Specify build and configuration settings for the cube database

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Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14

Cube configuration consists of two sets of procedures, both of which are administered through the Cube management pages in Project Web Access server settings:

The first set of procedures enables you to configure a cube build. You can specify settings for SQL Server Analysis Services, configure the date range of the data in your cube, and specify how frequently you want the cube data to be updated.

You must initially configure a cube build in order to use the Cube Building Service feature. After initially configuring the settings, you are through with the Cube Build Settings page unless you need to change a build setting.

The second set of procedures enables you to configure cubes in the OLAP cube database. You can select custom fields to be used as dimensions or as measures. You can also specify calculated measures.

You must initially specify build and configuration settings for the OLAP cube database after configuring your deployment to use the Cube Building Service. You might also need to make changes to the settings in the following scenarios:

  • You have determined that the cube range or cube update frequency is not optimal and needs to change.

  • You have determined that the custom fields selected for a specific cube do not provide the information you want to compare.

  • SQL Server Analysis Services is being moved to a different server.

Working with custom fields

You can add custom fields to a cube as dimensions or measures:

  • Dimensions are the type of data or area used as a pivot for analyzing and providing more detail for a specific area. In previous versions of Project Server, all custom fields were used. Having the ability to select particular custom fields can reduce complexity and may save on the time needed to process the cube.

  • Measures are the detail field information associated with the different dimensions. This is the information that is aggregated as the user provides more detail or summarizes up the dimensions. For example, you could use a Number custom field as a measure to sum values along a task dimension.

Working with calculated measures

Calculated measures are Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) scripts that you can run on a Project Server OLAP cube. You can run them on dimensions in the cube data to determine measures such as minimums, maximums, averages, and so forth. Calculated members can be useful, for example, where an organization has its own definition of resource availability that differs from the default Project Server definition. The organization can define resource availability for internal reports that use any of the Project Server non-timephased cubes. You can also rename a field using a calculated measure or create custom definitions for fields such as resource capacity.

The calculated member expression must use the Analysis Services MDX format. If the MDX script has an error, the cube will not build. For example, you can create a calculated member with the custom field name [Work Variance], where the MDX expression is [Work] - [Actual Work].

Note

We recommend that you test any MDX scripts in a test cube using SQL Server's development tools prior to production deployment.

For more information about creating MDX script for resource availability, see How to: Calculate Resource Availability in OLAP Cubes (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=91190\&clcid=0x409).

For more information about Multidimensional Expressions, see the MSDN article Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=91191\&clcid=0x409).

Task requirements

The following is required to perform all procedures for this task:

The following are also required to perform the cube configuration procedures:

  • Microsoft Office Web Components   The Microsoft Office Web Components are a collection of ActiveX components that allows Project Web Access users to use PivotTable and Chart components to access OLAP cube data. Users will be prompted to download the ActiveX components to their computer when they first build a Data Analysis view or when they attempt to use a Data Analysis view. Make sure that your users are allowed to download these components to their computers.

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services 9.0 OLE DB Provider   This provider is only required if you are building a cube in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. For more information, see Requirements for using SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services with the Project Server 2007 Cube Building Service.

  • Database access across domains   In Internet Explorer 7, you need to enable Access data source across domains in order to perform the cube configuration procedures. This setting is available through Internet Options by configuring the Trusted Sites Zone security settings.

  • Access to SQL Server Analysis Services for all users of the cube   Verify that your users who are building or updating the Project cube database have access to SQL Server Analysis Services, especially when they are accessing it through a firewall. Make sure that any firewalls allow for this traffic. For more information, see Chapter overview: Configure Office Project Server 2007 to use the Cube Building Service.

  • To configure the cube, you can perform the following procedures:

  • Configure the build settings for the cube database

  • Configure the data in a cube

Download this book

This topic is included in the following downloadable book for easier reading and printing:

See the full list of available books at Downloadable content for Project Server 2007.

See Also

Concepts

Configure the data in a cube
Managing the Cube Building Service in Project Server 2007