BusinessObjects™ XI R2 11.20 EPM Performance Suite – Profitability MDX Connector

BusinessObjects XI R2 11.20 Windows

Patents

Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents, which may cover products that are offered and sold by Business Objects: 5,555,403, 6,247,008 B1, 6,578,027 B2, 6,490,593 and 6,289,352.

Trademarks

Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright

Copyright © 2007 Business Objects. All rights reserved.

Third-party Contributors

Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at: http://www.businessobjects.com/thirdparty

Contents Chapter 1

MDX Connector for EPM ......................................................................................3

1.1 Third Parties..................................................................................................4

1.2 Supported Versions .......................................................................................4

1.3 Supported Operating Systems .......................................................................4

Chapter 2

MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel ....................................................................5

2.1 EPM and Microsoft Excel...............................................................................6

2.2 Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard .....................................................6

2.2.1 Using an Existing Data Source.............................................................7

2.2.2 Create a New Data Source ..................................................................7

Selecting the Pivot Table Destination...........................................................10

2.3 Retrieving data via a New Database Query..................................................11

2.3.1 Using an Existing Data Source...........................................................11

2.3.2 Create a New Data Source ................................................................11

2.3.3 Selecting the Pivot Table Destination .................................................13

2.4 Using the Pivot Table...................................................................................13

2.5 EPM Functions within the Pivot Table ..........................................................14

2.5.1 Renamed Dimensions........................................................................15

2.5.2 Data Aliases ......................................................................................15

2.5.3 Updating Values ................................................................................15

2.5.4 Updating Hierarchies .........................................................................16

Chapter 3

MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay ............................................................17

3.1 EPM and Cognos PowerPlay.......................................................................18

3.2 Building the MDC file ...................................................................................18

3.2.1 Running Cognos Powerplay Connect .................................................18

3.2.2 Connecting to the data source ...........................................................18

3.2.3 Choosing a Remote Cube..................................................................19

3.2.4 Checking the connection....................................................................23

3.2.5 Populating the MDC file .....................................................................23

3.3 Working with EPM data in Cognos PowerPlay .............................................24

3.4 EPM Functions within the Cognos PowerPlay cube .....................................26

3.4.1 Renamed Dimensions........................................................................26

3.4.2 Data Aliases ......................................................................................27

3.4.3 Updating Values ................................................................................27

3.4.4 Updating Hierarchies .........................................................................28

Chapter 4

MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity ...........................................................29

4.1 EPM and Microsoft ProClarity ......................................................................30

4.2 Pre-configuration of Microsoft ProClarity ......................................................30

4.3 Building the Cube ........................................................................................32

4.3.1 Creating the connection .....................................................................32

4.4 Opening the cube ........................................................................................34

4.5 Working with EPM data in Microsoft ProClarity.............................................35

4.5.1 Opening Multiple Cubes.....................................................................36

4.6 EPM Functions within the Cube ...................................................................36

4.6.1 Renamed Dimensions........................................................................36

4.6.2 Data Aliases ......................................................................................36

4.6.3 Updating Values ................................................................................37

4.6.4 Updating Hierarchies .........................................................................37

4.6.5 Known Issues ....................................................................................37

BusinessObjects MDX Connector Guide 1

Contents Appendix A

Business Objects Information Resources............................................................39

A1. Documentation and information services......................................................40

A2. Documentation ............................................................................................40

A3. Customer support, consulting and training ...................................................41

A4. Useful addresses at a glance.......................................................................42

Index...........................................................................................................................................43

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MDX Connector for EPM

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MDX Connector for EPM Third Parties

1.1 Third Parties Welcome to the MDX Connector for EPM by Business Objects. The MDX Connector allows licensed EPM clients to interface with Third Party Software applications. The following third party applications are supported: Microsoft® Excel For more information refer to MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel Cognos PowerPlay™ For more information refer to MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay

Microsoft ProClarity®

For more information refer to MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity

1.2 Supported Versions The table below details which versions of the Third Party Software are currently supported by MDX Connector Third Party Software

Version Supported

Microsoft® Excel

Microsoft Excel 2000 Microsoft Excel 2002 Microsoft Excel 2003

Cognos PowerPlay ™

Enterprise Edition 6.5 Enterprise Edition 6.6 Enterprise Edition 7.0

Microsoft ProClarity® Analytics Platform

Analytics Suite 5.2 Analytics Suite 5.3 Analytics Suite 6.0 Web Standard*

* If you wish to use Microsoft ProClarity Web Standard, please contact Business Objects for advice on how to set this up.

