Adding a Multiple-Column Measure to a Cube

A measure can contain multiple columns combined in an expression. For example, the Profit measure is the difference of two numeric columns: Sales and Cost.

When you build or update a cube in the Cube editor, you can add such a measure.

Caution If the cube contains multiple partitions, this procedure will delete them and add a single default partition.

To add a multiple-column measure to a cube

1. In the OLAP Manager tree view, right click the cube, and then click Edit.
2. In the Cube editor tree view, right-click the Measures folder, and then click New Measure. Use the Select Column dialog box to select one of the columns for the measure.
3. In the Cube editor tree view, ensure the new measure is selected.
4. Expand the Properties pane, and in the Source Column value, type an expression containing the columns. For example:

   "sales_fact_1998"."store_sales"-"sales_fact_1998"."store_cost"

5. Save the cube.

After adding the measure, you will need to redesign storage options and aggregations for the cube using the Storage Design wizard.

You must also process the cube before users can view its data. Depending on the size of the cube, processing may take considerable time. For more information, see Processing Cubes Using the OLAP Manager.