SSAS Usage Totals
Use relevant metrics to troubleshoot SSAS problems
Attributes
The first tab, Attributes, consists of attribute combinations—such as date, postal code, country, and so on—in SSAS commands, along with information such as duration and the number of queries used in a particular attribute group.
You can expand each attribute group to see various queries along with pertinent information for each query, including its duration, CPU usage, Formula Engine time, Storage Engine time, and so on.
This information helps you find queries that might be good candidates for aggregations.
Aggregations and Partitions tabs
Similar to the Attributes tab, the Aggregations and Partitions tabs in SQL Sentry provide information about their usage. You can use these two tabs to see if some aggregations and partitions are never being used.
Because aggregations can be expensive resource-wise, SQL Sentry helps you decide if a particular one is necessary.
Object Memory Usage
In SSAS Tabular instances, the SSAS Usage Totals shows you one tab, Object Memory Usage. You can view the objects using the most memory. As you drill down, you can see how much memory is dedicated to the data and the dictionary as well as see a hierarchy or the relationships to other columns.
Cardinality
Another piece of information you need to successfully troubleshoot SSAS performance is the cardinality of your data. Cardinality refers to the number of unique values. The SSAS VertiPaq columnar storage can realize up to 10x data compression.
However, this rate depends on your data’s cardinality. Data with low cardinality (such as gender) will see the best compression. Data with high cardinality (such as invoice number) will see the worst compression.
Need Deeper Usage Insights into Your SSAS Instance?
Do you find yourself asking…
The SSAS Usage Totals tab provides information you can use to determine what responses to take based on activity levels. This information is divided into three different groups: Attributes, Aggregations, and Partitions.
The SSAS Usage Totals tab provides information you can use to determine what responses to take based on activity levels. This information is divided into three different groups: Attributes, Aggregations, and Partitions.
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