Configure an OLAP cube in Project Server 2016

Summary: Configure OLAP cube settings by using the OLAP Database Management page in Central Administration.
Applies to: Project Server Subscription Edition, Project Server 2019, Project Server 2016

You can configure OLAP cube dimensions and measures, or you can configure the build settings of a cube.

To configure an OLAP cube, you must be a Project Server service application administrator.

There are two sets of parameters that can be configured on an existing OLAP cube:

  • Dimensions and measures

  • Cube build settings

Perform the following procedure to configure the dimensions and measures of an existing OLAP cube.

To configure OLAP cube dimensions and measures

  1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

  2. Click the Project Server service application.

  3. Point to the Project Web App instance where you want to build the cube, click the arrow that appears, and then click Manage.

  4. On the Server Settings page, in the Database Administration section, click OLAP Database Management.

  5. On the OLAP Database Management page, select an OLAP database from the list, and then click Configuration.

  6. Configure the settings on the Database Configuration page:

Setting Description
Cube Dimensions
Use the Cube dimensions area to specify the custom fields that you want to add to the OLAP cube as dimensions.
Select a cube from the drop-down list to display the available and selected dimensions.
Select the dimensions that you want to include in that cube in the Available fields list and click Add to include them in the cube. Do this for each cube in the Cube drop-down list.
Cube Measures
Use the Cube measures area to specify the custom fields that you want to add to the OLAP cube as measures.
Select a cube from the drop-down list to display the available and selected measures.
Choose the measures that you want to include in that cube in the Available fields list and click Add to include them in the cube. Do this for each cube in the Cube drop-down list.
Built-in Measures
Select the built-in measures that you want to include in the cube.
The fields that you select are added to the Project, Task, and Assignment cubes as measures.
Inactive Tasks
If you want the cube to include inactive tasks, select the Include Inactive Tasks check box.
Calculated Measures
Select the cube that you want to define an expression for from the Cube drop-down list, and then click Insert to add a custom MDX expression.
For more information about MDX expressions, see Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=186166).
  1. Click Save.

Perform the following procedure to configure the build settings of an existing OLAP cube.

To configure OLAP cube build settings

  1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

  2. Click the Project Server service application.

  3. Point to the Project Web App instance where you want to build the cube, click the arrow that appears, and then click Manage.

  4. On the Server Settings page, in the Database Administration section, click OLAP Database Management.

  5. On the OLAP Database Management page, in the OLAP Database Name column, click the database that you want to configure.

  6. Configure the settings on the OLAP Database Build Settings page:

Setting Description
Analysis Services Server
The name of the instance of SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) where you want to build the cube.
Analysis Services Database to be created
The name of the database that you want to create.
Extranet URL
The URL for the extranet site.
Description
A description of this OLAP cube.
Project Departments
If you have projects assigned to departments, you have the option of selecting the departments that you want to have included in the cube. If no department is selected, then no departmental filtering occurs.
The selection of departments available is controlled by the Department custom lookup table. To allow multiple selections, modify the Project Departments custom field and select the Allow multiple values to be selected from lookup table check box.
> [!NOTE]> To cancel the selection of a department after it is selected, click the department again.
Resource Departments
If you have resources assigned to departments, you have the option of selecting the departments that you want to have included in the cube. If no department is selected, then no departmental filtering occurs.
The selection of departments available is controlled by the Department custom lookup table. To allow multiple selections, modify the Resource Departments custom field and select the Allow multiple values to be selected from lookup table check box.
> [!NOTE]> To cancel the selection of a department after it is selected, click the department again.
Use the earliest project start date and the latest project finish date
Select this option if you want to base the date range of the cube on the earliest start date of any project and the latest finish date of any project.
Use the following last and next time units to calculate the date range at the time that the OLAP database is built
Select this option if you want the date range to be configured automatically based on a delta from the date on which the cube is built. In the Last and Next boxes, type the number of days, weeks, or months that you want to use for the delta.
Use the fixed date range specified below
Select this option if you want to use a fixed date range. In the From and To boxes, type the dates that you want to use.
Update periodically
Select this option if you want to schedule an update frequency. If this option is not selected, the cube will not be updated automatically.
Immediately retry the OLAP database update if scheduled time fails because of queue down time
If the scheduled cube build fails because the queue is not available, selecting this option will cause the build job to start automatically when the queue becomes available instead of waiting for the next scheduled time.
Update every
Select the number of hours, days, weeks, or months for the cube to be rebuilt.
Start date
Select the start date for the first automated cube build.
Start time
Select the start time for each automated cube build.
  1. Click Save.

See also

Create OLAP cubes in Project Server 2016

Delete OLAP cubes in Project Server 2016

Build OLAP cubes in Project Server 2016