Sample Universe on Microsoft

OLAP Cube

Applies to:
SAP BusinessObjects XI4, the information design tool and Microsoft Analysis Services 2005 & 2008. For
more information, visit the Business Objects homepage.

Summary
This article describes the content of the sample universe for Microsoft Analysis Services. It also explains how
to set up the universe in the information design tool and how to make it available to client tools.
Download the attached file here.

Author: Marc Daniau

Company: SAP
Created on: 30 March 2011

Author Bio
Marc Daniau joined Business Objects in 1992 as project consultant. He joined the product group
in 1998 to work on EPM products in San Jose and then moved to the semantic layer team in
Paris.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Table of Contents
The “Sales & Marketing” Universe ...................................................................................................................... 3
Finance view ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Sales view ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Performance view ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Sample queries ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Setting up the Universe in Information Design Tool ........................................................................................... 7
Connecting to the OLAP server .......................................................................................................................... 8
Making the Universe Available to Client Tools ................................................................................................... 9
Secured UNX universe.................................................................................................................................... 9
Local UNX universe ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Related Content ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Copyright........................................................................................................................................................... 11

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

The “Sales & Marketing” Universe

The “Sales & Marketing” universe is based upon the „Adventure Works‟ sample cube from Microsoft. Its
scope covers a subset of the dimensions and measures found in the OLAP cube. The universe contains
hierarchies (level-based as well as parent-child) that allow for member selection.

MDX based objects like calculated measures, calculated members and named sets have been added for
analysis purposes using the information design tool. The outline of the universe is organized into three views:
Finance, Sales and Performance.

Finance view
The Finance business layer view includes various calculated measures for time series analysis.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Its Account parent-child hierarchy has been augmented with calculated members.

Sales view
The Sales business layer view includes Named Sets of products: some are server sets found in the OLAP
cube (e.g. Core Product Group); others were defined with the information design tool (e.g. Top 3 Products).
The named set “Biking Items” illustrates the use of the Microsoft specific MDX function VisualTotals.

The Sales business layer view provides calculated measures for percent of total and gender analysis. It also
includes a prompted measure.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Performance view
The calculated measures in the Performance business layer view make use of the KPI feature of Microsoft
Analysis Services.

Sample queries
The business layer contains sample queries to help you get familiar with the dimensional concepts provided
by the information design tool.

Note that those queries remain local to the business layer within the information design tool for test purposes. They will
not be exposed to the client tools like Web Intelligence or Crystal Reports for instance.

The following table summarizes the main features employed in the sample queries.
Query name Showcased features

Calculated member on parent-child hierarchy, calculations for Time

Margin
analysis, support of Solve order

Member selection on parent-child hierarchies, Prompted Member

Expenses
selection on level-based hierarchy, Year-to-date calculations

Customer Segmentation Named Sets

Prompted Time window, calculations for trend analysis, support of
Trend
VBA statistical functions

US Performance Support of MSAS specific MDX functions for KPIs, filter on a level

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Member selection using a level, calculations for Time analysis, filter

Percent of Origin
using a dimension object
Productivity Calculated member on parent-child hierarchy
Sales by Product
Percent of total calculations
Category
Product Analysis Named set with MSAS specific MDX function VisualTotals
Dynamic Measure Prompted measure
Gender Analysis Filter on measure
Customer Age Range Support of VBA date functions
Top 3 Products TopCount MDX function

For any given query you can preview the data and even view the underlying MDX script. The bitmap below
shows the „Gender Analysis‟ sample query.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Setting up the Universe in Information Design Tool

The sample universe for Microsoft Analysis Services consists of two files:
 MSAS.cnx for the OLAP connection
 MSAS_ADW_SM.blx for the business layer.

To install the sample universe, first copy the cnx and blx files on your local file system. Open the information
design tool and create a local project.

Copy the two files on your file system and paste them into the local project.

You can now open the business layer and navigate through the business layer. You can see the list of
queries but you cannot yet execute them.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Connecting to the OLAP server

In order to run the universe sample queries, you must have the „Adventure Works‟ cube installed and
accessible through XMLA.

For more information about the Microsoft sample cube, visit the codeplex page
http://www.codeplex.com/SqlServerSamples

For more information on how to configure the HTTP access to SQL Server, visit the Microsoft page
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc917711.aspx

When the XMLA access to the cube „Adventure Works‟ is configured, open the cnx file in information design
tool and edit the OLAP connection. The connection is preset for Analysis Services 2005.

Enter the URL path as the server. Specify the user name and password and click next. Do not specify the
cube and click Finish. Test the connection to check that you can reach the OLAP server. Save the
connection. You are now ready to run the sample queries in information design tool.

If you are running Microsoft Analysis Services 2008, you can create a new connection based on the OLAP
driver Microsoft Analysis Services 2008 of the information design tool. After creating the connection, you
need to modify the business layer to make it point to the new cnx file. To do so, open the blx file and select
the root node of the business layer. Click the Advanced button, select the cnx file, select the „Adventure
Works‟ cube and click OK. Answer „No‟ when asked to update the business layer. Save the business layer
and close it.

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Making the Universe Available to Client Tools

In order to use the universe in a client tool, you must publish the business layer as a UNX universe either to
the repository for consumption in Crystal Reports or Web Intelligence or to the file system for consumption in
WebI Rich Client.

Secured UNX universe

There are two steps to make the sample universe available in the Central Management Server (CMS). First
you must publish the connection. To do so, right click on the cnx file in your local project, and select Publish
connection to CMS.

After being authenticated and connected to the CMS, choose the folder where to store the connection and
answer „Yes‟ when asked to create a secured connection shortcut. A new cns file appears in your local
project.
We will now modify the business layer to make it point to the cns connection. Open the blx file, and select the
root node of the business layer. Click the Advanced button, select the cns connection file, select the
„Adventure Works‟ cube and click OK. Answer „No‟ when asked to update the business layer. Save the
business layer and close it.
The second step consists of publishing the business layer to the CMS. Right click on the blx file in your local
project, and select Publish to a Central Management Server.

After being authenticated and connected to the CMS, choose the folder where to store the universe and click
Finish. The MSAS sample universe is now ready to be used by enterprise client tools.

Local UNX universe

You can publish the sample universe as a local UNX file for consumption by WebI Rich Client. To do so, right
click on the blx file in your local project, and select Publish to a local folder.

The UNX file can be placed in the folder „Universes‟ under „Application Data'
…\Application Data\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\Universes

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 Sample Universe on Microsoft OLAP Cube

Related Content
information design tool: create a connection to an OLAP data source
information design tool - eLearning
For more information, visit the Business Objects homepage.

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