Chapter 9: Analytics

CHAPTER 9: ANALYTICS Objectives

The objectives are:

Explain the high-level improvements to Analytics in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Understand the developer experience improvements.

Introduction The Business Intelligence infrastructure is improved to help simplify the administration, setup, and deployment of Analytics in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

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What's New - Technical in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Development

Overview Two New Cubes

Two new cubes have been added to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

The Environmental Sustainability cube provides data that can help you track your organization's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which your organization can use to be more proactive in its approach to environmental issues.

The Workflow cube provides data that can help you track the history and current status of business processes in your organization, which you can use to identify processes that have become inefficient and help your business run more smoothly.

Financial Cube Updates

Financial cubes have been updated for compatibility with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 features. This includes support for new budget and ledger transaction tables, unlimited financial dimensions, changes to fiscal calendars, and Microsoft Dynamics AX perspectives.

Upgrade

Perspectives, used to generate cubes in Microsoft AX 2009, will not be upgraded. It is recommended to use the cubes that are provided with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and customize them to meet your needs or create new custom cubes.

Fixed Schema

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, when you disable license or configuration keys, associated columns were removed from tables in the online transaction processing (OLTP) database. As a result:

Cubes could not be processed because they could not access the columns they were designed to retrieve data from.

Errors were displayed in reports and Role Center Web parts that used cubes as a data source.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the OLTP database has a fixed schema. This means that when you disable license or configuration keys, associated columns are not removed from tables in the OLTP database. Instead, data is removed from those columns. As a result:

Cubes can be processed successfully. Errors might be displayed in reports and Role Center Web parts that

use cubes as a data source. You will need to modify these reports and Web parts so that they no longer try to retrieve data from a column or field that contains no data.

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Chapter 9: Analytics

If you change the license or configuration keys in Microsoft Dynamics AX, you must configure your cubes using the Analysis Services project wizard. The wizard will remove measures, dimensions, and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that you do not have access to according to the license and configuration keys in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Analysis Services Project Wizard

The Analysis Services Project wizard has been added to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

What can you do?

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Deploy default cubes.

Initially deploy the default cubes by using the Setup wizard.

Use the Analysis Services project wizard to deploy an existing Analysis Services project. Choose the default cubes from the AOT.

Configure an Analysis Services project after you change the Microsoft Dynamics AX configuration.

Manually update your Analysis Services project in BIDS to remove measures, dimensions, and KPIs that you do not have access to according to the license and configuration keys in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Use the Analysis Services project wizard to remove measures, dimensions, and KPIs that you do not have access to according to the license and configuration keys in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Update an existing Analysis Services project.

Use the Update a Business Intelligence project form.

Use the Analysis Services project wizard to update an Analysis Services project to do the following: Add or remove

dimensions. Add, remove, or

update calendars to use as Date dimensions.

Add or remove label translations.

Add or remove currency conversion.

Create a new Analysis Services project.

Use the Update a Business Intelligence project form.

Use the Analysis Services project wizard to create an Analysis Services project.

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Development Information Date Dimension and the Gregorian Calendar

The default cubes that are included with Microsoft Dynamics AX include a Date dimension. The Date dimension is based on the Gregorian calendar, which is a 365.25 day western calendar that starts in January.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, you can define the properties of the Gregorian calendar by using the Calendar builder form in your Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

To access the Calendar Builder click Organization administration > Common > Calendars > Gregorian calendars.

FIGURE 9.1 CALENDAR BUILDER

Other improvements include:

Ability to add multiple calendars without requiring any customizations.

Support for null dates. Ability to translate date attributes.

View Support in Perspectives

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, custom query definitions were required to perform the following tasks:

Join tables with complex join conditions. Reduce the scope of tables. Create measures or dimension attributes using calculated fields.

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Chapter 9: Analytics

The Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 online analytical processing (OLAP) framework supports Microsoft Dynamics AX views in perspectives. The user is able to drag-and-drop Microsoft Dynamics AX views into perspective nodes in the Application Object Tree (AOT) and set the Analysis properties. You can generate an Analysis Services project from a perspective that contains Microsoft Dynamics AX views in addition to tables.

FIGURE 9.2 VIEW NODE UNDER PERSPECTIVES

Summary In this chapter you learned about the improvements to Analytics in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, which include the following:

Addition of native Gregorian calendar support on the date dimension in cubes.

Addition of a financial cube to accommodate changes to Microsoft AX financials.

Use of the OLAP framework to use Microsoft Dynamics AX views to model OLAP cubes.

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Test Your Knowledge 1. What new type of calendar is now supported for use with the time dimension

in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 default cubes?

( ) Gregorian ( ) Fiscal ( ) Mayan ( ) Chronological

2. What cubes have been added in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012? (Select all that apply)

( ) Inventory cube ( ) Environmental Sustainability cube ( ) Workflow cube ( ) Production Cube

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Chapter 9: Analytics

Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this chapter

1.

2.

3.

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Solutions Test Your Knowledge

1. What new type of calendar is now supported for use with the time dimension in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 default cubes?

() Gregorian ( ) Fiscal ( ) Mayan ( ) Chronological

2. What cubes have been added in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012? (Select all that apply)

( ) Inventory cube () Environmental Sustainability cube () Workflow cube ( ) Production Cube

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Chapter 9: ANALYTICSObjectivesIntroductionOverviewTwo New CubesFinancial Cube UpdatesUpgradeFixed SchemaAnalysis Services Project Wizard

Development InformationDate Dimension and the Gregorian CalendarView Support in Perspectives

SummaryTest Your KnowledgeQuick Interaction: Lessons LearnedSolutions