Best practices for managing dashboard metadata and data sources

Updated: 2009-04-23

A data source within PerformancePoint Dashboard Designer contains the connection information for Dashboard Designer data-source types such as Analysis Services cubes, Microsoft SQL Server databases, Excel spreadsheets, and SharePoint lists. Within Dashboard Designer, only two user types have permissions to publish changes to a data source — Administrators and Data Source Managers.

Administrators have access to all content within Dashboard Designer. They can publish any changes made to an item. Data Source Managers (DSM) only have access to a PerformancePoint data source and any other item that they have been authorized to view. They can publish changes made to data sources only if they have been specifically authorized to do so (For more information, see "Publish Override" in the Help file that comes with PerformancePoint Monitoring Server.

DSM rights should be granted to database administrators (DBAs) or those who need to administer access to a data source. DSMs do not need to have access to the data source specifically if default security is being used, but they will need to know connection information and details about the data sources.

Best practices for managing Monitoring Server data sources

  • Create a Dashboard Designer master data source .bswx file that contains only data sources. Save that file in a secure place where the Administrator and/or Data Source Managers have access to it.

  • Only change/publish data source information or create new data sources in the master data source .bswx file.

  • Save that master data source .bswx file to a secure location as a backup on a regular basis.

  • Before making any changes, sync your local .bswx file with the server

  • Before saving any changes or publishing, check the server for any changes by comparing the data on your local machine with that on the server.

  • When publishing, use the "Publish" option only. Right-click the data source and choose "Publish," or use the "Publish Item" button in the ribbon.

  • DO NOT use "Publish All." It publishes all items from your local workspace that have been changed (items that have a pencil icon on them) no matter if you intend to publish them or not.

  • It is important to remember that once a data source has been created and published, the changes are immediate; users can see any changes made to existing data sources and analysts will be able to utilize new data sources in their dashboards.

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