Multidimensional Models and Business Intelligence Development Studio - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services - page 123

Working with Linked Objects
You use linked objects to reuse an object (dimension or measure group) that resides in a
different database, perhaps on a different server. You can link only dimensions from differ-
ent databases. The linked object points to the object you want to reuse.
For more information about linked objects, see Chapter 25, “Building Scalable Analysis
Services Applications.”
Launch the Linked Object Wizard
1. On the Cube Structure tab, right-click anywhere in the Measures pane.
2. From the resulting menu, select New Linked Object.
When the Linked Object Wizard appears, you can, as usual, speed on through the
Welcome page. Then, you get down to the business of creating your linked object:
1. On the Select a Data Source page, under Analysis Services Data Sources, a list of
available Analysis Services data sources appears. You can select a data source from
the list or click New Data Source.
NOTE
An Analysis Services data source is the data source pointing to another instance of
Analysis Services and not to the relational database.
2. The Data Source Wizard appears on top of your Linked Object Wizard.
3. On the Select How to Define the Connection page, select an existing connection
under Data Connections that points to another instance of Analysis Services that
contains the objects you want to link to. Click Next.
4. On the Impersonation Information page, select Use the Service Account, and click
Next.
5. On the Completing the Wizard page, click Finish.
6. Back in the Linked Object Wizard, on the Select a Data Source page, select your
newly created Analysis Services data source, and then click Next.
7. If you connected to an instance of Analysis Services that holds another copy of the
FoodMart 2008 database, on the Select Objects page you should see something like
Figure 9.13. Here you can select measure groups and dimensions to link to. (If you
select only one measure group, make sure that you also select some of the dimen-
sions belonging to it.)