OLAP Modeling

You can use the relational modeling dashboard to define the objects of an OLAP database within the object definition tables of the Staging database. The object definition tables enable definition of all objects of an OLAP database: cubes, dimensions, hierarchies, subsets, rules, data roles, and access cubes. Only when the model is published are the results available in the OLAP database.

This is an outline of the steps in modeling a database.

  1. Create an application in the Applications dashboard.

    The OLAP Database and Modeling capabilities must be enabled.

  2. In the Data Connections dashboard, ensure that there is a Relational Providers data connection to the Staging database.
  3. In the Relational Modeling dashboard, fill the object definition tables. Specify dimensions, cubes, and other objects.
  4. In the Relational Modeling dashboard, create data tables in the Staging database. These tables are intended to provide elements, relations, facts, or permissions.
  5. Populate the tables of the Staging database with data from, for example, Data Lake, using load queries and scripts. You can also use OLAP Modeling to manually define the elements of a hierarchy and to manage element permissions where applicable.
  6. Publish the model to the OLAP database from the OLAP Modeling dashboard.

    Alternatively, you can use the Non-SQL script function PublishCustomModelToOLAP(applicationName) or the Application Engine function, ModelingPublishCustomModelToOLAP (string applicationName).

Note: We recommend that, when using ION API calls to call functions of the Modeling Service, you define tasks that run no longer than 15 minutes. After 15 minutes functions are canceled. However, the cancelation does not have effect in the Modeling Service, in which load queries, scripts, and mappings continue to run.