Widely Supported APIs and Open Architecture

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Analysis Services provides various tools you can use to programmatically extend its functionality.

OLE DB

Analysis Services is designed to meet the OLAP-specific requirements of the OLE DB 2.0 and later specification, which was developed with the input of over 40 OLAP client and server vendors and is a widely supported standard for multidimensional data access.

Analysis Services is also designed to meet the requirements of the OLE DB for Data Mining specification, which addresses data mining-specific provisions.

ADO

Analysis Services is compatible with Microsoft ActiveX® Data Objects (ADO) and its extension for multidimensional objects, ADO (Multidimensional) (ADO MD).

User-Defined Functions

You can extend the list of built-in functions by creating libraries of functions using Component Object Model (COM) automation languages, such as Microsoft Visual Basic® or Microsoft Visual C++®. You can register these libraries and use your functions in calculated member definitions and other expressions written in Multidimensional Expressions (MDX). This architecture enables you to add customized analysis tools.

Decision Support Objects

You can use the server object model, Decision Support Objects (DSO), to create applications that define and manage cubes, data mining models, and other objects. This object model can be used to extend the functionality of Analysis Manager or to automate the ongoing maintenance of your system.

Add-in Support

You can use the Analysis Services Add-in Manager interface to create applications that extend the functionality of the Analysis Manager user interface. Using the Analysis Services Add-in Manager interface and DSO, you can create custom extensions, dialog boxes, wizards, and other applications that integrate with Analysis Manager.