(newbie) updating dimensions

Hi,

I apologise if I have missed something obvious here, but I am having a problem finding how to set up a cube to update dimensions automatically when data is changed in the source database. From what I can see in Books Online, dimension writeback does not do this because the update is initiated by the user. I have got storage settings for measures figured out, and we are using low-latency MOLAP. In BIDS, there does not seem to be a similar way to set up the dimensions to be updated. Can anyone advise me on how this is done?

Any help much appreciated.

Hello. The feature that you are looking for is maybe "proactive caching".

My advice is to be very careful about this feature. You will need to be an experienced SSAS2005(Analysis Services 2005) consultant to set this up properly.

I also think that it is only a feature in the enterprise edition.

The budget version is to have an SSIS-package(Integration Services) that detects changes in the database and automatically start an SSAS2005 processing task after that.

Looks like you are planning to build a cube on top of an OLTP-system(transaction system) and ignore the option to build a data warehouse/ data mart?

I always recommend a datamart separate from the source system as the minimum requirement to build a good analytic solution.

HTH

Thomas Ivarsson

Have a look at proactive caching here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/rtbissas.mspx

|||Thanks for your reply, Thomas. We already have our options worked out re: proactive caching as far as measures are concerned, where the BIDS UI is perfectly clear. It is for dimensions specifically that we are having trouble. Can anyone shed any light on that specifically? Thanks very much for any help.|||

Hello again Ed.

I have not used this feature myself and have no plans to do it in the near future.

You have all dimensions as ROLAP?

I you buy "MS SQL server 2005 Analysis Services"(SAMS) there is almost a whole chapter(24) with recommendations of how to configure this properly.

HTH
Thomas Ivarsson

|||Thank you Thomas. I'll definitely take a look at that book.sql