Configuring Blox Sampler for Microsoft Analysis Services

For use with Microsoft Analysis Services (MSAS), the Blox Sampler example set for MSAS requires the following:

To use the files in Blox Sampler, you need to make sure that the following steps have been performed:

1. Install the QCC data on a Microsoft Analysis Services server

Follow the steps described in the QCC-README.html file on IBM Alphablox installation CD's sampledata directory. The same instructions are also provided in the Getting Started guide in the IBM Alphablox Information Center.

2. Define the QCC-MSAS data source on IBM Alphablox

Once the sample data is installed, it needs to be defined to IBM Alphablox through the Admin Pages. Instructions for defining data sources are available through the QCC-README.html file on IBM Alphablox installation CD's sampledata directory as well as online on the Admin Pages. The following are the configuration values to use:

Configuring Comments Repository

To run the examples in the Highlighting and Commenting on Data section, perform the following steps:

1. Create a Comments database repository

In order to use examples in the Commenting on Data section, you first need to configure a Comments database repository to store and use comments. This requires that you create a database using any of the IBM Alphablox-supported relational databases. IBM Alphablox will generate any tables. After creating this database, you need to define a IBM Alphablox data source.

2. Create an IBM Alphablox data source for the comments repository

For IBM Alphablox to use the comments database you have created, you have to define a data source on IBM Alphablox through the Admin Pages. Instructions for defining data sources are available online on the Admin Pages as well as in the Administrator's Guide. After you select the appropriate adapter, fill in the required fields and make sure to define a default username and password. For the data source name, use CommentsCollectionMSAS.

3. Creating a Comments Collection

After you have created a database for your comments repository, follow these steps to create a comments collection (within your comments repository) for storing comments:

  1. Go to the IBM Alphablox Admin Pages, click on the Administration tab, then click on the General tab.
  2. Under Runtime Management, click the Comments link to open the Comments Management window.
  3. Select CommentsCollectionMSAS as your data source, enter your username and password, then press the Connect button. The Collection area (below Datasource) should become available.
  4. To create a new collection, press the Create button. On the right side of the window, three new sections (Name, Fields, and Dimensions) should appear.
  5. In the Name section, enter CommentsCollectionMSAS as the collection name.
  6. In the Fields section, three required default fields are included: the Author, Timestamp, and CommentText fields. You can add additional fields, defining their names, and optionally, descriptions for each field you define. For Blox Sampler, you can use the default fields.
  7. In the Dimensions section, select QCC-MSAS from the list of defined data sources. A list of available dimensions should appear.
  8. For the Blox Sampler examples, select all of the available dimensions by Shift-clicking or Control-clicking on the dimensions in the list. [Note: For comments collections created using DB2, choose up to 10 dimensions only.]
  9. Press the Save button. At this point, the name of the newly defined collection should appear in the Collection listing.

DrillThrough Options

To run the DrillThrough example in the Retrieving Data section, you need to perform the following steps in Analysis Manager:

1. Enable Drillthrough

a) Open the Analysis Manager console
b) Find and click on the QCC cube, right-click, then choose the Edit option.
c) In the Tools menu, select Drillthrough Options.
d) Check the Enable Drillthrough checkbox, then check each of the following columns: Region,Area,Sales,Cost,Units,Year,Scenario.
e) Press the OK button. You will be prompted that changes will only occur after you save the cube.
f) In the Cube Editor menu, select File, then Save. Close the Cube Editor.

2. Set DrillThrough permissions

a) Right-click on the cube again, and select the Manage Roles option.
b) Right-click on the Drillthrough column.
c) Check the Allow Drillthrough checkbox, then OK.

The QCC cube should now be Drillthrough-enabled and the example should work properly.