1.3 Supported Operating Systems A full list of the supported operating systems can be found under the ‘MDX Connector for EPM’ section of the EPM Suite System Requirements document.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel EPM and Microsoft Excel

2.1 EPM and Microsoft Excel The MDX Connector allows you to populate a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with data from an existing EPM model. The spreadsheet is a snapshot of your model data at the time at which it was created. Once this file is created, you can build a variety of reports based on the EPM model, using the reporting capabilities of Microsoft Excel. This section is aimed for users who have a working knowledge of pivot table reports in Microsoft Excel. In order to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet you must first create a link to the data source. To create a link, open Microsoft Excel and select a saved or new workbook. There are two methods for retrieving the data. They are: •

Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard

•

Retrieving data via a New Database Query

2.2 Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard To retrieve data and build a pivot table using the Pivot Table Wizard, select Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Report… from the Data menu. The ‘Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard’ will appear.

Select the ‘External Data Source’ option and the type of report you want to create, and then select Next. The second step in the wizard is to select where the external data is stored. At this point, no data fields will have been retrieved, so you should select the ‘Get Data’ button.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel

Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard The ‘Choose Data Source’ dialog will appear, with a list of available data sources. From here, you can either create a new data source, or select an existing one. If this is the first time you have used the MDX Connector, only the New Data Source option will exist in the list. Select the ‘OLAP Cubes’ tab to see a list of available OLAP Cubes.

2.2.1 Using an Existing Data Source If you already have a data source created, highlight it and click OK. The ‘Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard’ opens, indicating that the data fields have been retrieved.

Clicking Next opens step 3 of the wizard where you select the worksheet (New or Existing) you want to populate. See Selecting the Pivot Table Destination for more information.

2.2.2 Create a New Data Source To create a New Data Source, select the option in the list of OLAP Cubes and select

OK. The ‘Create New Data Source’ dialog will appear.

Enter a name for the data source. When you have entered a name, you can select an OLAP provider.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard

Select the EPMMDX Connector from the dropdown list. Once you have made the selection, click on the ‘Connect’ button.

When you click Connect, the ‘EPMMDX Connector’ dialog will appear.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel

Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard

For Microsoft Excel you are required to enter a Username and Password. The username you enter must be a valid EPM user who has access to the EPM model. Once you have entered the details, click OK. The dialog will close and return you to the ‘Create New Data Source’ dialog. The cube selection dropdown box will be populated with a list of cubes that the user has access to.

Select the model you want to use and click OK. The dialog will close and the new data source will be

displayed in the ‘Choose Data Source’ dialog.

Make sure the correct data source is highlighted and click OK.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel Retrieving data via the Pivot Table Wizard

Once you have created your Data Source link, select OK. The ‘Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard’ returns, indicating that the data fields have been retrieved.

Click Next.

Selecting the Pivot Table Destination The ‘Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard’ dialog appears. Select the worksheet (New or Existing) you want populating and click Finish.

When you click Finish, the EPMMDX Connector dialog will appear. Check the login details are correct and click OK. The login dialog will close and the pivot table will be available in the spreadsheet. See Using the Pivot Table for more information.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel

Retrieving data via a New Database Query

2.3 Retrieving data via a New Database Query To retrieve data and build a pivot table via a New Database Query, select Get External Data, from the

Data menu, and then select New Database Query.

The ‘Choose Data Source’ dialog will appear, with a list of available data sources. From here, you can

either create a new data source, or select an existing one. If this is the first time you have used the MDX

Connector, only the New Data Source option will exist in the list.

Select the ‘OLAP Cubes’ tab to see a list of available OLAP Cubes.

2.3.1 Using an Existing Data Source If you already have a data source created, highlight it and click OK. Step 3 of the Pivot Table wizard opens, where you select the worksheet (New or Existing) you want to populate. See Selecting the Pivot Table Destination for more information.

