Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence & Reporting https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/feed.xml Tue, 16 Apr 2019 04:54:43 GMT en-US hourly 1 Using Calculations across cubes (calculated measures in virtual cubes) and freehand mdx https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/using-calculations-across-cubes-calculated-measures-in-virtual-cubes-and-freehand-mdx Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:09:37 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2007/06/15/using-calculations-across-cubes-calculated-measures-in-virtual-cubes-and-freehand-mdx/ As promised in a previous post I will provide examples on how to use the new features of Business Analytics Basic. I will be running on SQL 2005 as these features are only available when using SQL 2005.

First of let's look at BA Db. Overview form where i choose to create a few new measures/expressions in the Virtual Cube Customer Ledger.

I mark the cube and click Card to get access to detailed information on the cube. I then choose Expressions to get to the Editor

 

The Expression form opens and the name, expression and format of the expression can be entered.

By clicking the assist-butten the measures that are already in the cube appears and can be choosen to create calculations based upon them.

Using this approach (by picking measures this way) simple operations are supported (plus, minus etc.)

What is also possible is to write a freehand expression. All that is needed is to name the expression and the start typing away. The caveat to this approach is that the statement/expression is not validated before the configuration is implemented. If the there are errors in the expression and Analysis Services cannot validate the MDX the entire configuration will fail.  

The use of this type of expression will enable scenarios where a virtual cube based on one cube containing some measures that are based on actual figures and one cube based on budget figures. Expressions calculating budget deviation are possible. Including forecast numbers gives even a wider window.

Using MDX numbers like YTD, Rolling average and measures like that can easily be created.

After implementing the configuration the two new measures are available (here in the Advanced client)

]]> What is new in Dynamics NAV 5.0 Business Analytics (BA) https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/what-is-new-in-dynamics-nav-5-0-business-analytics-ba Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:58:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2007/06/04/what-is-new-in-dynamics-nav-5-0-business-analytics-ba/ A while a go we released Dynamics NAV 5.0 and with that a new version of Business Analytics Basic and Advanced. I want to spend a few lines of text to share what is new in this release and the reasons for these features making it into the product at this time.

First of all the Advanced client is now up to speed with version 2k5 of the Targit release with everything in that. This gives us support for presenting cubes created in SQL Server Analysis Services 2005.

Of other new things i can add gauges as a way of graphically representing KPIs in a trafficlight way. I also add improved integration with SQL Server Reporting Services.

In BA Basic list of new features looks as follows:

  • Ability to apply filters on fact tables
    (Allows customers with large volumes of data to create cubes containing only subsets of data. Filters can be set by the members of any of the dimensions in a cube)
  • Create calculations between virtual cubes
    (Allows for cross cube calculations to be handled by BA Basic. An example would be having a cube with actual figures and one with budget figures. It would be obvious to create a measure reflecting the deviation between the two. This is possible with this feature)
  • Multiple active configurations
    (In previous version one could have only one active configuration. A configuration is made up of a set of cubes, dimensions etc that are implemented in databases with fixed names (BA for MBS Navision 400). This would mean that whenever a given configuration was implemented the database names etc was overwritten by the new content. In this version the database/configuration name is customizable meaning that you can create configurations that can be updated at differing schedules etc. without interfering with each other)
  • Support for named instances of SQL Server It is now possible to have the BA databases and or NAV run on something but the default instance in SQL)
  • Freehand MDX
    (This is the ability to create formulas/calculated members that go beyond what the simplistic calculator will enable inside NAV. This is also something that potentially can break the implementation if syntax is wrong in the statements written. This unleashes the power of the language but with the freedom comes responsibility)

In coming posts I will create examples of the usage of each of these features so stay tuned. If you would like to see one over the other leave a comment and I will try to do this.

]]> BA changes in NAV 4.00 SP3 https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/ba-changes-in-nav-4-00-sp3 Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:33:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/11/30/ba-changes-in-nav-4-00-sp3/ So we released SP3 for NAV 4.00. For Business Analytics this means a few things. First and most important we now are able to support SQL Server 2005 with the Configurator. This means that you now can create cubes from NAV 4.00 SP3 on SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. This also means that the version of Business Analytics Advanced can't connect the cubes that can be created with the new version of the Configurator. In SP3 we didn't release the next version of the Advanced Client but we will do that as soon as possible.

