The Task Options submenu, similar to Job Options, allows a user to execute specific PowerOLAP cube task directly from Excel. The Task Options can be found under the PowerOLAP command menu.

 Important

For this feature to work, you must open an Excel spreadsheet that has a connection to the particular PowerOLAP database containing the cube task that you want to perform or execute. Only those cubes and cube tasks that are specific to that database

Selecting the Task Options will launch the Add Task dialog.

The Add Task dialog box displays all the cubes that resides on the database you are currently connected to, as well as any of the cubes tasks that exists for those cubes.

Detailed below are the components of the Add Task dialog box followed by a brief description of what each item does:

• The drop down menu at the top of the dialog enables a user to select a cube from the database.
• The List box on the other hand, will display all cube tasks that were created for the currently selected cube (E.g. export cube tasks, clear cube task, IDS task, etc…).
• The Execute button performs or executes the currently selected task.
• The Add button appends or inserts a button to the Excel file which when selected will automatically perform a particular PowerOLAP cube task. This button may be useful when you frequently perform a specific cube task.

For instance, you created a Clear Cube task in the UsingPO database that clears all the fact data of the Future Year Model cube. To execute this task in Excel we need to perform the steps outlined below.

To Execute a Task:

1.   From the Excel ribbon, go to Add-Ins tab and select PowerOLAP command menu then Task Options
The Add Task dialog box appears.

2.   Select a cube (i.e. Future Year Model) from the drop down menu. Any existing cube task for the selected cube will appear in the task list box.

3.   Select a task (i.e. Clear FY fact data) from the list box.

4.   Select Execute. A PowerOLAP message box will inform users of a successful task execution:

As a result, all the fact data for the Future Year Model cube will be zeroed out.

If we click on the Add Button from the Add Task dialog, it will insert an excel button (refer to the boxed item on the following image) in the Excel spreadsheet which contains the info for the cube task selected. When you click on the appended button, it will automatically perform or execute the cube task without having to repeat the whole task selection process.

This may be useful in such situations where a user is likely to perform a particular task from time to time.