DTS' Analysis Services Processing Task
Overview and Discussion
One of
the most critical administrative tasks surrounding an Analysis Services
implementation is the recurring need to process our cubes. Processing is
essential to keeping our OLAP data sources in sync with the data sources that
they summarize. The Analysis
Services Processing task
exists to perform the processing options that we typically perform manually
from within Analysis Manager, at least initially, in the design and development
of our cubes. We can use it to automate our processing cycles, and thus keep
our cubes updated to reflect the latest data in the cubes' underlying sources,
all with minimal manual intervention.
Because some Analysis
Services processing capabilities, including the processing of databases,
dimensions, cubes, or other objects we can manually process from Analysis
Manager, could not be easily managed using other DTS tasks, we are provided
with a means of performing these activities with a task specifically designed
for that purpose. The Analysis Services components to which we can apply our
DTS-driven capabilities include those detailed, hierarchically, in Table 1.
|
Component
|
Use This Option to:
|
|
|
|
|
Database
|
Process all dimensions,
cubes, virtual cubes, and partitions in the selected Analysis Services database.
|
|
.. Cubes Folder
|
Process all cubes and
virtual cubes contained in the selected folder.
|
|
... Cubes
|
Process, refresh, or
incrementally update the selected cube (see Table 2 below).
|
|
.... Cube
Partitions
|
Process or incrementally
update the selected partition.
|
|
.... Remote Cube
Partitions
|
Process or
incrementally update a selected partition on another machine.
|
|
... Linked Cubes
|
Process, refresh, or
incrementally update a cube based upon a cube on another machine.
|
|
... Virtual Cubes
|
Process, refresh, or
incrementally update the selected virtual cube.
|
|
.. Dimensions Folder
|
Process all dimensions
contained in the selected folder.
|
|
... Shared
Dimensions
|
Process or
incrementally update the selected shared dimension.
|
|
... Virtual
Dimensions
|
Process or
incrementally update the selected virtual dimension.
|
|
.. Mining Models
|
Process all Mining
Models contained in the selected folder.
|
|
... Relational
Mining Models
|
Process the selected
Relational Mining Model.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table 1: Component Selection Options for the Analysis Services Processing Task
We also
have the options depicted in Table 2 with regard to the manner in
which we perform processing.
|
Component
|
Processing Options
|
|
|
|
|
Database
|
Full Process
|
|
.. Cubes Folder
|
Full Process
Refresh Data
|
|
... Cubes
|
Full Process
Refresh Data
Incremental
update
Incrementally
Update Dimensions
|
|
.... Cube
Partitions
|
Full Process
Incremental
update
Incrementally
Update Dimensions
|
|
.... Remote Cube
Partitions
|
Full Process
Incremental
update
Incrementally
Update Dimensions
|
|
... Linked Cubes
|
Full Process
|
|
... Virtual Cubes
|
Full Process
|
|
.. Dimensions Folder
|
Rebuild the
dimension structure
Incremental
update
|
|
... Shared
Dimensions
|
Rebuild the
dimension structure
Incremental
update
|
|
... Virtual
Dimensions
|
Rebuild the
dimension structure
|
|
.. Mining Models
Folder
|
Full Process
Refresh Data
|
|
... Relational
Mining Models
|
7
Full Process
Refresh Data
|
|
... Relational
Mining Models
|
Full Process
Refresh Data
|
Table 2: Processing Options and the Components to Which They Apply
Other
considerations affect the options that are available, as well. An example is illustrated
in the selection of multiple objects in the tree structure provided within the
Analysis Services Processing task dialog; anytime we select two or more
objects within the nodes of the tree, full processing / rebuild
is our only selection option.
As we
note in the tables above, the Analysis Services Processing task allows
us the flexibility to leverage the time savings that accompany incremental
updates. While, as I mentioned in the last paragraph, we are forced to do full
processing in a scenario where we select a cubes folder to process
multiple cubes, we can perform an incremental update on a cube group if
we create an individual task for each cube (which we can then "chain"
together within a DTS package). The same is true when we select a dimensions
folder: we are forced to do a complete rebuild of these dimensions,
or to create a separate task for each one. (In general, we can meet any
processing sequencing need not specifically "built in" to the Analysis
Services Processing task through chaining tasks in a larger DTS package.)
We
will gain some hands-on familiarity with the Analysis Services Processing task in the Practice section
below. In walking through the creation of an Analysis Services task,
and the subsequent execution of the DTS package we construct to house it,
we will comment on various settings and approaches as we encounter them.
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