Using out-of-line bindings for dimension processing

You could use out-of-line bindings for incrementally processing very large dimensions without having to read the full dataset. In this context, the term binding applies to the dimension table or view. The sample database only has a handful of records for each dimension table, but in a realistic scenario you could have a client, customer, or even product dimension with millions of members. On a normal day, you could expect only a small number (compared to the total number) of dimension members to be added. Keep in mind that the ProcessAdd option reads the entire dataset in order to determine which rows must be added to the SSAS dimension. Running a query against a multimillion row dimension table could add an undue burden to the relational database engine and cause processing to be unnecessarily lengthy. Fortunately, there is a better option: out-of-line bindings.

How to do it...

Let's pretend for a few minutes that Adventure Works has grown...