Admit: either you love it or you hate it. And I must confess I was part of the last group, but now the wizard have convinced me to love it despite some caveats. So what did me switch sides? First lets look into the working of the wizard and how we can use it in a Continues Integration environment.
The Wizard
First we all know the wizard as it is installed together with SQL Server and probably started it to see what the capabilities are. But by default a wizard interface is not something we can use directly in a CI environment. But luckily the wizard can be started from a command prompt with some parameters
The DefaultMember property for the dimension is know by every Microsoft BI professional.This property sets the default selected member of a dimension attribute, so that member will be selected by default.
The dimension DefaultMember can be declared in BIDS or by using an Alter Cube statement as part of the cube calculations. While the first is static the latter can be used to dynamically sets a DefaultMember. The DefaultMember can also be set by defining a role, very useful for dynamic role security.
But the dimension DefaultMember property isn’t the only one. Almost every object in Analysis Service has a DefaultMember property, but in this blogpost I only look at the DefaultMember of the Measures ‘dimension’.
Finally I made some time to write about my experiences with PerformancePoint 2010 and then focused on my dashboard specially for the iPad and the new SP1 features.
Last April the was a business request to enable the existing PerformancePoint dashboard for viewing on a iPad. The first step was, besides getting an iPad with the correct WiFi, 3G and VPN connections, trying the existing dashboard opening in the iPad Safari browser.
This gave already the first challenge: with iOS4.3 update the JavaScript engine has significant changed. This resulted in either loading or not loading the dashboard. With an then not updated iPad running iOS4.2 the dashboard showed, and an iPad with iOS4.3 not!
Last November I wrote about the future of SSAS and BISM (see here for the original post). Now with the release of CTP3 of SQL Server codenamed ‘Denali’ (download here), the new BISM and the two different modes are open to the public so I can take a look if my thoughts are still valid.
First take a look at what Microsoft gave to us with the release of the CTP3. Analysis Service can now run in two modes: the ‘old’ UDM mode, now called Multidimensional mode and the new VertiPaq mode, called Tabular mode. A good overview is given in the blogpost by TK Anand. Basically the two modes can perfect live side by sides in a corporate environment.
After a long wait and a lot of arrangements, I am finally about to leave to Hong Kong for the SSASMaestro training.
At this moment I got not that much to tell, mainly because of the NDA. But the slides already shared looks very nice. A lot of stuff I didn’t know but luckily also part I already know :-).
After I finished the course I have to look what I can and may tell.
Of course all posts are based on my information, knowledge, perspective and opinion and therefore it is possible that it is not 'correct'. Also, as a Microsoft BI Consultant, I don't know all products available in the market, which can result in omissions.
To say it simple: feel free to comment, but play nice!
