Office Solution AcceleratorExcel Add-In for Analysis Services

Nick Barclay

BI ConsultantTuesday, 22nd June 2004

So what is it?

► An Excel Add-In− Enables OLAP data to be viewed and manipulated

in Excel

− Does not use Excel Pivot Table APIs

− Provides functionality for two types of reports− Structured

− Free-Form

− Gives Excel access to server-side AS features− Actions, formatting, drillthrough, member properties,

writeback

So what is it? (contd.)

► An Office Solution Accelerator− Continues to increase Office application

productivity

− Makes data more accessible to the desktop

− Like all OSA’s – it’s free (under your current Office license)

Architecture

OLAPCube

• Analysis Services cube(s)• Source and Destination

(writeback)OLAPCube

• Formula management

• Query creation and exporting

Retrieves and shares cube information

Consolidates and executes queries

•Report layout•Report interactions

Microsoft Excel

Report Builder UI Reporting

Add-inMetadataManager

Reporting Add-in

MetadataManager

Reporting Add-in Manager

Reporting Add-in Manager

CubeMetadataManager

QueryManager

DEMO: General Solution Overview

Structured Reports

Share many similarities with Pivot Tables

► Strict organisation into rows, columns, pages & data

► Like PT’s one contiguous object

► One cube per report

DEMO: Structured Reports

Structured Reports - Advantages

► Drill Up/Down, Expand/Contract, Isolate/Eliminate

► Custom filter expressions− Top/Bottom count/sum/pct

− Multi-levelled logic <, >, <=, >=, <>, between

► Pivotability

► Report MetaData functions− STRUCTUREDREPORTGETXML(),

STRUCTUREDREPORTGETMDX()

Structured Reports - Limitations

► Can’t hold formatting well

► Single data source at a time

► Can’t insert rows / columns− No non-OLAP data inside report object

► Unable to sort within report

Free-Form

► Put data anywhere, from any cube

► Add extra Excel-based information

► Great for medium to high level data

► Use human readable (and writable) functions to retrieve cube data

DEMO: Free-Form Reports

Free-Form Reports - Advantages

► Multiple OLAP sources (with shared dimensions)− Nest shared dimensions from any cube

► Drop/move anything, anywhere

► 3 OLAP-based Excel functions− CUBECELLMEMBER()

− CUBECELLPROPERTY()

− CUBECELLVALUE()

► Expand / Collapse dimension members

Free-Form Reports - Limitations

► Can’t use report refresh to add new dimension members− Must re-query (collapse & expand)

− ‘Hard-coded’ cell formulas

► Page filters can be a little difficult at times

In summary

► Now able to access more server-side OLAP functionality than previously

► Very much a Power User tool

► Hopefully may become standard Excel feature…?

► Don’t forget about Pivot Tables!!

Another good step to further empower Office users and bring BI to the masses

References

► Office Solution Accelerator Home− www.microsoft.com/office/solutions/accelerators/

default.mspx► OLAP Tools

− Word OLAP Scribe www.microsoft.com/downloads − Excel OLAP Scribe www.tomchester.net

► OLAP Books− Analysis Services Step by Step – MS Press− Fast Track to MDX - Springer− MDX Solutions - Wiley

► nick_barclay@pa.com.au

Questions