Eclipse Daanse Probe Application

What is Eclipse Daanse Probe?

Eclipse Daanse Probe is a rapid development and testing platform for OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) catalogs and multidimensional data analysis. It's designed as the perfect tool for:

🚀 Fast Catalog Development: Quickly create, test, and iterate OLAP catalog designs
🎭 Mock Data Creation: Build realistic test scenarios with CSV-based data simulation
📚 OLAP Learning: Comprehensive tutorial collection for mastering multidimensional analysis concepts
🔧 Prototyping: Rapid prototyping of business intelligence solutions

Full OLAP Analysis Server

Probe is not just a development tool—it's a complete OLAP analysis server that implements the full Eclipse Daanse server stack:

XMLA Protocol Support

✅ Full XMLA Compatibility: Implements XML for Analysis (XMLA) web services
📊 Excel Integration: Direct connectivity with Microsoft Excel pivot tables
🔗 BI Tool Support: Compatible with any XMLA-capable business intelligence tool

Excel Connection

Connect Microsoft Excel directly to your Probe server:

Open Excel → Data → Get Data → From Other Sources → From Analysis Services
Use Excel's Analysis Services connector with endpoint: http://localhost:8080/xmla
Or use OLEDB - Connection String: Provider=MSOLAP;Data Source=http://localhost:8080/xmla

Enterprise-Grade Features

Multidimensional Queries: Full MDX (Multidimensional Expressions) query support
Cube Operations: Drill-down, slice, dice, and pivot operations
Calculated Members: Dynamic measure and dimension calculations
Security: Role-based access control and data security
Caching: Intelligent query result caching for performance

Development-Focused Design

Live Catalog Reloading

🔄 Hot Reload: Modify catalogs and data files while the server is running
📁 File Watching: Automatic detection of catalog changes
⚡ Instant Feedback: See changes immediately without restarts

Tutorial-Rich Environment

Daanse Server Tutorials ships with 80+ tutorial scenarios covering:

Basic cube and dimension modeling
Advanced aggregation strategies
Parent-child hierarchies and time dimensions
Security and access control patterns
KPI and calculated member examples
Virtual cubes and writeback functionality

Download the Full Tutorial Pack or Learn in our Tutorials Online

Features

OLAP Analytics Server: Full-featured multidimensional analysis capabilities
Tutorial Datasets: Extensive collection of educational examples including:
- Access control tutorials (catalog, column, cube, dimension, hierarchy, member, table)
- Aggregation examples (aggregate tables, exclusions)
- Calculated members and KPI definitions
- Drill-through actions and data exploration
- Parent-child hierarchies and time dimensions
- Virtual cubes and writeback functionality
Security: Runs as non-root user (UID/GID 1000)
Logging: Configurable logging with logback
Data Catalogs: Support for XMI catalog mappings and CSV data files

Running the Probe Server

Eclipse Daanse Probe can be run in multiple ways depending on your needs and environment.

Container-Based Execution

Use containers for production deployments, isolated environments, and easy distribution.

Quick Start with Containers

bash

# Docker
docker run --name probe \
  --userns=keep-id \
  -v ~/temp/probe/catalog:/app/catalog/:rw,Z \
  -v ~/temp/probe/output:/app/output/:rw,Z \
  -p 8095:8080 \
  -it eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot

Container Parameters Explained

--name probe: Container name
-v ~/temp/probe/catalog:/app/catalog/:rw,Z: Mount local catalog directory ( read-write with SELinux context)
-v ~/temp/probe/output:/app/output/:rw,Z mount the output folder e.g. for documnetation
-p 8095:8080: Map host port 8095 to container port 8080
-d: Run in detached mode
eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot: Container image

Docker Compose

Use Docker Compose for multi-service setups with databases, reverse proxies, and monitoring:

yaml

version: '3.8'

services:
  probe:
    image: eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot
    container_name: daanse-probe
    ports:
      - "8095:8080"
    volumes:
      - type: bind
        source: ~/temp/probe/catalog
        target: /app/catalog/
        bind:
          selinux: Z
      - type: bind
        source: ~/temp/probe/output
        target: /app/output/
        bind:
          selinux: Z
      - type: bind
        source: ./logs
        target: /app/log/
        bind:
          selinux: Z
    networks:
      - daanse-network
    user: "1000:1000"

networks:
  daanse-network:
    driver: bridge
    name: daanse-network

Start services

text

docker-compose -f compose/docker-compose.yml up -d

Directory Structure

text

/app/
├── daanse.probe.jar          # Main application JAR
├── start                     # Startup script
├── logback.xml              # Logging configuration
├── catalog/                 # Data catalogs and mappings
│   ├── */data/             # CSV data files
│   └── */mapping/          # XMI catalog definitions
├── output/                 # Output folder e.g.documentation
└── log/                    # Application logs

Catalog Folder Structure

The /app/catalog/ directory is the core of the Eclipse Daanse Probe system. It contains OLAP catalogs that define multidimensional data models and their associated data files.

