In this article, we will examine Actions, a powerful feature in MSAS that allows information consumers to go beyond the robust OLAP perspective offered by the application, and to “step outside” for related information, or to generate commands or initialize programs, without leaving their current analysis focus. As we shall see, Actions can be structured into the cube by the developer, to allow users to perform these extended activities from various vantage points, with a simple right-click of the mouse. This saves analysts and other consumers time, as the complementary information can be “linked” through the Action design for them, and, perhaps more importantly, because they can perform the Actions without leaving their current position within the analysis they are performing in MSAS. In this article, we will gain an understanding of the nature of Actions, focusing on their types, possible uses, and the choices we have for points of information consumer interaction. We will then activate what we have learned, reinforcing the concepts within a practice exercise that allows us to see clearly how the mechanics tie together within a regular cube.

Our examination of MSAS Actions in this article will include:

• An introduction to the general types of Actions that we can exploit in the design and development of MSAS cubes;
• A discussion of example consumer needs that might be classified within each of the general Action types;
• A review of the points of interaction at which we can place an Action for use by an MSAS analyst;
• An introduction to the MSAS Action Wizard;
• A hands-on practice example of the creation of an Action within a “regular” cube, the sample Sales cube that installs with MSAS;
• Practice in using the example Action we create, both as a general guide to the use of Actions in general, and as a means to ascertain their effectiveness from the perspective of development.

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About the Series:

This article is a member of the series Introduction to MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services. The series is designed to provide hands-on application of the fundamentals of MS SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, with each installment progressively adding features and techniques designed to meet specific real - world needs. For more information on the series, as well as the hardware / software requirements to prepare for the exercises we will undertake, please see my initial article, Creating Our First Cube.

Actions, MSAS, MSSQL, Server, Analysis Services, Regular, Cube, Member, Properties, MDX, Inventory, Pension, Fund, Hierarchy, Browser, OLAP, Cube, Cognos, Conversion
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