Remote Partitions
The data of a remote partition is stored on an Analysis server computer other than the one that contains the definitions (that is, meta data) of the partition and its parent cube. A remote partition is administered on the same Analysis server where the partition and its parent cube are defined.
When a remote partition is created, the Analysis server computer that stores its data is specified. This Analysis server computer is called the remote Analysis server of the remote partition.
Note The remote server computer must have Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Analysis Services installed if the administering server computer runs SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services. Remote partitions on a server computer running SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services are not supported.
Depending on the storage mode of a remote partition, the following data is stored on its remote Analysis server.
| Storage type | Stores |
|---|---|
| MOLAP | The partition's |
| HOLAP | The partition's aggregations |
| ROLAP | No partition data |
Thus, if a cube contains multiple, remote multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP) or hybrid OLAP (HOLAP) partitions stored on multiple remote Analysis servers, the cube distributes its data among those Analysis servers.
When remote partitions are included in a cube, the memory and CPU utilization of a cube is also distributed. For example, when a remote partition is processed (alone or as part of its parent cube's processing), a majority of the memory and CPU utilization occurs on the remote Analysis server.
The meta data for a remote partition can be viewed and updated only on the Analysis server where the partition and its parent cube are defined. It cannot be viewed or updated on the remote Analysis server. Thus, a cube that contains remote partitions can be administered along with its partitions on a single Analysis server.
In Analysis Manager, a remote partition is identified by its unique icon.
To create a remote partition, use the Partition Wizard. In the Specify the partition type step, click Remote, and then select a remote Analysis server. For more information, see Creating Partitions.
To create or maintain a remote partition, your user name must be included in the OLAP Administrators group on both the Analysis server where the partition is defined and its remote Analysis server.
Remote partitions can be merged only with other remote partitions with the same remote Analysis server.
Data in remote partitions is not archived or restored with a database. After you restore a database that has a remote partition, you must process the remote partition. For more information about archiving and restoring databases, see Archiving and Restoring Databases. To process a partition, see How to process a partition.
If a remote partition is defined on an Analysis server, the logon account for the Analysis server service (MSSQLServerOLAPService) must be a domain user account. Otherwise, processing the remote partition will fail. If the account changes, you must either reprocess the remote partition or resave the partition. The remote partition can be resaved by either editing the partition in Analysis Manager using the Partition Wizard and finishing the wizard without changes, or by using a client application employing Decision Support Objects (DSO) to update the partition without changes. Either action will resynchronize the remote partition defined on the Analysis server.
Note Parallel processing of remote partitions is not supported.
A cube that contains a remote partition cannot contain a write-enabled dimension. For more information about write-enabled dimensions, see Write-Enabled Dimensions.