How to browse a cube using a web browser

How to browse a cube using a web browser

• Saitham8

  Yes, you can use Reporting Services. I would start by checking out the basic Reporting Services Tutorials in Books On-Line. Then to create a report against Analysis Services, when creating a Data Source change the type to an Analysis Services and proceed from there. The UI is a bit different for Analysis Services reports, but it's not hard to figure out once you understand building reports. Report Builder will also work with Analysis Services.

  There are also several other options for browsing cubes in web pages:

  • You can buy some third party OLAP client that supports a web based browsing (most do these days)
  • You can embed OWC (Office Web Components) PivotTable in a web page
  • You can build an ASP (or other server side script) that retrieves data using Adomd.Net from the cube and assemblies it into HTML or even AJAX style web pages

  
  
  

• Asok Babu

  Hi Matt

  As you said, we can access Cubes through Report Builder.

  I was trying to do the same. But I am getting an issue.

  My steps were

  1. Created an Analysis Services Project and Deployed the Cube on same developer server(local host).

  2. Opened VS for creating a Report Model.

  3.Right Clicked on 'Data Sources' --> 'Add new Data Source'

  4. A window opened, I Slected the option 'Create Datasource based on another object'.

  5. Then selected 'Create Datasource based on Analysis Services'

  But unfortunately there is no projects available in the 'projects' combo box.

  I am using 'SQL 2005 Standard Edition'. I am sure I have several Analysis Projects on the same server.

  Can you please give me some insight on this problem

  Regards

  Agson Chellakudam

  
  

• SusanJ

  It sounds as if you are creating the new data source in the Analysis Services project instead of in the Reporting Services project. When you add a new shared data source it should bring up a "Shared Data Source" dialog rather than a wizard and in this dialog you should set the type drop-down to "Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services". Then hit the Edit connection string button and specify the server name and database name in the next dialog that comes up.
  
  

• enzamatic

  Excel PivotTables support directly browsing Analysis Services cubes:

  1. From the top level Data menu choose the PivotTable and PivotChart Report..." item.
  2. On the first page of the PivotTable wizard, choose External data source
  3. On the second page hit "Get Data..." button to bring up the Choose Data Source dialog
  4. Switch to the OLAP Cubes tab and select <New Data Source>
  5. In the New Data Source dialog, enter the data source name, select the OLAP provider and hit connect
  6. In the Multidimensionsal Connection dialog, enter the server name, hit next and enter the database and hit finish
  7. Sepecify the cube you want to browse in the Create New Data Source dialog and hit OK
  8. Hit OK to close the Choose Data Source dialog and Finish to complete the PivotTable wizard

  It's worth noting that the upcoming version Excel has even better integration with Analysis Services.

  Another way you can create a PivotTable in Excel is from the

  1. Browse the cube in SQL Workbench or in BI Dev Studio
  2. Click on the "Commands and Options" toolbar button
  3. In the Behavior tab of the Commands and Options dialog, check the Toolbar option
  4. This should show a new toolbar in the browser that contains a Export to Excel button
  5. Clicking this button will create a PivotTable in Excel but it will not include the filter above the newly shown toolbar

  
  
  

• Matra

  Hi again !

  Where can I find an example using ASP and Adomd.Net to browse a cube using a web browser

  Thanks.

  
  
  

• Elaine S

  Hi Matt,

  I'm curious if you have any tutorials/links to embedding OWC PivotTables into a webpage. I've been searching but I can only find results in regards to sql 2000 and I'm looking for 2005. Thanks

  
  

• Steven York

  Thanks Matt
  
  

• Jimme D

  Thanks Matt,

  I'll try these out !

  Cheers.

  
  
  

• Phillip Georgieff

  Thank you Matt
  
  

• Kal7379

  Check out http://www.sqlserveranalysisservices.com/cellsetgrid/CellSetGridIntro.htm. There is also a sample application using Adomd.Net in WinForms that can be downloaded from Microsoft.com. The programming model of Adomd.Net is very similar to that of Adomd (with the major differences being Adomd.Net has it's own AdomdConnection object so it doesn't need a Catalog object and Cellsets are created from AdomdCommand objects in Adomd.Net) so you can also look at Adomd samples such as the MDXSample.
  
  

• fermion

  HI,

  I am a newbe to SSAS.

  You mentioned that you use Excel to browse data. And I want to ask you - how you export cube into Excel file. Does Excel file has pivot tables to drilldown result

  If it's possible, can you help with step - by -step. Any specific add-ons for excel or BI studio

  Thank you,

  Yuriy

  
  
  
• How to browse a cube using a web browser