Browsing Cube Data

Article
12/03/2008

Use the Browser tab of Cube Designer to browse cube data. You can use this view to examine the structure of a cube and to check data, calculation, formatting, and security of database objects. You can quickly examine a cube as end users see it in reporting tools or other client applications. When you browse cube data, you can view different dimensions, drill down into members, and slice through dimensions.

Before you browse a cube, you must process it. After you process it, open the Browser tab of Cube Designer. The Browser tab has three panes — the Metadata pane, the Filter pane, and the Data pane. Use the Metadata pane to examine the structure of the cube in tree format. Use the Filter pane at the top of the Browser tab to define any subcube you want to browse. Use the Data pane to examine the data and drill down through dimension hierarchies.

Setting up the Browser

To prepare to browse a cube, you can specify a perspective or translation that you want to use. You add measures and dimensions to the Data pane and specify any filters in the Filter pane.

Specifying a Perspective

Use the Perspective list to choose a perspective that is defined for the cube. Perspectives are defined in the Perspectives tab of Cube Designer. To switch to a different perspective, select any perspective in the list.

Specifying a Translation

Use the Language list to choose a translation that is defined for the cube. Translations are defined in the Translations tab of Cube Designer. The Browser tab initially shows captions for the default language, which is specified by the Language property for the cube. To switch to a different language, select any language in the list.

Formatting the Data Pane

You can format captions and cells in the Data pane. Right-click the selected cells or captions that you want to format, and then click Commands and Options. Depending on the selection, the Commands and Options dialog box displays settings for Format, Filter and Group, Report, and Behavior.

Setting up the Data

Adding or Removing Measures

Drag the measures you want to browse from the Metadata pane to the details area of the Data pane, which is labeled Drop Totals or Detail Fields Here. As you drag additional measures, they are added as columns in the details area. A vertical line indicates where each additional measure will drop. Dragging the Measures folder drops all the measures into the details area.

To remove a measure from the details area, either drag it out of the Data pane, or right-click it and then click Remove Total on the shortcut menu.

Adding or Removing Dimensions

Drag the hierarchies or dimensions to the row or column field areas.

To remove a dimension, either drag it out of the Data pane, or right-click it and then click Remove Field on the shortcut menu.

Adding or Removing Filters

You can use either of two methods to add a filter:

Expand a dimension in the Metadata pane, and then drag a hierarchy to the Filter pane.
- or -
In the Dimension column of the Filter pane, click <Select dimension> and select a dimension from the list, then click <Select hierarchy> in the Hierarchy column and select a hierarchy from the list.

After you specify the hierarchy, specify the operator and filter expression. The following table describes the operators and filter expressions.

Operator	Filter Expression	Description
Equal	One or more members	Values must be equal to a specified member. (Provides multiple member selection for attribute hierarchies, other than parent-child hierarchies, and single member selection for other hierarchies.)
Not Equal	One or more members	Values must not equal a specified member. (Provides multiple member selection for attribute hierarchies, other than parent-child hierarchies, and single member selection for other hierarchies.)
In	One or more named sets	Values must be in a specified named set. (Supported for attribute hierarchies only.)
Not In	One or more named sets	Values must not be in a specified named set. (Supported for attribute hierarchies only.)
Range (Inclusive)	One or two delimiting members of a range	Values must be between or equal to the delimiting members. If the delimiting members are equal or only one member is specified, no range is imposed and all values are permitted. (Supported only for attribute hierarchies. The range must be on one level of a hierarchy. Unbounded ranges are not currently supported.)
Range (Exclusive)	One or two delimiting members of a range	Values must be between the delimiting members. If the delimiting members are the equal or only one member is specified, values must be either greater than or less than the delimiting member. (Supported only for attribute hierarchies. The range must be on one level of a hierarchy. Unbounded ranges are not currently supported.)
MDX	An MDX expression returning a member set	Values must be in the calculated member set. Selecting this option displays the Calculated Member Builder dialog box for creating MDX expressions.

For user-defined hierarchies, in which multiple members may be specified in the filter expression, all the specified members must be at the same level and share the same parent. This restriction does not apply for parent-child hierarchies.

Working with Data

Drilling Down into a Member

To drill down into a particular member, click the plus sign (+) next to the member or double-click the member.

Slicing Through Cube Dimensions

To filter the cube data, click the drop-down list box on the top-level column heading. You can expand the hierarchy and select or clear a member on any level to show or hide it and all its descendants. Clear the check box next to (All) to clear all the members in the hierarchy.

After you have set this filter on dimensions, you can toggle it on or off by right-clicking anywhere in the Data pane and clicking Auto Filter.

Filtering Data

You can use the filter area to define a subcube on which to browse. You can add a filter by either clicking a dimension in the Filter pane or by expanding a dimension in the Metadata pane and then dragging a hierarchy to the Filter pane. Then specify an Operator and Filter Expression.

Performing Actions

A triangle marks any heading or cell in the Data pane for which there is an action. This might apply for a dimension, level, member, or cube cell. Move the pointer over the heading object to see a list of available actions. Click the triangle in the cell to display a menu and start the associated process.

For security, the Browser tab only supports the following actions:

URL
Rowset
Drillthrough

Command Line, Statement, and Proprietary actions are not supported. URL actions are only as safe as the Web page to which they link.

Viewing Member Properties and Cube Cell Information

To view information about a dimension object or cell value, move the pointer over the cell.

Showing or Hiding Empty Cells

You can hide empty cells in the data grid by right-clicking anywhere in the Data pane and clicking Show Empty Cells.