Using Cube Data Preview

Cube Data Preview allows data architects to see their cube data and calculations without leaving the Design Center. This feature dramatically reduces cube development time, since data architects can see the results of their work without publishing the project and connecting to the cube with an external BI tool.

Important

Cube Data Preview may execute expensive queries and should _not_ be used on a production instance.

Before you begin

Make sure the Cube Data Preview option in Settings > Global Settings > Options is turned on. In case this option is turned off by an administrator, Cube Data Preview would not be available in the Design Center.

Procedure

In the Design Center, open the cube you want to work with.
Do one of the following, based on the version of Projects you use:
- Classic version: choose the Cube Data Preview tab.
- New version: choose the Data Preview tab.
Expand or collapse the dimension and measure folders to view the available hierarchies and data.
From the Dimensions panel, drag a dimension or a dimension hierarchy to the Rows panel.
From the Measures panel, drag one or more measures to the Columns panel.
Choose Run Query when you are ready to test your data model. Consider the following:
- Cube Data Preview is limited to returning 300 rows of data.
- If the dimensions and measures you selected cannot be joined by a fact table you will see an error.
If your query runs over ten seconds, the Long Running Query Options dialog box appears.
1. Choosing Inspect Running Query would take you to the Queries page, where you can inspect the running query and optionally cancel it.
2. Choose OK and Close if you want to remain on the Cube Data Preview tab.

When the results are displayed you can manage them as follows:

Choose the right-caret icon to drill down on hierarchy levels that have sub-levels.
Use the menu icon on the right to reset the Dimensions or Measures panels.
Choose the X to the right of a row or column item to delete it from the query.

You can now continue refining your model until you are ready to publish the cube.

Using Cube Data Preview for aggregates

The schema.softPublish.aggs.enable custom setting supports Cube Data Preview. When set to true (default), using Cube Data Preview triggers the creation of aggregates. This feature cannot be used to tune aggregates, as Training Mode does.