Example 4 - OLAP Cubes and Slices

From OLAP

Continued from:

• Example 1 - Creating an OLAP Database
• Example 2 - OLAP Dimensions and Members
• Example 3 - Hierarchies and Aggregate Weights

Creating a Cube

Using the Dimensions created in the previous exercises you will now create a PowerOLAP Cube that will store and model your data.

To create a Current Year Budget cube:

1. From the Main application window, select Model > Cubes. The Cubes dialog box is displayed:

2. Type Current Year Budget in the Cubes dialog box. Click "Add". The Define Cube dialog box appears, in which you select Dimensions to be used by the Cube:

3. Select all of the Dimensions in the Available Dimensions list box by clicking the button. All three Dimensions are moved to the Selected Dimensions list box on the right.

4. Click "OK". Note that the Current Year Budget cube is now listed in the Cubes dialog box.

All of the Cubes dialog’s buttons on the right are activated. These buttons control functionality associated with Formulas and setting Security privileges, as well as the OLAP Exchange capability to push data ranges back to a relational database—they are covered in depth in the PowerOLAP User Manual and OLAP Exchange manual respectively.

5. Click "OK" to return to the Main application window.

The Current Year Budget cube is now ready for data input

Creating a Slice View

PowerOLAP provides a method for looking into a Cube to view and input data. This means of viewing and inputting data is known as “creating a Slice.” A Slice is a two-dimensional view of a Cube that arranges data in a grid, just as a spreadsheet does. You can create Slices “on the fly” to see any view of a Cube, or you can save and re-open Slices for ongoing data viewing or inputting. Finally, as you will see, you can instantaneously create an Excel spreadsheet from any Slice view.

1. To create a Slice called Regions by Account Select Slice > New or use the button. The following New Slice dialog box is opened. The list box displays the names of available Cubes in your database. In our case, we just created the only Cube listed, Current Year Budget.

2. With the Current Year Budget cube selected, click "OK". The Slice View dialog box is opened in the Content Area of the main application window. The window displays a Current Year Budget slice, as yet untitled, and with no data in the grid.

3. Press "F9" to Calculate the grid’s data. Keep in mind that, as yet, no figures have been entered into the Cube, so you will see zeros as data throughout the Slice.

By default, when PowerOLAP creates a new Slice, it places the last Dimension brought into the Cube when it was created in the Rows position, the next-to-last Dimension in the Columns position, and any remaining Dimension(s) in the Page position. (When we created the Cube in the last exercise, we brought all Dimensions into the Cube at once in the order they were listed.) In the above example Slice, Accounts are displayed as columns, Regions as rows and Months as the Page dimension, currently displaying January, which is the first Member entered for the Months dimension.

4. Select Slice > Save As or use the "Save Slice" button to save the current Slice.

5. Type Regions by Accounts in the Slice Name text box.

6. Click "OK". You are returned to the Slice—note that both the Cube name, Current Year Budget, followed by the Slice name, Regions by Accounts, appear in the title bar.

NOTE:  PowerOLAP’s default calculation mode is set to Manual.
Thus, when you make changes to a Slice, you will need to Press "F9" (or the calculator button on the menu bar)
to see those changes reflected in the Slice.

7. You can change the calculation mode to Automatic by selecting Edit > Options > General tab > Automatic radio button. Now you will see changes instantly on screen as they are made throughout the remainder of this manual’s exercises.

Now try Example 5 - OLAP Cube Formulas

---

• Example 6 - OLAP and Excel