Modeling a Live Access XMLA Source

Birst Live Access allows you to connect to multi-dimensional cubes via an XMLA metadata interface. Birst Live Access automatically retrieves hierarchies, dimension elements, and measures from your XMLA repository environment and translates them directly into Birst hierarchies, dimensions and measures. Once the automated setup is complete, you can immediately create reports that issue live MDX queries against your local cube-based data.

Note: Set based filters are not supported for XMLA connections.

Prior to modeling to XMLA cubes

In order for Birst Live Access to be able to connect to a local XMLA repository, you must enable your local database to be able to communicate via HTTP.

Create a new Live Access real time connection in Birst Connect, then minimize Infor Connect.

Important:Infor Connect or the Birst Cloud Agent (if you used Birst Connect 2.0 to connect to your Live Access data sources) must be running.

To model XMLA cubes using Manage Local Sources

In Birst, click Home to refresh your settings. Birst updates the interface to include the new connection.

On the Home page, select the space in which the connection was created.

Go to Admin - Define Sources - Manage Local Sources.

The Manage Local Sources link displays only after a Live Access connection is created.

On the Manage Local Sources tab, click File - Import Table/Cube Definition.

Select the name of the XMLA connection.

Click Go.

Once connected, a list of XMLA defined cubes displays. Select the one to import then click Go. Birst imports the XMLA definitions and translates them into Birst metadata.

When the retrieval completes, Infor automatically populates the dimensions, measures, and join information.

Click File - Save Changes.

After modeling XMLA defined cubes

After the automated setup of the metadata is complete, you can start building reports against your cube database. The image below shows the results of a simple Designer report and the activity log’s MDX query issued against the database.

Tip: While developing a Live Access space, you may want to test the SQL generation of the logical queries from your Birst reports. Use Admin - Define Sources - Query Admin to enter a logical query and perform testing. See Running a Logical Query.

Important: If you modify a cube that has been imported into Birst, you must restart Birst Connect before you import the cube metadata into the space again. This is necessary because Birst Connect caches the cube metadata and any subsequent metadata is served from the cache, not the physical cube. If Birst Connect is not restarted before the modified cube is imported, any dimension columns that have been added will not be imported and the updated metadata will not be available.