We have touched upon partitions over the life of the Introduction to MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services series, as well as within other series to which I contribute.  We recently discussed partitioning more specifically within our article Basic Storage Design, within which we introduced the Storage Design Wizard.  The Storage Design Wizard, as we discovered, enables us to manage aggregations on a partition-by-partition basis when working with a multi-partitioned cube.  We noted that, if a cube we are optimizing through the use of the Storage Design Wizard contains multiple partitions, we are forced to select a partition from the outset, as we can only design storage for a single partition at a time. 

In this article, we will introduce the MSAS Partition Wizard, whose role is to enable us to create and modify partitions to optimize the query performance of our cubes.  We will first discuss partitioning as a concept, within the context of MSAS cubes, and then we will perform a hands-on exercise where we partition a copy of the Budget cube, one of the sample cubes that accompany the installation of MSAS. Our objective in this article is an overview of the wizard itself; later articles will focus on detailed partitioning strategy and techniques.

Within our exploration of the Partition Wizard, we will accomplish the following:

• Create copy of the Budget sample cube for use in our practice exercise;
• Use the Partition Wizard, to create partitions for our practice cube;
• Examine the options that are available to us, as we proceed through the guided steps of the Partition Wizard.

Read the Article ...

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. Partition, Aggregation, Storage, design, MSAS, MSSQL, SQL, Server, cube, Analysis, Services, wizard, modes, performance, optimization, MDX
All Contents Copyright Island Technologies Inc. ^®  Island Technologies^® and Island Technologies Inc.^®  are registered trademarks of Island Technologies Inc., protected in the United States and other countries.  For information, contact Island.