Actions
In Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services, an action is a stored MDX statement that can be presented to and employed by client applications. In other words, an action is a client command that is defined and stored on the server. An action also contains information that specifies when and how the MDX statement should be displayed and handled by the client application. The operation that is specified by the action can start an application, using the information in the action as a parameter, or can retrieve information based on criteria supplied by the action.
Actions enable business users to act upon the outcomes of their analyses. By saving and reusing actions, end users can go beyond traditional analysis, which typically ends with presentation of data, and initiate solutions to discovered problems and deficiencies, thereby extending the business intelligence application beyond the cube. Actions can transform the client application from a sophisticated data rendering tool into an integral part of the enterprise's operational system. Instead of focusing on sending data as input to operational applications, end users can "close the loop" on the decision-making process. This ability to transform analytical data into decisions is crucial to the successful business intelligence application.
For example, a business user browsing a cube notices that the current stock of a certain product is low. The client application provides to the business user a list of actions, all related to low product stock value, that are retrieved from the Analysis Services database, The business user selects the Order action for the member of the cube that represents the product. The Order action initiates a new order by calling a stored procedure in the operational database. This stored procedure generates the appropriate information to send to the order entry system.
You can exercise flexibility when you create actions: for example, an action can launch an application, or retrieve information from a database. You can configure an action to be triggered from almost any part of a cube, including dimensions, levels, members, and cells, or create multiple actions for the same portion of a cube. You can also pass string parameters to the launched applications and specify the captions displayed to end users as the action runs.
Important
In order for a business user to use actions, the client application employed by the business user must support actions.
Types of Actions
The following table lists the types of actions that are included in Analysis Services:
| Action Type | Description |
|---|---|
CommandLine |
Executes a command at the command prompt |
Dataset |
Returns a dataset to a client application. |
Drillthrough |
Returns a drillthrough statement as an expression, which the client executes to return a rowset |
Html |
Executes an HTML script in an Internet browser |
Proprietary |
Performs an operation by using an interface other than those listed in this table. |
Report |
Submits a parameterized URL-based request to a report server and returns a report to a client application. |
Rowset |
Returns a rowset to a client application. |
Statement |
Runs an OLE DB command. |
URL |
Displays a dynamic Web page in an Internet browser. |
Resolving and Executing Actions
When a business user accesses the object for which the command object is defined, the statement associated with the action is automatically resolved, which makes it available to the client application, but the action is not automatically executed. The action is executed only when the business user performs the client-specific operation that initiates the action. For example, a client applications might display a list of actions as a pop-up menu when the business user right-clicks on a particular member or cell.
See Also
Concepts
Defining and Configuring an Action