MicroStrategy ONE

Prerequisites for using Cube Advisor

You must complete a few prerequisites before using Cube Advisor to recommend and create Intelligent Cubes to support a dynamic sourcing strategy. These prerequisites include:

  • Enable dynamic sourcing for the project and other aspects of the MicroStrategy system.
  • Create the metric levels log file used to track the use of dynamic sourcing.
  • Locate and execute the MicroStrategy Enterprise Manager report to provide additional performance benefit information on each Intelligent Cube recommended by Cube Advisor. This is an optional prerequisite.

Creating the metric levels log

The metric levels log file is one of the files that can be used to track the use of dynamic sourcing (see Tracking the use of dynamic sourcing).

Cube Advisor uses this log file to help recommend and create Intelligent Cubes to support dynamic sourcing. The steps below show you how to create this log file using the MicroStrategy Diagnostics and Performance Logging tool.

If you install and use Cube Advisor on the same machine that hosts Intelligence Server, the metric levels log is created automatically. In this scenario, you do not have to perform the steps provided below.

To create the metric levels log file

  1. In Windows, choose Start > Programs > MicroStrategy Tools > Diagnostics Configuration. The MicroStrategy Diagnostics and Performance Logging tool opens.
  2. In the Select Configuration drop-down list, select from one of two configurations to see the current default setup, as follows:
  • Machine Default: The components and counters that are displayed reflect the client machine.

  • CastorServer instance: The components and counters that are displayed reflect server-specific features.

    When you select the CastorServer instance, you can select whether to use the default configuration.

    • On the Diagnostics Configuration tab, this check box is named Use Default Diagnostics Configuration
    • On the Performance Configuration tab, this check box is called Use Default Performance Configuration.

    This check box refers to the Machine Default settings. No matter what you have changed and saved on either tab when CastorServer instance is selected, if you check the Use Default Configuration box, the system logs whatever information is configured for Machine Default at run time.

  1. On the Diagnostics tab, locate the Dynamic Sourcing component.
  2. For the Metric Levels Log dispatcher, select the check box in the Console Log column.
  3. For the Metric Levels Log dispatcher, in the File Log column, click the drop-down list and select <New>. The Log Destination Editor opens.
  4. In the File name field, type a name for the metric levels log. In later examples, the log file is named MetricLevelsLog.
  5. You can leave the default settings for the other options, and then click Save. Click Close.
  6. For the Metric Levels Log dispatcher, in the File Log column, click the drop-down list and select the metrics level log file that you created in the previous steps.
  7. Select Save. The metric levels log is created in the Log directory within the MicroStrategy common files. The default directory is C:\Program Files\Common Files\MicroStrategy\ Log.

Enterprise Manager report for Cube Advisor

You can also use a MicroStrategy Enterprise Manager report to include more information on the performance benefits of each Intelligent Cube as part of your dynamic sourcing strategy. When using this Enterprise Manager report, the information that can be returned for each potential Intelligent Cube includes:

  • Jobs: The number of jobs that would not have to be executed against the data warehouse if the Intelligent Cube is created to support your dynamic sourcing strategy.
  • Result Rows: The number of rows of data for all reports that could be returned from the Intelligent Cube rather than the data warehouse if the Intelligent Cube is created to support your dynamic sourcing strategy.
  • Users: The number of users that execute the reports that could connect to the Intelligent Cube using dynamic sourcing if the Intelligent Cube is created to support your dynamic sourcing strategy.
  • Database Time: The amount of time to execute SQL statements and retrieve the results from the data warehouse that is saved if the Intelligent Cube is created to support your dynamic sourcing strategy.

This report is available with MicroStrategy Enterprise Manager. Search the Enterprise Manager project for the report named Report Request Statistics per Project.

To use this report with Cube Advisor, you must execute the report and export it as a Microsoft Excel file or a text file.

The steps below show you how to execute and export this report in MicroStrategy Developer.

To execute and export the Enterprise Manager report in Developer

  1. In Developer, log in to the Enterprise Manager project.
  2. Locate the Enterprise Manager report for Cube Advisor, by searching the Enterprise Manager project for the report named Report Request Statistics per Project.
  3. Right-click the Report Request Statistics per Project report and select Run. The Report Editor opens and the report is executed.
  4. Choose Data > Export Options. The Excel Options dialog box opens.
  5. In the Application drop-down list, select MS Excel Worksheet.
  6. On the Appearance tab, select the following export options:
    • In the Exported fields area, select the Report Data check box. All other check boxes must be cleared.
    • In the Formatting area, select the Apply formatting and Use 6.x layout check boxes.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Choose Data > Export To > MS Excel. Once the export is complete, the exported report is displayed in Microsoft Excel.
  9. Save the Excel file as a tab delimited text file (.txt).
  10. If you use an internationalized MicroStrategy environment that uses various character sets for your data, you must open the tab delimited text file in a text editor and save the file with a UTF-8 encoding.

To execute and export the Enterprise Manager report in MicroStrategy Web

The steps below show you how to execute and export this report in MicroStrategy Web.

  1. In MicroStrategy Web, log in to the Enterprise Manager project.
  2. Locate the Enterprise Manager report for Cube Advisor. Search the Enterprise Manager project for the report named Report Request Statistics per Project.
  3. Click the Report Request Statistics per Project report to execute it.
  4. Choose Home > Export > Plain text. The Export Options page opens.
  5. In the Delimiter drop-down list, select Tab.
  6. Clear all available check boxes.
  7. In the Remove extra column drop-down list, select Yes.
  8. Click Export. The File Download dialog box opens.
  9. Click Save.
  10. Type a name and select a location for the text file, and click Save.
  11. If you use an internationalized MicroStrategy environment that uses various character sets for your data, you must open the tab delimited text file in a text editor and save the file with a UTF-8 encoding.