12.
Click-select product_id
in the Measures folder, if required.
13.
If necessary,
click the downward arrow beneath the Cube Tree to open the Properties
pane.
14.
Click the Basic
tab.
15.
Modify the
default Name of Product Id to the following:
Product Count
16.
Type the
following into the empty Description box, just below the Name
box:
Distinct Count - Products
17.
Click the box
to the right of the Aggregate Function label, to enable the selector.
18.
Select Distinct
Count in the Aggregate Function selector.
The Basic tab of the Properties pane
appears as shown in Illustration 8.
Illustration 8: Product
Count Measure - Properties Pane - Basic Tab
19.
Click the Data
tab as if going to the Data View to perform a routine browse.
A warning
briefly appears, indicating that sample data is being generated, and that the
cube requires processing, as a result of our modifications. The sample data
then appears, along with a static warning below it, to ensure that we are aware
that the data is not what it might appear to be, and that the cube must be
processed to make updated, actual data available, as partially depicted in Illustration
9.
Illustration 9: Data
View (Partial and Compressed) - With "Staleness" Warning at its Foot
Let's
process the cube to activate our changes.
20.
Select File
--> Save to save the cube in its modified
state.
21.
Select Tools
--> Process Cube to initialize the processing steps.
A message
box appears, stating that the cube has no aggregations, and asking if we wish
to design them at this time, as shown in Illustration 10.
Illustration 10: Aggregations
Message Box - Just Say "No"
NOTE: The message box may not appear,
if the cube has been altered with regard to aggregations since its installation
as an MSAS sample. If not, the next box will appear instead, skipping this
one.
22.
Click No
to skip designing aggregations at present.
The Select
the Processing Method dialog appears, as depicted in Illustration 11.
Illustration 11: The Select
the Processing Method Dialog
Full
Processing is the
default, and only option, as the Warehouse cube has not been processed
since the structural change we have made to it.
23.
Leaving
settings at default, click OK.
Processing begins, and runs rapidly, as
evidenced by the Process viewer's presentation of processing log events
in real time. The Processing cycle ends and the success of the
evolution is indicated by the appearance of the Processing Completed
Successfully message (in green letters) at the bottom of the viewer, as
shown in Illustration 12.
Illustration 12: Indication
of Successful Processing
We are
returned to the Cube Editor. We can now browse the data and see our new
Distinct Count measure in action.
25.
Click the Data
tab, if necessary.
The Data
View refreshes and data appear in the default formation, ready for our
manipulations review. A portion of the Data View, depicting the Warehouse
Profit and new Product Count measures, appears in Illustration 13.
Illustration 13: Warehouse
Profit and Product Count Measures in the Data View
Now that
we have a credible result set with which to compare, let's take a look at
replicating the same results using MDX. We can leave the Data View as
it is, for easy referral against our next results dataset, which we will
generate independently within the MDX Sample Application.
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