2.3.2 Create a New Data Source To create a New Data Source, select the option in the list of OLAP Cubes and select OK. The ‘Create New Data Source’ dialog will appear. Enter a name for the data source. When you have entered a name, you can select an OLAP provider.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel Retrieving data via a New Database Query

Select the EPMMDX Connector from the dropdown list. Once you have made the selection, click on the ‘Connect’ button.

When you click Connect, the ‘EPMMDX Connector’ dialog will appear.

For Microsoft Excel you are required to enter a Username and Password. The username you enter must be a valid EPM user who has access to the EPM model Once you have entered the details, click OK. The dialog will close and return you to the ‘Create New Data Source’ dialog. The cube selection dropdown box will be populated with a list of cubes that the user has access to.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel

Using the Pivot Table

Select the model you want to use and click OK. The dialog will close and the new data source will be displayed in the ‘Choose Data Source’ dialog. Make sure the correct data source is highlighted and click OK.

2.3.3 Selecting the Pivot Table Destination The ‘Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard’ dialog appears. Select the worksheet (New or Existing) you want populating and click Finish

When you click Finish, the ‘EPMMDX Connector’ dialog will appear. Check the login details are correct and click OK. The login dialog will close and the pivot table will be available in the spreadsheet. See Using the Pivot Table for more information.

2.4 Using the Pivot Table Once you have completed the data source query, you can begin creating the pivot table. This is performed by dragging and dropping a combination of dimension items and grid values onto the pivot table. The list of available dimensions and grid values is stored in the Pivot Table List dialog.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel EPM Functions within the Pivot Table

Note - the number of levels under each item is the number of branches available within that specified hierarchy in your model. By default each dimension defaults to the top-level member and not the current item. To see the correct values you have to add key dimensions to the Page Fields section of the spreadsheet and select the item you wish that dimension to key by. Data Values, such as LineItem Value should be added to the Data Item section.

Once you have added your dimensions and values to the pivot table, values should appear.

2.5 EPM Functions within the Pivot Table

There are several EPM functions, which can be utilized within the pivot table. These functions and a description of how to use them are listed below. • Renamed Dimensions

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EPM Functions within the Pivot Table •

Data Aliases

•

Updating Values

•

Updating Hierarchies

2.5.1 Renamed Dimensions Where a dimension has been renamed within the EPM model, the new name will appear in the Pivot Table.

2.5.2 Data Aliases When logging into EPM via the EPMMDX Connector dialog, you can select which Data Alias should be used. This is performed by clicking on the ‘Data Aliases’ button. The Data Aliases dialog will open.

From this dialog you can select the Primary and Secondary aliases for use in the Pivot Table. As in EPM, the Pivot Table will attempt to display the Primary Alias in the first instance and then the Secondary Alias if no Primary Alias is found. If there is no Primary and Secondary Alias then the default system alias is used. For more information on Data Aliases, please refer to the EPM User Guide.

2.5.3 Updating Values If values are updated within the EPM model via the Win32 or Web clients, no updates will automatically appear in the pivot table. There are three ways to force a refresh of the data. They are:

2.5.3.1

•

Change a dimension

•

Select Refresh Data

•

Close and reopen report

Change a dimension Changing a dimension item in the pivot table (i.e. selecting a different version) will cause a refresh of data to occur and update values.

2.5.3.2

Select Refresh Data You can force a refresh of data by selecting the Refresh Data option from the Pivot Table toolbar.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft Excel EPM Functions within the Pivot Table

2.5.3.3

Close and reopen report Closing and then reopening the workbook will cause data values to be refreshed.

2.5.4 Updating Hierarchies Any changes made to a hierarchy structure are not dynamically reloaded when Refresh Data is selected. In order to see updated hierarchies you must close the worksheet and reopen it.

Note – Selection Refresh Data from the Pivot Table toolbar will not refresh the hierarchies.

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay EPM and Cognos PowerPlay

3.1 EPM and Cognos PowerPlay The MDX Connector allows you to create an mdc (multidimensional cube) cube, from an existing EPM model. Using this cube you can build a variety of reports using the reporting capabilities of Cognos PowerPlay. When the cube is built, it represents a snapshot of your EPM model at that time. Although there is no dynamic update of cubes, reopening the created mdc file will get the latest data from the EPM model and bring it into the new cube. Note – This is not a bi-directional link and any data built into a cube is a snap-shot of information.

