How to Easily Query SQL Analysis Services Data in OpenOffice Base

Apache OpenOffice Base is a versatile, free database tool that makes connecting and managing data easy. With CData ODBC Driver for SQL Analysis Services, you can seamlessly integrate and query live SQL Analysis Services data, bringing real-time insights directly into OpenOffice.

This guide simplifies the setup, showing you how to connect SQL Analysis Services to OpenOffice Base so you can easily generate reports, analyze trends, and make informed decisions right within your familiar workspace.

Overview

Here is an overview of the steps:

1. CONFIGURE: Configure the DSN for SQL Analysis Services data in the CData ODBC Driver for SQL Analysis Services, using the required connection properties.
2. CONNECT: Set up the ODBC connection in OpenOffice Base using the configured DSN.
3. IMPORT: Once connected, review the available metadata and tables.
4. CREATE: Create a report based on the queried SQL Analysis Services data data.

Configure the SQL Analysis Services DSN Using the CData ODBC Driver for SQL Analysis Services

To start, configure the DSN (Data Source Name) for SQL Analysis Services data in your system using the CData ODBC Driver for SQL Analysis Services. Download and install a 30-day free trial with all the features from here.

Once installed, launch the ODBC Data Source Administrator:

• On Windows: Search for ODBC Data Source Administrator in the Start menu and open the application.
• On Mac: Open Applications, go to Utilities, and select ODBC Manager.
• On Linux: Use the command line to launch ODBC Data Source Administrator or use unixODBC if installed.

Once launched, double-click on the CData SQL Analysis Services data Source and enter the required values to establish a connection:

To connect, provide authentication and set the Url property to a valid SQL Server Analysis Services endpoint. You can connect to SQL Server Analysis Services instances hosted over HTTP with XMLA access. See the Microsoft documentation to configure HTTP access to SQL Server Analysis Services.

To secure connections and authenticate, set the corresponding connection properties, below. The data provider supports the major authentication schemes, including HTTP and Windows, as well as SSL/TLS.

• HTTP Authentication

  Set AuthScheme to "Basic" or "Digest" and set User and Password. Specify other authentication values in CustomHeaders.

• Windows (NTLM)

  Set the Windows User and Password and set AuthScheme to "NTLM".

• Kerberos and Kerberos Delegation

  To authenticate with Kerberos, set AuthScheme to NEGOTIATE. To use Kerberos delegation, set AuthScheme to KERBEROSDELEGATION. If needed, provide the User, Password, and KerberosSPN. By default, the data provider attempts to communicate with the SPN at the specified Url.

• SSL/TLS:

  By default, the data provider attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store. To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats.

You can then access any cube as a relational table: When you connect the data provider retrieves SSAS metadata and dynamically updates the table schemas. Instead of retrieving metadata every connection, you can set the CacheLocation property to automatically cache to a simple file-based store.

See the Getting Started section of the CData documentation, under Retrieving Analysis Services Data, to execute SQL-92 queries to the cubes.

Setup an ODBC Connection in OpenOffice Base

Once you've set up the DSN, it's time to connect to it in OpenOffice Base and start querying data:

• Launch OpenOffice Base and select Database from the home screen.
• In the Database Wizard, choose ODBC from the 'Connect to an existing database' option and click Next.
• Click Browse to locate and select the DSN you created, then click OK.
• Enter the username associated with the DSN, click Test Connection to verify, and then click Next.
• Finally, click Finish to save the new database file to your desired directory. This will connect OpenOffice Base to your live SQL Analysis Services data data, ready for querying and analysis.

Your connection is now established — ready to query and analyze data seamlessly within OpenOffice Base.

Review the Metadata and Tables

After the database file is created and the connection is established, the table list will automatically display all available SQL Analysis Services data objects.

• Review the SQL Analysis Services data Object List: In the left pane, click on Tables to view the SQL Analysis Services data objects now available within OpenOffice Base.
• View Object Data: Click on any object to view its contents. The SQL Analysis Services data data will display directly within OpenOffice Base, allowing you to review records and fields with ease.

That's it! You have now successfully established a connection to SQL Analysis Services data in OpenOffice Base, with data readily available for analysis and reporting.

Create a Report

Now, let's generate a report based on your SQL Analysis Services data data.

• Open your database and go to the Reports tab, then select Create Report Using Wizard.
• In the Report Wizard, choose the SQL Analysis Services data table from the Table or Query section. Select the columns from Available Fields that you want to include in your report and move them to the Fields in Report section using the arrows.
• After configuring the fields, click Finish to generate your report.
• Analyze, adjust, save, and publish the report as needed.

Your report is now created, drawing live data directly from SQL Analysis Services data, and ready for analysis.

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