In this article, we will extend our examination of Actions to their creation and use within virtual cubes. After considering the differences in the regular and virtual cube scenarios, we will create an Action in a sample virtual cube. We will then perform the import of an example Action into a virtual cube. We will accomplish these steps within illustrative practice exercises, commenting upon the results obtained to reinforce our understanding of the concepts involved.
Actions are a powerful feature that allows information consumers to go beyond the robust OLAP perspective offered by MSAS, and to “step outside” for related information, to generate commands or to initialize programs, without leaving their current analysis focus. 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. The power of Actions lies in their potential to save the consumers time and focus, precious considerations within the context of analysis, which often lose much value when they fall victim to distraction and interruption.

In this article, our examination of MSAS Actions will include:

• A brief introduction to Actions from the perspective of MSAS virtual cubes;
• Creation of a virtual cube through the “cloning” of a FoodMart2000 sample;
• A review of the characteristics of virtual cubes, where appropriate to the current objectives;
• A hands-on practice example of the creation of an Action within our newly created virtual cube;
• A review of the use of Actions within the Cube Browser;
• A hands-on practice example of the import of an Action within our newly created virtual cube;

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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. Action, MSAS, MSSQL, Server, Analysis Services, Regular, Virtual, Cube, Import, Member, Properties, MDX, HTML, URL, Browser, OLAP, Cube

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