OLAP Cubes and Pivot Tables

Leveraging the Power of a Microsoft EPM Solution

EPM Customization Series Part 1

February 21st, 2007

Brendan Giles , PMP, MCP

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Overview

Components of a Microsoft EPM Solution Review the purpose of each component in

EPM How the components are integrated to form

an EPM Solution How to extend a Microsoft EPM using Online

Analytical Processing (OLAP) Summary Next Steps using Visual Studio (2nd

Presentation) Questions and Wrap-up

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Components of Microsoft EPM?

What software products make up a Microsoft EPM solution? Microsoft Office Project Professional Microsoft Office Project Server Windows Sharepoint Services SQL Server SQL Analysis Services Microsoft Office Excel Others?

Do they work together? Yes

Can they work alone? Yes

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Microsoft EPM Solution 2003

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Microsoft EPM Solution 2007

OLAP Data

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Components of an EPM Solution

Microsoft Office Project Professional EPM Client Tier Creation of Project Plans Scheduling Reporting Connection to Project Server Office Integration

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Components of an EPM Solution

Microsoft Office Project Server EPM Middle Tier Web Application access via Project Web Access EPM Administration Connection to Client and Database Tiers Project, Task, Resource Web UI Portfolio Analysis Web UI Time Tracking Web UI Office Integration

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Components of an EPM Solution

Windows Sharepoint Services Project Web Site Support Document Management Risk and Issue Tracking Project Announcements Online Team Interaction Connection to Database Tier Office Integration

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Components of an EPM Solution

SQL Server Hosts Project Server Databases Host Sharepoint Databases Database Maintenance Data Transformation Services Online Team Interaction Connection to SQL Analysis Services Includes a new Reporting Database in EPM 2007 Office Integration

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Components of an EPM Solution

SQL Analysis Services Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) Supports Portfolio Analyzer Manages OLAP Cubes OLAP Cubes accessible through Project

Web Access and Excel Supports OLAP Database Maintenance

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Components of an EPM Solution

Microsoft Office Excel OLAP Pivot Tables Import / Export with PWA and Microsoft Office

Project Analyze Time Phased Data in Excel

Microsoft Office Copy Picture to Office Wizard OLE DB Integration

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Introduction to OLAP

OLAP Databases are multi-dimensional databases

Consist of Measures and Dimensions Measures come from FACT tables

Types of Measures FACT Table Fields Calculated Measures using FACT Table Fields

Types of Dimensions Date Standard

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Introduction to OLAP

OLAP Cubes allow a lot of flexibility

Dimensions can be re-grouped to provide a different view of the resulting measure

WorkMeasure

ProjectDimension

ResourceDimension

PeriodDate

Dimension

FACT Table

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Introduction to OLAP

An OLAP Cube needs at least one FACT table

Manipulation of the Dimensions produces the result from the FACT Table Measures

WorkMeasure

PeriodDate

Dimension

ProjectDimension

DepartmentDimension

FACT Table

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Introduction to OLAP

OLAP Database Queries (MDX) Show me work (Measure)

by Project (Standard Dimension) by Quarter (Date Dimension)

Show me Cost (Measure) For MPA Projects (Standard Dimension) For PMI Projects (Standard Dimension) By Quarter (Date Dimension)

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Project Server Database FACT Tables

MSP_ASSN_FACT Project Measures such as

Project Work and Cost

MSP_RES_AVAIL_FACT Resource Availability

Measures

Analysis Manager

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First OLAP Demo

Collaboration of EPM Tools Microsoft SQL Analysis Services Microsoft Excel Pivot Tables Using Microsoft Project Database

Add Tables

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Updating OLAP Cubes

Project Server 2003 refreshes the OLAP Cube Tables using a scheduled task from Admin > Manage Enterprise Features

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Updating OLAP Cubes

Project Server 2007 keeps it Reporting Database up-to-date with the main Project Server database

The Project Server 2007 Reporting Database is the source of OLAP Data

The are a number of pre-designed or internal OLAP Cubes available in Project Server 2007

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Project Server DatabaseOLAP Related Tables

2003 MSP Cube Tables MSP_CUBE_PROJECTS MSP_CUBE_RESOURCES MSP_CUBE_TIME_BY_DAY MSP_CUBE_DATE_FIELDS

2007 Reporting Database MSP_EpmResource MSP_EpmProject MSP_TimeByDay ……and much more

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Updating OLAP Cubes

User defined custom OLAP Cubes can be refreshed on a pre-defined schedule via a Data Transformation Services (DTS) package created in SQL Server

OLAP Processing is scheduled via Project Web Access 2003.

Refresh MSP_CUBE tables Build internal OLAP Cubes

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Project Server Database Measures and Dimensions

Dimension Time Period Project List Project Versions Resource List

Measures Work Actual Work Cost Actual Cost

SQL AnalysisManager

DimensionResourceList

DimensionTime

DimensionProject List

Measure

WorkMeasure

Cost

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Ready Made OLAP User Interface

Microsoft Excel contains OLAP Services functionality Connects to OLAP Datasource Creates Pivot Tables to consume OLAP data Contains a wealth of report formatting

templates Can be setup by EPM Administrator or user Source of data and it’s maintenance do not

concern the user Allows users to leverage their knowledge of

excel to view and manipulate OLAP dimensions and measures without the need for a custom UI

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Setup FACT and Dimension Tables

FACT Table

Dimension Table

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Connect to Cube via Excel

The Data > Import feature of excel allows a connection to Microsoft OLAP Services

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The Excel Pivot Table

Pivot Table Toolbar

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Project Center

In this Demo Environment Projects have been published to Project Server and assigned to the PMI or MPA group

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The Excel Pivot Table

Created from Published Projects

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Overview of Cube Structure

Main Project Server Cube Tables MSP_CUBE_PROJECTS MSP_CUBE_RESOURCES MSP_CUBE_TIME_BY_DAY

Main OLAP Tables

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Connecting an Enterprise Outline Code to the Cube

Custom Outline Codes MPA PMI Group Code

Add Project Outline Code

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Using the Pivot Tables

Organizing the Fields Pivot Table Templates New assignments in EPM automatically

refelected in the Pivot Table Pivot Table Usage New Assignments

Project Plan Updated Cube Refreshed Pivot Table shows updates

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Summary Microsoft EPM Solution components work

together or alone

SQL Analysis Services supplies OLAP Cubes

Microsoft Excel supplies a User Interface to the OLAP data via Pivot Tables

These EPM components can be used to develop custom reporting solutions

Microsoft Excel users have a ready made “window” into Project Server Database data

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My Next Session Custom EPM Solutions “read-to-go” Microsoft Project Association Presentation planned

for November of 2007

Microsoft Project VBA for EPM

Managed Code Built in Visual Studio .NET

Windows based (C# and VB.NET)

Web Based (ASP.NET)

Designed to extend EPM 2003 and EPM 2007

Brendan Giles , PMP, MCP

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Questions and Answers

?? No such thing as a stupid question ?? Answers ---- we’ll try to have smart answers