SSAS - how to view cubes

  • I come from Cognos, and try to understand how users can view and manipulate cubes once they are created? do users need sql licensees to view cubes? Thanks.

  • Are these users developers? Or the end users drawing from the cubes for reporting?

    There are no special teachers of virtue, because virtue is taught by the whole community.
    --Plato

  • The MS corollary to PowerView is Excel or PowerPivot. Developers can use SSMS to do limited browsing and test their MDX code. Unfortunately, you can't easily export your browse results in query form.

    There are no facts, only interpretations.
    Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Don't forget Visual Studio, the Cube design tool.

    There are no special teachers of virtue, because virtue is taught by the whole community.
    --Plato

  • Although not the ideal tool, one can also view the results of a cube in SSMS. Back in the 2005 day it was very convenient for someone wearing a developer and cube administrator hat.:cool:

  • PowerPivot and PowerView for most users. Sql Server Management Studio (SSMS) can also be used to do cube browsing although a power user can't do much else with it.

    I would probably limit SSMS use to developers and admins.

    As for licensing, your best bet is to discuss that with a licensing reseller. My understanding is that anyone connecting to a sql database must either 1) have a client access license or 2) be connecting to a 'per processor' unlimited-licensed sql database. This allows unlimited client connections.

    Both licensing models give a 'client' access to Sql Server Reporting Services (SSRS). SSRS also offers an interface for building mdx almost identical to PowerPivot. This can be accomplished from within Visual Studio (primarily a developer tool). You can also enable SSRS's 'Report Builder' tool which is more appropriate for your cube-browsing, report building power users.

  • Thank you. Users are not developers, so they can use Excel and Power Pivot to view cubes, and they do need SQL lic (one or the other).

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