MSAS - Defining and Creating Auctions

This tutorial explains about defining Auctions, Creating Auctions, Creating Actions in Regular Cubes, Creating and Maintaining Actions in Virtual Cubes, Importing an Action into a Virtual Cube and Editing an Action in a Virtual Cube.

Defining Actions

End users can define certain operations to be performed or cubes or portions of a cube. These user defined operations are called Actions. The end user can use an action as a parameter for starting an application or for retrieving information. He can go beyond traditional analysis and initiate solutions to discovered problems and deficiencies by using actions. It enables them to send data as an input into operational applications. For instance, if the end user’s analysis reveals that the stock of tinned beans is low in a store. He can select an Order action and initiate an action for purchase of more stock of tinned beans. In short actions transform client applications from sophisticated data rendering tools to integral parts of an enterprise’s operational system.

Actions provide flexibility to the end user. Different types of actions can be created for launching different types of applications or extracting different kinds of information. Triggers can be created from various portions of a cube(such as dimensions, levels, members and cells). Multiple actions can be created for one portion of a cube. String parameters can be passed to enable the launch of applications and specific action captions can be displayed to end users.

Actions can be performed only if the client application being used supports actions. What kinds of client applications support actions? The Client application must support the Cube browser or be capable of running applications that use COM interfaces of the SQL Server Analysis Services Libraries. Actions that are supported include the following:

1. A URL that can be launched by the Web Browser
2. An HTML script that can be viewed by a Web Browser
3. A dataset that can be returned by an MDX statement
4. A rowset that can be returned by an MDX Drillthrough statement
5. A command line execution
6. Some proprietary action.

When actions are defined as command objects, they are not automatically executed like other command objects. The action is executed only when the user performs client specific operations that initiate the action.

Creating Actions

Actions can be created using the Action Wizard and saved so that they can be used when browsing a cube that contains them. Actions with session scope can be created using the CREATE ACTION statement. Such actions are not saved. Actions can be created with the following kinds of scopes:

Cube scope is defined for actions independent on specific dimensions, members, or cells.

Dimension scope is defined for actions that applies to a specific dimension. Those actions are not dependent on specific selection of levels or members.

Level scope is defined for an action that applies to a specific dimension level. Those actions are not dependent on specific selection of a member in that dimension.

Member scope is defined for an action that applies to specific level members.

Cell scope is defined for an action that applies to specific cells only.

Set scope is defined for an action that applies to a set only. The name ActionParameterSet is reserved for use by the application inside the expression of the action.

The Action wizard

The action wizard is an utility that helps users create actions easily. It takes the user through the following steps


1. Target: The user is prompted to select the object to which the action is to be attached. The end user will be able to see the action when he selects the object to which the action is attached. Actions can be attached to Cubes, Dimensions, members in a dimensions, levels, members in a level, Cells or named sets.

2. The Next screen prompts the user to select the type of action. An action can be a command line, a statement, HTML script, URL, Dataset, Rowset or a proprietary action.

3. Next the user is required to select the syntax for the action by specifying parameters that are passed when the action is executed. The syntax may evaluate to a string or can be included as an expression written in Multidimensional expressions(MDX).

Actions can be created on regular cubes and virtual cubes.