3.2 Building the MDC file In order to build a Cognos PowerPlay mdc file you must create a connection to the data source. This is done using Cognos Powerplay Connect. You must have installed the “Cognos Powerplay OLAP Support” component for the EPMMDX connector to be recognized.

3.2.1 Running Cognos Powerplay Connect PowerPlay Connect is accessed from the Program Files, Cognos sub-menu. When the application starts, you should see a screen similar to the one below.

3.2.2 Connecting to the data source The PowerCube1 dialog allows you to enter the settings for connection to your EPM data source. From the Database type dropdown, select the database type - MS SSOS ODBO

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Building the MDC file Note – PPDS Remote is selected by default when starting Cognos Powerplay Connect. You must select MS SSOS ODBO in order to connect.

Once you have selected the Database Type, the options for the Connection Information will change.

From the Server dropdown, select or enter ‘localhost’ as the server name.

Note – If the server name is not available you can enter it manually

3.2.3 Choosing a Remote Cube By default the Provider details default to MSOLAP;CUBE=. In the Provider details, enter the following details: Provider – EPMMDX

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay Building the MDC file

Cube – enter the name of a valid EPM model Example - EPMMDX;CUBE=Test model 1 Note – The Provider details can be entered manually

You can manually build the Provider details by clicking on the

button.

Note - If you click the button when ‘MSOLAP;CUBE=’ is entered and you do not have any MSOLAP objects installed, Cognos PowerPlay will appear to stop responding, but will eventually return an error message. Click OK to close the error message and continue.

The ‘Choose a Remote Cube’ dialog will open. The dialog allows you to manually build your cube details.

Click on the ‘Connect’ button, to open the Connections dialog, where you create a connection to your data source.

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Building the MDC file

If no connections are present, click on the ‘Add’ button to open the Add a Connection dialog.

Enter a name for the Connection and ‘localhost’ as the Server. The Server Type must be set to

‘Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Server’.

In the Properties section, set the Provider to be ‘EPMMDX’. You do not need to enter a

Provider String.

When you have entered the details, click OK. The ‘EPMMDX Connector dialog will appear.

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay Building the MDC file

For Cognos PowerPlay you are required to enter a Username and Password. The username you enter must be a valid EPM user who has access to the EPM model Once you have entered the details, click OK. The ‘Choose a Remote Cube’ dialog should now contain a list of the EPM models available.

Select a model from the list available and click Open. This will return you to the main Cognos PowerPlay connect screen with the provider details entered.

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Building the MDC file

3.2.4 Checking the connection Once you have entered all the details, you can test your database connection by clicking on the Test Connection icon or selecting Test from the Tools menu. The ‘EPMMDX Connector’ dialog opens. Enter your details and click OK. If your connection is successful a message will appear.

3.2.5 Populating the MDC file Once you have verified the connection, you can populate the mdc file by clicking on the Save icon -

or selecting Save from the File menu.

This will give access to the standard Windows Save dialog.

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay Working with EPM data in Cognos PowerPlay

Enter a name for the mdc file (PowerCube1.mdc by default) and click Save. When the mdc file has been created ready will appear in the Cognos Powerplay Connect status bar. Once the cube has been populated, close the Cognos Powerplay Connect application.

3.3 Working with EPM data in Cognos PowerPlay Once the MDC file has been created, you can load it into Cognos Powerplay to create reports based on the EPM model selected. Open Cognos PowerPlay from the icon in Start Menu | Program Files | Cognos BI. The main Cognos PowerPlay screen should open with the Welcome dialog (if switched on).

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Working with EPM data in Cognos PowerPlay

To open the mdc file, select the ‘Create a new report’ option. The ‘Choose a Local Cube’ dialog will appear.

Browse to the location of the mdc file, saved in section 3.2.5 and click on the Open button.

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay EPM Functions within the Cognos PowerPlay cube

The EPMMDX Connector dialog will appear. Enter your details and click OK. The dialog should close and a Cognos PowerPlay cube should be created.

A snapshot of your EPM model is now represented in the Cognos PowerPlay cube. You can create reports utilizing the features of Cognos PowerPlay.

