How to find a Calculated Measure and Calculated Dimension with in particular cube.?

Hello all,

After such a long time , I would like to post some simple tips for calculating the Calculated Measure and Calculated Dimension within a particular cube in SSAS.
Though it might simple but this help me a lot.

I simply need to list down the calculated measures within a particular cube for which I have to open the BIDS project and lookup how many calculated Measure that I had made and their names which seems little odd. So ,after some research and trying out DMV queries I finally got a simple way .

DMV:
Dynamic Management Views is introduced in Analysis Services 2008 and is used to track the server resources used .It can be queried like SQL –Like syntax. We can run DMV query in SQL server Management Studio in an MDX Query.
For Calculated Measure and Calclated Dimension Member and other entire details of Cube Catalog from SSAS.

SELECT * FROM $system.MDSCHEMA_MEMBERS
WHERE [MEMBER_TYPE] = 4

Refer some other DMV queries from the link
http://dwbi1.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/ssas-dmv-dynamic-management-view/
http://www.bidn.com/blogs/Anil/ssas/2101/how-to-find-a-calculated-measure-and-calculated-dimension-within-a-particular-cube

Thanks,
Anil Maharjan

Load 1TB data in just 30 Minutes with SSIS

Today , I came to read some nice blog post by Microsoft regarding the data loading process.

If your company needs to load the maximum data then I think this post would be really helpful.
If you want to load 1TB data in just 30 Minutes with SSIS then.. Plz read this post by Microsoft.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd537533(v=SQL.100).aspx

since, the article was posted long time ago but might be helpful for the one who is just looking for this kind of approach.
Though ,I could not tried it out but sooner or later I would definitely like to test this process too.

Thanks,
Anil Maharjan

Backup all SSAS databases automatically and schedually.

With the course of time, you might need to backup all the SSAS databases within a server instance automatically and schedule to backup these database monthly wise or according to your specific time set.

May be there are a lot of alternative methods to perform this task and many solution's.

But I have researched a lot regarding to backup all the SSAS databases within a particular server instance.

In my last blog post I have shared “How to schedule and dynamically backup all the SQL databases within a server instance”.
Here ,I am going to show how to obtain all the cube databases backup automatically along with schedule time set.

These are the following steps you should have to follow.
1. Adding a linked server in SSMS.
You can simply add a linked server within a SSMS by using a script as
--Adding a linked server
EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
@server = N'SSAS_Backup'
, @srvproduct=N'MSOLAP'
, @provider=N'MSOLAP'
, @datasrc=N'ANILMAHARJAN' /* <<< My Analysis Services server name */
/* <<< My Analysis Services database name */
go

--Setup security as per your environment requirements.
EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
@rmtsrvname=N'SSAS_Backup'
, @useself=N'False'
, @locallogin=NULL
, @rmtuser=NULL
, @rmtpassword=NULL
go

2. Make a SSIS package.
You can simply create the SSIS Package as shown in below

2.1. Create the table in SSMS of the output of all the catalog name within a server given by frying the query into the DMV in SSAS from SSMS.
You can use the following script in order to find all the current catalogs name within a server.
IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'CubeBackupInfo') DROP TABLE [CubeBackupInfo]
SELECT * into CubeBackupInfo FROM OPENQUERY(SSAS_Backup,'select * from $system.dbschema_catalogs')

2.2. Read the total no of database backup to be made by reading the max count of catalog name from the table just we created above.

2.3. Read the backup XMLA within a variable into SSIS from a particular location.i.e backup XMLA that generated manually and we can also generate it by using a some C# or vb.net code embedded within SSIS.
Here is an XMLA script for backup
2.4. Now, within a for loop, set the max loop to the variable as @Max_No_Backup i.e max no of backup to be made.

2.5. Here read the catalog name of database with in a server one by one by using a table that we created before from CubeBackupInfo.
2.6 Modify the XMLA script using ‘Script Task’ within where I have used C# code in order to modify the XMLA and generate the modified XMLA for each catalog name one by one.

2.7. Backup all the cube database with in a server into a default location of SSAS backup.
-stores acc to the ‘catalog name’ along with the ‘system date’ in order to know the particular backup date. as i.e. TestCube-03-11-2011.abf
-also catalog name can overwrite it if it exist already.
i.e. : C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSAS10.MSSQLSERVER\OLAP\Backup

3.Make a SQL Server Job agent.
3.1. You can easily make a job in SQL by following this link http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Stairway+Series/72267/
and Running and Scheduling SSIS Packages by following the link as http://www.sqlshare.com/running-and-scheduling-ssis-packages_53.aspx
4.Make schedule to backup all the catalogs/ database within a particular server. i.e. monthly or weekly according to your specific time set.



Hope this will help for someone , also I am thinking to post another blog about 'Dynamic partition within a cube' using a similar approach where I have researched a lot in this topic too.

Thanks,
Anil Maharjan

OLAP PivotTable Extensions

Wow, I am so excited that there is such a cool extension available for the excel 2007 onwards ,firstly I don’t know that we can use this cool features add-in extension within an excel .I have often used the PivotTable but I never try it for this particular extension and its features.

I had bookmark for this particular page link a few months ago while I was doing my intern program but suddenly I check it back again now and I found why should not I had look the page clear fully before and why I had not use it or try it out before asking myself. 

