Preparation: Locate and Open the Sample Basic UDM Created Earlier
In Dimensional Model
Components: Dimensions Part I, we created a sample basic UDM within which to perform the
steps of the practice sessions we set out to undertake in the various articles
of this subseries. Once we had ascertained that the new practice database
appeared to be in place, and once we had renamed it to ANSYS065_Basic AS DB,
we began our examination of dimension properties. We continued with our
examination of attributes within the same practice environment, which we
will now access (as we did within Dimensional Model
Components: Dimensions Part I and Dimensional Attributes: Introduction and Overview Parts I through V) by taking the following steps within the SQL
Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.
NOTE: Please access the UDM
which we prepared in Dimensional Model Components: Dimensions Part I before proceeding with this
article. If you have not completed the preparation to which I refer in the
previous article, or if you cannot locate / access the Analysis Services
database with which we worked there, please consider taking the preparation
steps provided in Dimensional Model Components: Dimensions Part I before continuing, and prospectively
saving the objects with which you work, so as to avoid the need to repeat the
preparation process we have already undertaken for subsequent related articles
within this subseries.
1.
Click Start.
2.
Navigate to,
and click, the SQL
Server Business Intelligence Development Studio, as appropriate.
We
briefly see a splash page that lists the components installed on the PC, and
then Visual Studio .NET 2005 opens at the Start page.
3.
Close the Start
page, if desired.
4.
Select File
-> Open from the main menu.
5.
Click Analysis
Services Database ... from the cascading menu, as shown in Illustration 3.
Illustration 3: Opening
the Analysis Services Database ...
The Connect
to Database dialog appears.
6.
Ensuring that
the Connect to existing database radio button is selected, type the Analysis
Server name into the Server input box atop the dialog.
7.
Using the
selector just beneath, labeled Database, select ANSYS065_Basic AS DB,
as depicted in Illustration
4.
Illustration 4:
Selecting the Basic Analysis Services Database ...
8.
Leaving other
settings on the dialog at default, click OK.
SQL
Server Business Intelligence Development Studio briefly reads the database from
the Analysis Server, and then we see the Solution Explorer
populated with the database objects. Having overviewed the properties of dimension
attributes in previous articles, we will continue to get some hands-on
exposure to properties for an example attribute member key, from
within our sample UDM.
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