3.4 EPM Functions within the Cognos PowerPlay cube There are several EPM functions, which can be utilized within the Cognos PowerPlay cube. These functions and a description of how to use them are listed below. • Renamed Dimensions •

Data Aliases

•

Updating Values

•

Updating Hierarchies

3.4.1 Renamed Dimensions Where a dimension has been renamed within the EPM model, the new name will appear in the Cognos PowerPlay report. If you change a dimension name after building the Cognos PowerPlay Report (.ppr file), you will need to close and reopen the file to see the changes.

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EPM Functions within the Cognos PowerPlay cube

3.4.2 Data Aliases When logging into EPM via the EPMMDX Connector dialog, you can select which Data Alias

should be used. This is performed by clicking on the ‘Data Aliases’ button. The Data Aliases

dialog will open.

From this dialog you can select the Primary and Secondary aliases for use in the Cognos PowerPlay report. As in EPM, the report will attempt to display the Primary Alias in the first instance and then the Secondary Alias if no Primary Alias is found. If there is no Primary and Secondary Alias then the default system alias is used. For more information on Data Aliases, please refer to the EPM User Guide.

3.4.3 Updating Values If values are updated within the EPM model via the Win32 or Web clients, no updates will automatically appear in the Cognos PowerPlay report. There are three ways to force a refresh of the data. They are:

3.4.3.1

•

Drill down on a dimension or value

•

Swap rows and columns

•

Switch Between Explorer and Reporter view

•

Close and reopen report

Drill down on a dimension or value Every time you drill down into or out of a level in the report, Cognos PowerPlay will refresh the values and display the latest set stored in the database.

3.4.3.2

Swap rows and columns Selecting the Swap Rows and Columns option from the Explore menu (Swap | Rows and Columns) will also refresh values.

3.4.3.3

Switch Between Explorer and Reporter view You can force a refresh of data by switching between the 2 available views in Cognos PowerPlay – Explorer and Reporter. These views can be selecting the appropriate option in the Explore menu.

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MDX Connector with Cognos PowerPlay EPM Functions within the Cognos PowerPlay cube

3.4.3.4

Close and reopen report Closing and then reopening the report will cause data values to be refreshed.

3.4.4 Updating Hierarchies Any changes made to a hierarchy structure are not dynamically reloaded. In order to see updated hierarchies you must close the report and reopen it.

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MDX Connector with

Microsoft ProClarity

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MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity EPM and Microsoft ProClarity

4.1 EPM and Microsoft ProClarity The MDX Connector allows you to create cube, from an existing EPM model. Using this cube you can build a variety of reports using the reporting capabilities of Microsoft ProClarity Analytics Platform. When the cube is built, it represents a snapshot of your EPM model at that time.

Important! – After installing EPM you must reconfigure your Microsoft ProClarity setup before attempting to build a cube.

4.2 Pre-configuration of Microsoft ProClarity Before you can build a cube in Microsoft ProClarity you must reconfigure the setup of the Microsoft ProClarity installation. This must be done after the initial installation of EPM (and subsequent installations of EPM will not require this step to be repeated). To reconfigure Microsoft ProClarity, you should start the application and select ‘Cancel’ in the ‘Welcome…’ screen. From the Microsoft ProClarity Professional screen, select File | Options. The ‘Options…’ dialog will appear

By default, the MSOLAP provider will be set as current. You must set the Current Provider to be EPMMDX. To do this, select Change Provider. The ‘Change Provider’ dialog will appear.

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Pre-configuration of Microsoft ProClarity

Select the EPMMDX Connector and click OK. The ‘Options…’ dialog will now reflect the change.

Click OK. You are now ready to build your EPM cube.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity Building the Cube

4.3 Building the Cube In order to build a Microsoft ProClarity cube you must create a connection to the data source. This is done via the ‘Connect’ dialog, which is accessed from the ‘Welcome’ dialog, which appears upon starting the application.

4.3.1 Creating the connection When you first open the Microsoft ProClarity Analytics program, the ‘Welcome’ dialog appears.

Select the Cube for Browsing option. Click OK. The ‘Connect..’ dialog will open. The name of your PC should already be entered into the Server dropdown box.

