Create a Single PowerCube

When you want to tailor the properties of a PowerCube to meet the specific needs of users, you can manually define the cube. Examples of items that you can customize include the location of the PowerCube or the dimensions and measures to include.

Each cube uses Structured Query Language (SQL) to retrieve the specified query items and their relationships from the data sources in your model. When you create or modify a cube, you can also apply security to it, to control your users' access to information.

For example, if your data source contains information from different areas of a business, you might decide to create different cubes for Human Resources and Finance. You can define each cube to meet a set of broadly defined, but related, OLAP reporting needs. Each report contains only the information from a single cube, although you can support additional analysis by setting up drill through to related reports. For more information, see the topic on drill-through access in the Administration and Security Guide.

To create a cube, your model must have at least one dimension with at least one level, and its Measures list must show at least one measure.

Procedure

  1. Click in the PowerCubes list to make it active and, from the Edit menu, click Insert PowerCube.
  2. In the PowerCube name box, type a name for the new PowerCube.
  3. In the PowerCube file name box, click Browse to specify the location where the PowerCube will be saved.

    When you specify the cube name on the Output tab, ensure the path is valid and avoid using restricted characters, such as the exclamation mark (!), in the file name.

    By default, Cognos® Transformer saves cubes in the My Documents/Transformer/PowerCubes directory. You can set the default location to which Cognos Transformer saves models by changing the PowerCubes directory setting on the Directories tab of the Preferences property sheet. On Windows Vista, Cognos Transformer saves cubes in the Documents/Transformer/PowerCubes directory.

    We recommend that you specify cube names without spaces in the file name. Although spaces are valid, file names without spaces are preferable for UNIX or Linux® environments.

  4. To save a cube that is in use and therefore locked, select the Use temporary file name if the original file is locked option and specify an alternative name for the PowerCube file.
  5. On each of the other tabs in the Powercube property sheet, set the properties you want to apply.
  6. When you have finished defining your PowerCube, click OK.
  7. To review your initial model design and confirm the results of your cube build, open the cube in PowerPlay®: select the cube and then click the PowerPlay for Windows button Icon.

    To open a cube in PowerPlay version 7.x, you must not have applied any custom views to the cube.

    If you receive an error message indicating that the setting for the PowerPlay application is either not defined, or is not valid, click the Browse button to locate the PowerPlay application. The PowerPlay application location is defined on the Directories tab of the Preferences property sheet.