MicroStrategy ONE

Accessing multiple data sources in a project

MicroStrategy provides an extension to Intelligence Server referred to as MultiSource Option. With the MultiSource Option feature, you can connect a project to multiple relational data sources. This lets you integrate all of your information from various databases and other relational data sources into a single MicroStrategy project for reporting and analysis purposes. All data sources included by using the MultiSource Option are integrated as part of the same relational schema for a project.

Accessing multiple relational data sources in a single project can provide many benefits and reporting solutions. There is the obvious benefit of being able to integrate information from various data sources into a single project. Along with accessing data in data sources provided from a centralized server, you can also access personal relational data sources.

For example, a sales manager wants to include forecast data available in a spreadsheet stored on a sales representative's local machine. By connecting to the spreadsheet as a relational data source, this forecast data can be viewed along with actual sales data from the centralized database.

MultiSource Option also allows you to use Freeform SQL, Query Builder, and MDX cube reports, that access secondary data sources, as filters on standard reports. For information on Freeform SQL and Query Builder reports, see the Advanced Reporting Help. For information on MDX cube reports, see the MDX Cube Reporting Help.

If you have the MultiSource Option, you can access multiple data sources in a project as described below:

  • Connecting data sources to a project

  • Adding data into a project

  • You can create logical views on data sources other than the data source for the primary database instance. This technique along with steps to create logical views are described in Creating logical views.

  • You can support fact tables that are partitioned across multiple databases. Using metadata partitioning is described in Metadata partition mapping.

  • You can include MDX cube data in regular reports, which lets you include MDX cube data along with data from your relational project as well as MDX cube data from other MDX cubes. For examples of this capability and steps to create these types of reports, refer to the MDX Cube Reporting Help.

Any object using a data source other than the primary data source is considered as having multiple data sources. Therefore, the Execute Report that uses multiple data sources privilege is required. This rule also applies to scenarios when the object uses data only from a non-primary data source.