SSAS Cube Creation - Database Views

Question

I am in the process of setting up a new cube. This cube is going to be very similar to a cube that exists except it will contain only data where the date is not in the past.

The current table has data that is past and present. 1 idea was to create a database view on this table and include any rows where the date was >= getdate() but I don't think you can select a database view when setting up a cube, is this right? Another option would be to create a new database table that includes only those records with a present or future date.

The final option would be to filter the current cube but I think I would prefer a fresh cube with only this data as it will be predominantly used by users in excel pivot tables so I want to avoid any filters/mdx if possible.

What would be the way of achieving this?

Thanks

Answer 1

You can most definitely add a view in your SSAS DSV. You can select views or tables in the object chooser dialog box. You can also write a named query. Many people advise that you should always use views in your DSV for your cube. It creates a layer between the cube and the physical tables.

Another approach is to use the existing cube as a source for a Power Pivot model and filter the dates in the data model in Excel and then provide that model/Excel file to your users.