OLAP Custom Fields

[Micah]

I have a project custom field that I am including in my OLAP cube build. It
seems to be working to a degree. It is showing up in the MSP Project WSS. The
issue I'm having is this cube does not have the other feilds I'm looking for.
I have the OLAP Cube Dimensions and Total Fields spreadsheet from
msprojectexperts.com (great resources and teachers by the way). What I would
like to know is:
Is there a way to specify which of the 14 cubes my costom fields get built
into?
Thanks

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Micah --

Thank you for your very kind comments about our company and our people!
The MSP_Project_WSS cube contains Project data related to WSS, such as
Risks, Issues, and Deliverables. In this cube, you will not see custom
enterprise Resource fields or Task fields. Hope this helps.

 

[Micah]

My issue is that several of my enterprise custom fields ARE in
MSP_Project_WSS. I would like to see them in MSP_Portfolio_Analyzer. I have
used Cube Config. to place my fields in the cube dimensions. The fields are
project fields with lookup tables. Some examples are Project Type_ and
Project Manager_. The '_' is in the custom field name because a consultant
set them up this way. Could this be a reason? Is there a way to point these
custom fields to the MSP_Portfolio_Analyzer cube?
Thanks

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Micah --

I have no idea why your consultant added the underscore character in the
field names. Odd. Did your consultant give you a reason for this?
Regardless, why don't you try removing the trailing underscore character at
the end of the field names in question, and then rebuild the OLAP cubes.
Let us know the results.

 

[Micah]

I think the reason behind his logic is the look up table is called Project
Type and the project field is named Project Type_. I think this is to keep us
from mixing up the two. I changed the name of my project field to
ProjectType. Then checked the OLAP config and sure enough the field name was
updated there. I rebuilt the cube and now I'm really confused... the
MSP_Project_WSS cube still contains a field named Project Type__Project, and
ProjectType_Project is no where to be found in any cube. sigh

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Micah --

For naming convention, we usually recommend you use the plural version for
the Lookup Table, such as Project Types, and the singular for the Field,
such as Project Type. That way, there should never be any confusion.
Regarding what you see in the MSP_Project_WSS cube, the name Project
Type_Project is how the system designates the Project Type field in the OLAP
cube. The _Project suffix indicates that this is a Project field. Are you
absolutely certain you do not see the Project Type_Project dimension in any
other cube? Let us know and we will try to help.

 

[Micah]

In total, I have 5 project custom fields. In addition to the MSP Project WSS
cube, they are also showing up in the Project Non Timephased cube. Is there a
way to pick which cube they get built into, or will I have to deal with one
of these cubes? Will the '_' affect analysis services? Should I change our
fields to a different naming convention?
Thanks

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Micah --

No, you cannot pick specifically which custom fields get stored in which
cube. Regarding the underscore at the end of the field name, I would
definitely drop it. Unless your consultant can give you a good reason for
using it, I don't recommend your consultant's approach. Why don't you just
use text only in your field names, without using any special characters at
all? Hope this helps.

 

[Micah]

I found the answer to my question!!! In Cube configuration, under Cube
Dimensions, there is a dropdown named 'Cube:'. All my project custom fields
are listed as 'Selected dimensions' when this dropdown is toggled to
'Project'. They were not in 'Selected dimension' for the dropdowns Resource,
Task, or Assignment. Adding my custom fields to these Cubes allowed them to
show up in MSP Portfolio Analyzer along with other cubes. Thanks for the help
Dale, sometimes you just need some to tell your proplem to in order to find
the anwser. Thanks again!

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Micah --

Um, I thought you had already added them using the Cube Configuration page.
Given the fact that you solved your own problem in spite of my oversight, I
offer you my congrats and a tip of the hat!

 

[Laura Stevens]

We have an enterprise custom field (based on a lookup table) for project status (as in active, completed, etc.). It's included in the cube dimensions for projects. When you try to use data analysis for reporting on the msp_project_wss cube (or even the standalone risk and issues cubes), that dimension is listed as available, but once you add it in to the pivot table, all detail collapses and you are left with the grand total. So, for example, I put in my data analysis "project name" as a row field, and "risk count" in the total section. It lists each project and the risk count. When I add in project status to the left of project name, all detail disappears. It would be very helpful to only report on risks for active projects, for example. Not sure why the cube can't be accumulated using that dimension. Thanks for any assistance!

I have a project custom field that I am including in my OLAP cube build. It
seems to be working to a degree. It is showing up in the MSP Project WSS. The
issue I am having is this cube does not have the other feilds I am looking for.
I have the OLAP Cube Dimensions and Total Fields spreadsheet from
msprojectexperts.com (great resources and teachers by the way). What I would
like to know is:
Is there a way to specify which of the 14 cubes my costom fields get built
into?
Thanks

On Friday, January 29, 2010 3:32 PM Dale Howard [MVP] wrote:
Micah --

Thank you for your very kind comments about our company and our people!
The MSP_Project_WSS cube contains Project data related to WSS, such as
Risks, Issues, and Deliverables. In this cube, you will not see custom
enterprise Resource fields or Task fields. Hope this helps.