Viewing Data in the Web Site Traffic Analysis Cube
As most of us
know, we can easily view data in our cube from our present position in the
Analysis Manager. The Cube Browser that is supplied with Analysis
Manager is an excellent way to do rapid reviews of both cube structure and data
during and after the design process. The Cube Browser is displayed anytime
we right-click a cube that has been processed, and then select Browse Data
from the context menu that appears. (If the cube is not yet processed, we can
always view sample data, while designing, in the Data Tab of the Cube
Editor, as most of us are aware.)
Let's take the
following steps to see the results of our work within the Web Site Traffic
Analysis Cube:
1.
Right-click the Web Site
Traffic Cube.
2.
Select Browse Data from
the context menu that appears.
After a "Retrieving
the Cube Data" message briefly appears, we see the actual data presented
in the Browser, as partially shown in Illustration 38.
Illustration 38:
Actual Data in the Cube Browser (Compressed View)
3.
Drag the Time dimension
from the data slicing pane (the button atop, and to the upper left, in the Cube
Browser) to drop over the IP Address row dimension in the Data
Viewing pane.
The Time
dimension, Year summary level, now appears in the rows, as shown in Illustration
39.
Illustration 39:
Time Dimension - Year Level in the Rows (Compressed View)
Let's delve a bit
deeper into the data through the Time dimension, by drilling down
on the Years we see summarized.
4.
Double-click the Year
column label.
Years 2002 and 2003 are expanded, displaying monthly
summaries of site interactions as depicted in Illustration 40.
Illustration 40:
Drill Down to the Month Level in the Rows (Compressed View)
Let's see what
we can find out about the visitors themselves using the Cube Browser. We
will nest the Source dimension within the Time dimension, meaning
that it will share the row axis and allow further subanalysis of Time.
The end result will be to give us a picture of interaction counts, by Month, by
Visitor IP Address, at the lowest level of the display.
5.
Drag the Source
dimension button from the data slicing pane, to the right of the Month
column, placing the cursor over the "white space" of the Measures
column.
The cursor becomes a
ghost-like icon, similar to that shown in Illustration 41, at the "drop
point."
Illustration 41:
The Cursor "Drop Point" Icon to Nest within the Row Axis
6.
Release the mouse to drop the Source
dimension within the rows axis.
The Source
dimension appears nested within the Month levels of the Time
dimension, all in the rows axis of the display, as partially shown (the
representative month of August 2002) in Illustration 42.
Illustration 42:
The Source Dimension is Nested within the Time Dimension (Partial View)
Now
we can use drillthrough to illustrate a means of investigating the
values we see. Say we wish to see the detailed dates of interaction from a
given IP Address (we'll use 137.144.139.74, which, as circled in Illustration
42 above, indicates a total of six interactions with the site during
the month of August 2002).
7.
Double-click on the value
indicated above (the measure "6") to drill through to the
source table details.
We are greeted with the
details of the visits, directly from the source database table, that make up
the total number of interactions (six) for IP Address 137.144.139.74,
upon which we have drilled through, as depicted in Illustration 43.
Illustration 43: Details
behind the Interaction Summary
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