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Building the Cube

If not you can search for the Server by clicking on the ‘Find Server…’ button. Network Browse dialog box will appear. Select the ‘Search for OLAP Services’ check box to begin searching for servers on your network.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity Opening the cube

Once you have the Server selected, click on OK. The EPMMDX Connector dialog will open.

For Microsoft ProClarity you are required to enter a Username, Password. The username you enter must be a valid EPM user who has access to the EPM model.

4.4 Opening the cube Once you have entered the login details for the EPMMDX Connector and clicked OK the ‘Open Cube..’ dialog will appear. The EPMMDX Connector (EPM) will be listed under your selected server and a list of available models will be available.

Select the model you wish to work with and click OK.

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Working with EPM data in Microsoft ProClarity

4.5 Working with EPM data in Microsoft ProClarity Once you have selected the model you will be asked to select the visualization for your cube.

Any examples below use the Grid view as the default visualization. Once you have selected your visualization the Microsoft ProClarity Professional main screen will appear.

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MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity EPM Functions within the Cube

A snapshot of your EPM model is now represented in the Microsoft ProClarity cube. You can create reports utilizing the features of Microsoft ProClarity Professional.

4.5.1 Opening Multiple Cubes Every time you open a cube, you must provide a set of login credentials for EPM. When this occurs, a license count is recorded in EPM Monitor. If you attempt to open a second cube using the same credentials as used for the first cube, your login will fail as this user has already been assigned a cube. Therefore, you must use a different login for each cube you open in the same session. You cannot open a cube using a login that has been used for a different OPEN cube.

4.6 EPM Functions within the Cube There are several EPM functions, which can be utilized within the cube. These functions and a description of how to use them are listed below. • Renamed Dimensions •

Data Aliases

•

Updating Values

•

Updating Hierarchies

4.6.1 Renamed Dimensions Where a dimension has been renamed within the EPM model, the new name will appear in the cube.

4.6.2 Data Aliases When logging into EPM via the EPMMDX Connector dialog, you can select which Data Alias should be used. This is performed by clicking on the ‘Data Aliases’ button. The Data Aliases dialog will open.

From this dialog you can select the Primary and Secondary aliases for use in the cube. As in EPM, the Pivot Table will attempt to display the Primary Alias in the first instance and then the Secondary Alias if no Primary Alias is found. If there is no Primary and Secondary Alias then the default system alias is used. For more information on Data Aliases, please refer to the EPM User Guide.

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EPM Functions within the Cube

4.6.3 Updating Values If values are updated within the EPM model via the Win32 or Web clients, no updates will automatically appear in the cube. The way to force a refresh of the data is: •

4.6.3.1

Execute the current selection

Execute the current selection Selecting the ‘Execute’ option will force a refresh of the values to be brought through from EPM.

4.6.4 Updating Hierarchies Any changes made to a hierarchy structure are not dynamically reloaded when Refresh is selected. In order to see updated hierarchies you must close the cube and reopen it.

4.6.5 Known Issues 1. Time dimensions are not possible within EPM and therefore the Timeline functionality as well as KPI designer, available in Microsoft ProClarity cannot be used if using an EPM datasource. 2. In Microsoft ProClarity you cannot insert multiple dimensions within the same axis – attempting to do so will generate and error “Query Failed”. (This is a Microsoft ProClarity issue).

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MDX Connector with Microsoft ProClarity EPM Functions within the Cube

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Business Objects Information Resources

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Business Objects Information Resources Documentation and information services

A1. Documentation and information services Business Objects offers a full documentation set covering its products and their deployment. Additional support and assistance are also available to help maximize the return on your business intelligence investment. The following sections detail where to get Business Objects documentation and how to use the resources at Business Objects to meet your needs for technical support, education, and consulting. •

Documentation

•

Customer support, consulting and training

•

Useful addresses at a glance

A2. Documentation You can find answers to your questions on how to install, configure, deploy, and use Business Objects products from the documentation.

What’s in the documentation set? View or download the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap, available with the product documentation at http://www.businessobjects.com/support/ . The Documentation Roadmap references all Business Objects guides and lets you see at a glance what information is available, from where, and in what format.

Where is the documentation? You can access electronic documentation at any time from the product interface, the web, or from your product CD.