But , nice to know that it has some great features like :
1. Private Calculated Members,
2. Calculations Library,
3. View PivotTable MDX,
4. Changing PivotTable Defaults,
5. Searching,
6. Distributing PivotTables


Among these I found the most useful and cool features is viewing entire MDx script and searching features.

Also as we know there are a lot of different tools/software’s that provides these facilities but one simple thing is that we can easily download this extension and it is free too.
You can visit the links as
http://olappivottableextend.codeplex.com/
http://www.ssas-info.com/analysis-services-tools/298-olap-pivottable-extensions-

Thanks,
Anil Maharjan

How to schedule and automate backups of all SQL Server databases in SQL Server.

Hello all,

With the course of time, you might need to backup all the databases within a server instance automatically and schedule to backup these database monthly wise or according to your specific time set.

Also, what I want to say is that ,I cannot stop myself to write this another blog of mine.

writing a blog and sharing some knowledge through the blog makes us really feels happy and also somewhat we also become addicted to it. :)

This may be simply for one but for someone it will be helpful for those who don't know how to do it.

May be there are a lot of alternative methods to perform this task and many solution's.

But I have researched a lot regarding to backup all the SQL database as well the SSAS catalogs database backup with in a particular server instance.

Here ,I am going to show how to obtain the SQL database backup automatically along with schedule time set.
Firstly, I have created a SSIS package where I used simply “Back up Database Task “ from toolbox and click right then clicking in edit tab, we can set the connection as show in figure1 below:

Then we can set the Backup Type as full or other type after that you can select the databases to backup as show in figure2 below where we can set required databases to backup.


After that you can set the other different properties like
1.Backup set Expire
2.Bakup to
3.Append or overwrite if backup exist
4.for everyday backup options
5.Backup location directory currently I set to default location.
6.allow compression or not.
You can figure out by looking the figure3 below.


Now all you need to create a job agent to schedule the backup task and run SSIS package. In order to do this you can check out the link by Brian Knight as
http://www.sqlshare.com/running-and-scheduling-ssis-packages_53.aspx

or simply go to SSMS and start Sql Server Agent and right click and create new job where you have to setup some properties as shown in figure4.


Here you can schedule the backup going into the schedule tab and then just check the job working or not by right clicking it and Start job at step then you can check the all the backup database within the default location as : C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Backup

Hope you get some ideas to obtain the schedule Sql databases backup automatically ,also I am thinking to post into my another blog for “ Automate and schedule all SSAS catalogs database backup with in a server instance by using Job Agent” or similar approach which have taken most of my research time and I am happy to obtain the result successfully.

Lastly,this may be simple but I think it may work out for someone .

Thanks,
Anil Maharjan

Backup and Restore Cube at a time using SSIS Package.

Hello all,

Firstly, what I want to say is that ,I cannot stop myself to write this another blog of mine.

writing a blog and sharing some knowledge through the blog makes us really feels happy and also somewhat we also become addicted to it. :)

Also, this may be simply for one but for someone it will be helpful for those who don't know how to do it.

May be there are a lot of method to perform this task and many solution's.

While working I have to take a Backup of Cube from one database and Restore it into another database within a same machine.So,for this i usually do manually by right clicking the Backup and Restore it to another database but every time say development cube changes frequently and i have to take backup and then again restore it into production cube.

Doing manually seems little lazy,so i think of doing it dynamically or say by just a click so that.

For this I use a SSIS package where we can use the "Analysis Services Execute DDL Task " from toolbox and by editing it, we can set/configure the values as:

Also, i forgot to mention that for the restore and backup XMLA script ,we have to right click on the database and click restore/backup and then click the script button so that it will generate the XMLA script for restore and backup to particular database.After generating the XMLA,we can directly put into the "Analysis Services Execute DDL Task" by configuring the "SourceType" :Direct input and SourceDirect : XMLA script (i.e of backup / Restore).

But here i use the file connection for pointing the XMLA script from particular location so that we can execute this for different database by only changing the XMLA file.

This may be simple but i think it may work out for someone .

Thanks,

Anil Maharjan

SQL Server Reporting Services - Displaying some message within a Tablix if there is no data.

Hello all,

This is my first article that I am trying to write .I am encourage to write this article after joining a lot of BI related network and reading a lot of articles/blogs regarding different topic. so, this may be simply for one but for someone it will be helpful for those who don't know how to do it ..

while working in .rdl design using BIDS , I need to display certain message within a tablix toolbox, if the table doesn't contain's any data to display or there is no row count. In normal it will display the data if there is certain to display but if there is not any data to display then we have to display the message as like i.e "Data doesnot match"

For this we need to add a new row within a same table and set the properties of 'Hidden' field as =IIF(Count("DSName")>0,true,false)

Then within a same row we need to add a 'Placeholder' by right clicking within a row and set its properties value expression as

=IIF(count(Fields!Row1.Value,"DSName")>0,"","No data qualifies for this section")

Also in another terms,

Remove no rows property for the table,added another table header row with the expression

=IIF(count(Fields!Row1.Value,"DSName")>0,"","No data qualifies for this section")

and set visibility hidden expression for the added table header row as

=IIF(Count("DSName")>0,true,false)

Replace"DSName" with your datasetName.

Hope this will help for someone .. :) !!!..

You can see some snapshot as:


You can see output as if there is no data to display or no row count:


Thanks,

Anil Maharjan