First the W1 version which is in English will be released. After that, probably in the 5.00 timeframe, localized versions of the Advanced Client will be released. Until then there are plenty of other ways to consume the cubes that can be created with the new Configurator. Excel, Reporting Services, Report Builder, Proclarity and Business Scorecard Manager are all good examples of clients that can connect and consume the cubes on SQL 2005.

I will follow this with a series of posts on how to set up these components to connect to cubes on SQL 2005 so stay tuned

]]> SQL Server 2005 SP1 has been released https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/sql-server-2005-sp1-has-been-released Thu, 20 Apr 2006 03:29:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/04/20/sql-server-2005-sp1-has-been-released/ This release includes SQL Server Express with Advanced Services that includes Reporting Services. The service pack can be downloaded here

https://www.microsoft.com/sql/sp1.mspx

This Service Pack also include tools for SQL Server Express that allows creation of reports and management of the SQL database

]]> Convergence follow up - Business Scorecard Manager and Dynamics NAV https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/convergence-follow-up-business-scorecard-manager-and-dynamics-nav Wed, 19 Apr 2006 01:13:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/04/19/convergence-follow-up-business-scorecard-manager-and-dynamics-nav/ I've had the question for additional information on both Reporting Services, Business Scorecard Manager and SQL Server in general from several people approaching me after the sessions at Convergence so I figured I'd post them here.

For information on Business Scorecard Manager go to:
https://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX012225041033.aspx

For information on and download of Service Pack 1 for SQL 2005 go to:
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=57856CDD-DA9B-4AD0-9A8A-F193AE8410AD&displaylang=en

For SQL 2005 Reporting Services go to:
https://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/reporting

And finally the report packs can be downloaded from:
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=D81722CE-408C-4FB6-A429-2A7ECD62F674&displaylang=en

 

 

]]> 22 Free Reporting Services Reports for Dynamics Nav available https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/22-free-reporting-services-reports-for-dynamics-nav-available Mon, 03 Apr 2006 03:59:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/04/03/22-free-reporting-services-reports-for-dynamics-nav-available/ Together with the SQL Server team we released a report pack for Dynamics Nav running on SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services. This is done together with a series of other Report Packs that can be seen here.
The Nav Reports will run on the W1 demo database but can easily be customized to run on any database. The Nav Reports can be picked up at the location below:

SQL2005RPNAV.MSI

As we are very interested in feedback please leave comments

]]> First day at Convergence https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/first-day-at-convergence Tue, 28 Mar 2006 06:19:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/03/28/first-day-at-convergence/ My first day at Convergence is over and it was a packed day. Meetings, presentations and Expo duty back to back. Presentation was full and went ok. We need to cut some slides to make all the demos fit and the rerun will reflect that. All in all good questions from the participants. Good buzz around the Expo and a lot of interesting discussions with partners and customers around problems they are facing and interest in the next version of Nav.

]]> Arriving to Dallas https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/arriving-to-dallas Mon, 27 Mar 2006 06:18:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/03/27/arriving-to-dallas/ Arrived to Dallas last night to the location of Convergence. Came in at 10:45 pm sunday night after 15 hours on the road with lots of time to think about the presentations for today. Arriving here also ment reading mails from team members that arrived earlier. It seems that there are good vibes around presentations of the next version of Navision and I'm looking forward to see the Bill Gates keynote today where among other things we will see a preview of Dynamics Nav. This demo is interesting to me since we will be seeing a report run. I can't wait.



]]> Off to Convergence https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/off-to-convergence Thu, 23 Mar 2006 05:10:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2006/03/23/off-to-convergence/ Convergence is just around the corner and I'm preparing my presentation (NAV05: NAV -- Reporting & Analysis). It will be a powerpacked tour of how to integrate from Navision to the Microsoft BI and reporting stack. There will be lots of demos in Reporting Services, Report Models, Business Analytics and Business Scorecard Manager.

I am looking forward to this as I do expect lots of questions and feedback.

More on Convergence later

]]> New category - Reporting https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/clausba/new-category-reporting Sat, 03 Dec 2005 17:23:36 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/clausba/2005/12/03/new-category-reporting/ I have just created a new category called reporting. Here I will discuess the possibilities in reporting in conjunction with Reporting Services. There are several ways to use this tool to do reports on top of Navision and will try to cover most of them in my next posts.
If there are special topics in this area that you would like adressed here please leave it in the comments and I'll pick it up.

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