Documentation from the products Online help and guides in Adobe PDF format are available from the product Help menus. Where only online help is provided, the online help file contains the entire contents of the PDF version of the guide.

Documentation on the web The full electronic documentation set is available to customers on the web from support web site at: http://www.businessobjects.com/support/ .

Documentation on the product CD Look in the docs directory of your product CD for versions of guides in Adobe PDF format.

Send us your feedback Do you have a suggestion on how we can improve our documentation? Is there something you particularly like or have found useful? Drop us a line, and we will do our best to ensure that your suggestion is included in the next release of our documentation: [email protected]. Note: If your issue concerns a Business Objects product and not the documentation, please contact our Customer Support experts. For information about Customer Support visit: http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/ .

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Business Objects Information Resources

Customer support, consulting and training

A3. Customer support, consulting and training A global network of Business Objects technology experts provides customer support, education, and consulting to ensure maximum business intelligence benefit to your business.

How can we support you? Business Objects offers customer support plans to best suit the size and requirements of your deployment. We operate customer support centers in the following countries: •

USA

•

Australia

•

Canada

•

United Kingdom

•

Japan

Online Customer Support The Business Objects Customer Support web site contains information about Customer Support programs and services. It also has links to a wide range of technical information including knowledgebase articles, downloads, and support forums. http://www.businessobjects.com/support/

Looking for the best deployment solution for your

company?

Business Objects consultants can accompany you from the initial analysis stage to the delivery of your deployment project. Expertise is available in relational and multidimensional databases, in connectivities, database design tools, customized embedding technology, and more. For more information, contact your local sales office, or contact us at: http://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting/

Looking for training options? From traditional classroom learning to targeted e-learning seminars, we can offer a training package to suit your learning needs and preferred learning style. Find more information on the Business Objects Education web site: http://www.businessobjects.com/services/training

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Business Objects Information Resources Useful addresses at a glance

A4. Useful addresses at a glance

42

Address

Content

Business Objects product information http://www.businessobjects.com

Information about the full range of Business Objects products.

Product documentation http://www.businessobjects.com/ support

Business Objects product documentation, including the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap.

Business Objects Documentation mailbox [email protected]

Send us feedback or questions about documentation.

Online Customer Support http://www.businessobjects.com/ support/

Information on Customer Support programs, as well as links to technical articles, downloads, and online forums.

Business Objects Consulting Services http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/consulting/

Information on how Business Objects can help maximize your business intelligence investment.

Business Objects Education Services http://www.businessobjects.com/ services/training

Information on Business Objects training options and modules.

BusinessObjects MDX Connector Guide

Index C Choose Data Source, 7, 9, 11, 13

Cognos Powerplay

data source, 20

Database Type, 19

mdc file, 18

MS SSOS MDX, 18

Remote Cube, 20

Cognos PowerPlay, 4

Cognos Powerplay Connect, 18

Create New Data Source, 7, 9, 11, 12

E EPM

Data Alias, 15, 27, 36

Data Aliases, 15, 27, 36

Data Values, 14

dimension, 14

functions, 14, 26, 36

Primary and Secondary aliases, 15, 27, 36

top-level member, 14

Updating Values, 15, 27, 37

EPM and Cognos PowerPlay, 18

EPM and Microsoft Excel, 6

EPM and Microsoft ProClarity, 30

EPM model, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 26, 30,

34, 36

External Data Source, 6

G Get Data, 6

Get External Data, 11

M Microsoft Excel, 4, 6

spreadsheet, 6, 10

worksheet, 10, 13

Microsoft ProClarity, 4

‘Connect’ dialog, 32

‘Open Cube..’ dialog, 34

‘Search for OLAP Services’, 33

‘Welcome’ dialog, 32

Microsoft ProClarity Professional, 30

MSOLAP provider, 30

visualization, 35

Microsoft ProClarity Analytics Platform, 4

multidimensional cube, 18

N New Data Source, 7, 11

New Database Query, 11

New Database Query’, 11

O OLAP Cubes, 7, 11

P Pivot Table, 13, 14, 26, 36

Pivot Table List, 13

Pivot Table Wizard, 6

Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard, 10, 13

R Refresh Data, 16

Renamed Dimensions, 15, 26, 36

S spreadsheet, 6

T Third Parties, 4