You can track custom iMIS demographics (custom fields) as attributes in the iMIS Analytics customer dimensions. Only fields from single-instance custom tables can be tracked in Analytics. If there is demographic data in multi-instance custom tables that you want to track in Analytics, you must redefine the data in iMIS as a single-instance custom table. Consult your Authorized iMIS Solution Provider (AiSP) for assistance with this process.
Before you begin
■ Read Custom iMIS Demographics and Slowly Changing Dimensions in Basic concepts for your IT staff.
■ Perform this procedure on the iMIS application server where Analytics is installed.
■ If SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (or any Visual Studio-based window) is currently open on the host, close the window before starting this procedure. If Visual Studio is left open during the early parts of this procedure, you might have difficulty viewing newly-added custom fields.
To configure Analytics to track custom iMIS demographics
Caution! The Analytics Configuration tool used in this procedure is meant primarily for advanced development and customization of Analytics. Using this tool for any purpose other than the specific goals of this procedure is unsupported at this time.
1. On the iMIS application server where Analytics is installed, open your Analytics folder, such as C:\Program Files\ASI\iMIS\Analytics.
2. Double-click AnalyticsConfiguration.exe.
The Analytics Configuration window appears.
3. In the i15.UseCustomerExtensions row, set the Value to 1.
4. Click File > Save.
5. Choose Tools > Mappings.
The Analytics Mappings window appears.
6. From the Table List, select the CustomerExt dimension table.
The editor grid displays all of the fields from single-instance custom tables in the iMIS database that can be tracked in Analytics.
7. Select the fields to track and specify their slowly changing dimension (SCD) type:
□ In the Active column, select the checkbox corresponding to each custom field that you want to track in Analytics.
□ In the SCD Type column, specify which slowly changing dimension type to use for each field that you marked as Active:
■ Enter 2 to specify Type 2 (preserves history). Use this slowly changing dimension (SCD) type if you want to preserve a history of older attribute values in the data warehouse (by adding new records) when the custom field is changed in iMIS.
■ Enter 1 to specify Type 1 (overwrites history). Use this SCD type if you want to always overwrite the current attribute value in the data warehouse when the custom field is changed in iMIS.
■ Enter 0 to never update records. Use this special value for attributes that you never want to update from its original value when first extracted into the data warehouse.
8. Click Save to save the changes that you have made to the CustomerExt table definition.
9. Close the Analytics Mappings window.
10. Connect to the Analytics analysis database
□ Choose Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server > SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.
The Visual Studio window appears.
□ Choose File > Open > Analysis Services Database.
The Connect To Database window appears.
□ In the Server field, specify the SQL Server instance that contains your Analytics analysis database. This field is case-sensitive.
□ From the Database drop-down list, select your analysis database (named iAnalytics by default).
□ Click OK.
The Solution Explorer pane displays the contents of your analysis database.
11. Update the Analytics data warehouse structure to incorporate the new iMIS custom fields.
□ In the Solution Explorer, in the Data Source Views folder, right-click the iAnalytics data source view and choose Open.
The iAnalytics data source view appears.
□ In the toolbar area for the data source view, click the Refresh Data Source View icon.
The Refresh Data Source View window appears. All of the iMIS custom fields that you marked as Active in the Analytics Mappings window should be listed as Added for the DWCustomerExtDim table.
□ Click OK.
□ The DWCustomerExtDim table in the data source view is updated to include new columns for each of the iMIS custom fields.
□ Choose File > Save All to save the changes to the data source view and to update the Analytics data warehouse structure accordingly.
12. Update the Analytics analysis database dimensions to incorporate the new columns that you added to the data warehouse.
□ In the Solution Explorer, in the Cubes folder, right-click the iMIS cube and choose Open.
The Cube Structure tab for the iMIS cube appears.
□ In the toolbar area for the Cube Structure tab, click the Add Cube Dimension icon.
The Add Cube Dimension window appears.
□ From the Select dimension list, select Customer Ext Dim and click OK.
The Customer Ext Dim dimension is added to the Dimensions lists.
□ In the Hierarchies tab of the Dimensions list, right-click the Customer Ext Dim dimension and choose Edit Dimension.
The Dimension Structure tab for the Customer Ext Dim dimension appears.
□ In the Data Source View, locate the DWCustomerExtDim data source and scroll the list of columns in the data source until the new iMIS custom fields are visible.
□ For each column in the DWCustomerExtDim data source that corresponds to the new iMIS custom fields that you want to track in Analytics, perform the following steps.
1. Multi-select all of the columns (hold Ctrl while selecting each column).
2. Right-click the selected columns and choose New Attribute from Column.
The columns are added to the Attributes list for the Customer Ext Dim dimension.
□ Choose File > Save All to save the changes to the Customer Ext Dim dimension and the iMIS cube in the analysis database.
The Microsoft Visual Studio window appears, prompting you to reprocess various objects in the analysis database.
□ Click Yes.
The Process Object(s) window appears.
□ Click Run.
The Process Progress window appears and displays status while the analysis database is reprocessed.
□ When the reprocessing has completed and the Status field displays Process succeeded, close all SQL Server Business Intelligence Studio windows.
13. Update the data warehouse and analysis database with the new custom fields from the iMIS database by manually running the Update iAnalytics package.
14. Verify that the new custom fields are available in Analytics.
□ Open the iMIS Analytics.bbk file in ProClarity Professional.
The Analytics data appears.
□ In the Briefing Book area, expand the Revenue folder and select the Revenue by Product Class view.
The Revenue by Product Class view appears.
□ Choose View > Setup Panel.
The Setup Panel appears.
□ Verify that the Customer Ext Dim dimension is listed in the Custom Hierarchies for the view.
□ Expand the Customer Ext Dim dimension and verify that the new custom fields from the iMIS database are listed as attributes in the dimension.
15. Create a new view that uses one of the custom fields.
□ Ensure that the Revenue by Product Class view is still displayed, and the Customer Ext Dim dimension is still expanded in the Setup Panel.
□ Right-click an attribute in the Customer Ext Dim dimension that corresponds to one of the new custom fields and choose Move to Rows.
The attribute appears at the top of the Rows list of the Setup Panel.
□ In the Rows list, select and drag the attribute from the top of the list to the bottom (immediately after the Product Class hierarchy.
□ Choose View > Apply Now.
The table portion of the view changes to display new sub-rows within each of the product class rows, and the graph portion also changes accordingly to show more granular breakdowns of each product class based on the attribute that you added to the view. For more information, see Viewing Analytics cubes for ad-hoc analysis (see Viewing the iMIS cube for ad-hoc analysis).