ata from multiple )ata sources is that the ,rimary Data

Source must support #,*$R#=S* ;ueries. 6ence in most cases9 SJ% Server is use) as

the ,rimary Data Source.
http://www.mssqltips.com/webcast2.asp?id=73http://www.mssqltips.com/webcast2.asp?id=73

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