Indexing your Data: MicroStrategy Metadata

MicroStrategy metadata is like a road map or an index to the information that is stored in your data warehouse. The MicroStrategy system uses the metadata to know where in the data warehouse it should look for information. It also stores other types of objects that allow you to access that information. These are discussed below.

The metadata resides in a database, the metadata repository, that is separate from your data warehouse. This can be initially created when you run through the MicroStrategy Configuration Wizard. All the metadata information is stored in database tables defined by MicroStrategy.

For more information about running the MicroStrategy Configuration Wizard, see the Installation and Configuration Help.

To help explain how the MicroStrategy system uses the metadata to do its work, imagine that a user runs a report with a total of revenue for a certain region in a quarter of the year. The metadata stores information about how the revenue metric is to be calculated, information about which rows and tables in the data warehouse to use for the region, and the most efficient way to retrieve the information.

The physical warehouse schema is a type of conceptual tool that is crucial for you to visualize information's location in the data warehouse. This includes table and column information about where things are actually stored as well as maps, such as lookup and relate tables, that help the system efficiently access that information. Persons who create the schema objects in the MicroStrategy metadata must reference the physical warehouse schema. Therefore, it is not actually stored in a location in the metadata, but it is implicitly present in the definition of the schema objects in the metadata.

The role of the physical warehouse schema is further explained in the Basic Reporting Help.

In addition to the physical warehouse schema's implicit presence in the metadata, the following types of objects are stored in the metadata:

• Schema objects are objects created, usually by a project designer or architect, based on the logical and physical models. Facts, attributes, and hierarchies are examples of schema objects. These objects are developed in MicroStrategy Architect, which can be accessed from MicroStrategy Developer. The Project Design Help is devoted to explaining schema objects.
• Application objects are the objects that are necessary to run reports. These objects are generally created by a report designer and can include reports, report templates, filters, metrics, prompts, and so on. These objects are built in Developer or Command Manager. The Basic Reporting Help and Advanced Reporting Help are devoted to explaining application objects.
• Configuration objects are administrative and connectivity-related objects. They are managed in Developer (or Command Manager) by an administrator changing the Intelligence Server configuration or project configuration. Examples of configuration objects include users, groups, server definitions and so on.