OLAP Cube Wizard: Step 1

In this step, you decide which of the fields in your source data you want to use as data fields. Data fields contain values that you want to summarize, such as sales amounts that you want to total. Select at least one field to be a data field.

The wizard has determined which fields may contain this kind of data and proposes them as data fields. The proposed fields are the checked ones that appear at the top of the list. You need to verify whether the wizard's proposals are correct and make any changes you want.

You must leave at least one field unchecked in this step. The fields you don't check in this step will be available for use as dimension fields, which are the fields that contain descriptive data and facts that serve as categories and line items in your reports. You'll select and organize the dimension fields in the next step.

To complete this step:

  1. Select the check boxes for any additional fields that you want to use as data fields, and clear the check boxes for the fields that you don't want to use. At least one field must be selected.
  2. To choose a different summary function from the one the wizard proposes, click the proposed function in the Summarize by column, and then click the function that you want. The summary functions are Sum, Count, Min (returns the smallest value in the data being summarized), and Max (returns the largest value).

    To summarize the same field by using more than one summary function, your query or selection of source data must contain one instance of the field for each summary function that you want. To add more instances of the field, click Cancel to exit the wizard; then add the fields to your query or selection, and run the wizard again.

  3. To change the name of a field from the name the wizard proposes, click the name in the Data field name column, and type the new name.

    The field names you assign in the wizard will appear in the reports you create from the cube. Whether you can change the field names in the reports depends on the type of reports you create.

More information

Overview of the OLAP Cube Wizard