Actions
An action is an end user-initiated operation upon a selected cube or portion of a cube. The operation can start an application with the selected item as a parameter or retrieve information about the selected item.
Actions enable end users to act upon the outcomes of their analyses. By using actions, end users can go beyond traditional analysis and initiate solutions to discovered problems and deficiencies. Actions have the potential of transforming client applications from sophisticated data rendering tools to integral parts of the enterprise's operational system. Actions provide an easy way for end users to step from focusing on specific data to sending that data as input to operational applications.
For example, an end user browsing an Inventory cube notices that the current stock of white shoes is low. The end user selects the Order action on the white shoes member. This action initiates a new order for more white shoes in the order entry system.
You can exercise flexibility when you create actions. There are several types of actions for launching different kinds of applications and retrieving different kinds of information. Moreover, you can create actions that are triggered from various portions of cubes, including dimensions, levels, members, and cells. You can create multiple actions for the same portion of a cube. You can also pass string parameters to the launched applications and specify the action captions displayed to end users.
You can use the Action Wizard to create actions. For more information, see Creating Actions.
In order for an end user to use actions, his or her client application must support actions.
Although a command object is automatically executed when an end user accesses the object for which the command object is defined, if the command object is an action, the action itself is not automatically executed. The execution of the command creates the action and thereby makes it available to the end user. The action is executed when the end user performs the client-specific operation that initiates the action.
Actions created in the Action Wizard are saved so they can be used when browsing a cube that contains the actions. Actions can also be created that are in effect only for the duration of a session and are not saved. To create an action for the duration of a session, use the CREATE ACTION statement. This statement is also used in the Statement property when you create actions programmatically with Decision Support Objects (DSO). For more information, see CREATE ACTION Statement.
In Analysis Manager, an action is identified by the following icon.
