Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Analysis Services Step by Step

Using the Usage-Based Optimization Wizard

You can design aggregations using the Aggregation Design Wizard or the Usage-Based Optimization Wizard. The main difference between the two wizards is that the Aggregation Design Wizard considers all queries equally likely, whereas the Usage-Based Optimization Wizard creates aggregations designed to optimize performance based on queries selected from a log. The best strategy is to design aggregations during development with the Aggregation Design Wizard using estimated long-term counts and a low performance gain (20–30%). Then, if you need to improve query performance, log the queries that your users execute and use the Usage-Based Optimization Wizard to design aggregations that can be used to supplement ...