Setting Up a Connection to an OLAP Data Source

BI Publisher supports connecting to several types of OLAP databases.

Note that to connect to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, BI Publisher must be installed on a supported Windows operating system. For the complete list of supported OLAP databases, see System Requirements and Certification.

To set up a connection to an OLAP data source:

  1. From the Administration page, click OLAP Connection to display the list of existing OLAP connections.

    Private OLAP connections are also supported. For more information, see Managing Private Data Sources in Data Modeling Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher.

  2. Click Add Data Source.
  3. Enter the following fields for the new connection:

    • Data Source Name — Enter a display name for the data source. This name is displayed in the Data Source selection list in the Data Model Editor.

      OLAP Type — Select from the list of supported OLAP databases. When you select the type, the OLAP Connection String field is updated with the appropriate connection string format for your selection.

    • OLAP Connection String — Enter the connection string for the OLAP database. Following are examples for each of the supported OLAP types:

      • Oracle's Hyperion Essbase

        Format: [server]

        Example: myServer.us.example.com

      • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services

        Format: Data Source=[server];Provider=msolap;Initial Catalog=[catalog]

        Example: Data Source=myServer;Provider=msolap;Initial Catalog=VideoStore

      • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services

        Format: Data Source=[server];Provider=msolap.3;Initial Catalog=[catalog]

        Example: Data Source=myServer;Provider=msolap.3;Initial Catalog=VideoStore

      • SAP BW

        Format: ASHOST=[server] SYSNR=[system number] CLIENT=[client] LANG=[language]

        Example: ASHOST=172.16.57.44 SYSNR=01 CLIENT=800 LANG=EN

    • Username and Password for the OLAP database

  4. Click Test Connection. A confirmation message is displayed.
  5. Define security for this data source. Use the shuttle buttons to move roles from the Available Roles list to the Allowed Roles list. Only users assigned the roles on the Allowed Roles list can create or view reports from this the data source.