Creating an SSAS Cube in Visual Studio 2019

If you’re working with large volumes of data and need to perform complex data analysis, you’ve likely heard of SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and the benefits of creating OLAP cubes. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating an SSAS cube in Visual Studio 2019.

Step 1: Installing Visual Studio

The first step is to install Visual Studio 2019 on your computer. Then, launch it and navigate to the “New Project” dialog box. In the box, select “Analysis Services” under “Other Languages” and choose “Analysis Services Multidimensional and Data Mining Project.”

Step 2: Setting Up the Data Source

After creating the project, add a data source by right-clicking on the project and selecting “Data Source.” The Data Source Wizard will appear, where you’ll choose the appropriate data source type and enter the connection details.

Step 3: Defining the Data Source View

Once the data source is set up, define the data source view. The view defines the tables and views you want to use in the cube. Right-click on the Data Source View folder and select “New Data Source View.” In the wizard, select the required tables and views from the database and click “Finish.”

Step 4: Creating Dimensions

Dimensions are used to categorize data by different categories, such as geographical location, date, and product categories. You can create dimensions manually or by using a wizard in Visual Studio. To create dimensions manually, right-click on the “Dimensions” folder and select “New Dimension.” The Dimension Wizard will appear, where you can select the data source view and choose the dimension type.

Step 5: Creating Cubes

After creating dimensions, you can create the cube. Right-click on the “Cube” folder and select “New Cube.” The Cube Wizard will appear, where you’ll choose the appropriate fact table, enter the cube name, and select the dimensions. Once you have selected the dimensions, map them to the appropriate columns in the fact table.

Step 6: Configuring Measure Groups

Measure Groups are used to group a set of measures that are calculated using the same set of dimensions. To create a new measure group, right-click on the Cube and select “New Measure Group.” Choose the fact table that has the measures, select the columns to be included in the measure group, and enter the appropriate name for the measure group.

Step 7: Deploying and Processing the Cube

Once you’ve created the cube, deploy and process it. Deploying the cube involves copying the solution to the SSAS server. To deploy the cube, right-click on the solution and select “Deploy.” Once the solution is deployed, you need to process the cube to make it available for analysis. Right-click on the cube and select “Process.”

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can easily create an SSAS cube in Visual Studio 2019 for in-depth analysis of large volumes of data.