Catalog Organization

Each catalog is organized in its own subdirectory with the following structure:

text

catalog/
├── my-catalog/                    # Catalog name (directory)
│   ├── mapping/
│   │   └── catalog.xmi           # XMI mapping definition
│   └── data/                     # Database simulation
│       ├── table1.csv            # Default schema tables
│       ├── table2.csv
│       └── schema1/              # Named schema
│           ├── table3.csv        # Tables in schema1
│           └── table4.csv

XMI Mapping Files

The mapping/catalog.xmi file describes the OLAP model structure:

Cubes: Multidimensional data structures
Dimensions: Ways to slice and analyze data
Measures: Numeric values to be aggregated
Database Schema: Logical table and column definitions
Table Mappings: Relationships between logical and physical data

Data Files (CSV Format)

The data/ folder simulates database tables using a special CSV format:

CSV File Structure

csv

"Column1","Column2","Column3"      # Line 1: Header (column names)
VARCHAR,INTEGER,DECIMAL           # Line 2: Data types
"Value1",42,123.45               # Line 3+: Data rows
"Value2",84,246.90

Important: Line 2 contains the database column types, not data values.

Supported Data Types

VARCHAR - String values
INTEGER - Whole numbers
DECIMAL - Decimal numbers
BIGINT - Large integers
BOOLEAN - True/false values
DATE - Date values
TIMESTAMP - Date and time values

Schema Organization

Default Schema: CSV files directly in data/ folder
Named Schemas: CSV files in data/schema-name/ subfolders
Schema Names: Subfolder names become database schema names

Example: Minimal Cube Catalog

Here's a complete example of the tutorial.cube.minimal catalog:

Directory Structure

text

tutorial.cube.minimal/
├── mapping/
│   └── catalog.xmi
└── data/
    └── Fact.csv

Mapping Definition (`catalog.xmi`)

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xmi:XMI xmi:version="2.0" xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI" 
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" 
         xmlns:roma="https://www.daanse.org/spec/org.eclipse.daanse.rolap.mapping">
  
  <!-- Catalog definition -->
  <roma:Catalog id="_catalog_minimal" name="Cube - Minimal" 
                cubes="_cube_minimal" dbschemas="_databaseSchema_minimal"/>
  
  <!-- Database schema with physical table -->
  <roma:DatabaseSchema id="_databaseSchema_minimal">
    <tables xsi:type="roma:PhysicalTable" id="_table_fact" name="Fact">
      <columns xsi:type="roma:PhysicalColumn" id="_column_fact_key" name="KEY"/>
      <columns xsi:type="roma:PhysicalColumn" id="_column_fact_value" name="VALUE" type="Integer"/>
    </tables>
  </roma:DatabaseSchema>
  
  <!-- Table query -->
  <roma:TableQuery id="_query_fact" table="_table_fact"/>
  
  <!-- Physical cube with measures -->
  <roma:PhysicalCube id="_cube_minimal" name="MinimalCube" query="_query_fact">
    <measureGroups>
      <measures xsi:type="roma:SumMeasure" id="_measure_sum" 
                name="Measure-Sum" column="_column_fact_value"/>
    </measureGroups>
  </roma:PhysicalCube>
</xmi:XMI>

Data File (`data/Fact.csv`)

csv

"KEY","VALUE"
VARCHAR,INTEGER
A,42
B,21

This creates:

A cube named "MinimalCube"
A fact table "Fact" with KEY and VALUE columns
A sum measure aggregating the VALUE column
Two data rows with keys A/B and values 42/21

Schema Example

For catalogs with multiple schemas like tutorial.database.schema:

text

tutorial.database.schema/
├── mapping/
│   └── catalog.xmi
└── data/
    ├── theTable.csv              # Default schema
    ├── theschema/
    │   └── theTable.csv          # "theschema" schema
    └── nonref/
        └── theTable.csv          # "nonref" schema

Each subfolder (theschema, nonref) becomes a database schema containing the CSV files within it.

Creating Custom Catalogs

To create your own catalog:

Create the directory structure:
bash
```
mkdir -p my-catalog/{mapping,data}
```
Define the XMI mapping in my-catalog/mapping/catalog.xmi
Add CSV data files in my-catalog/data/

Runtime Catalog Management

🔄 Important: The Eclipse Daanse Probe server provides live catalog monitoring and automatic reloading capabilities:

Dynamic Catalog Updates

File Monitoring: The server continuously watches the /app/catalog/ directory and all subdirectories
Automatic Reloading: Any changes to catalog files trigger automatic reloading into the internal database
Hot Deployment: No container restart required for catalog updates

Supported Runtime Changes

XMI Mapping Files: Modify catalog.xmi files to update cube definitions, measures, dimensions
CSV Data Files: Add, modify, or delete CSV files to update table data
New Catalogs: Add complete new catalog directories
Schema Changes: Create/modify schema folders and their contents
File Deletions: Remove catalogs or data files

Development Workflow

Mount catalog directory with write access (remove :ro flag for development):

bash

# Docker/Podman - Development mode
podman run -v ~/temp/probe/catalog:/app/catalog/:Z -v ~/temp/probe/output:/app/output/:Z -p 8095:8080 eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot

Edit catalogs using any text editor or IDE

Observe automatic reloading in the container logs:

bash

# Docker/Podman - Watch logs
podman logs -f probe
docker logs -f probe
# Watch for catalog reload messages

Verify Documentation - verify the docs in output/documentation folder
Test changes immediately - no restart needed, connect via odc file in output/odc

Best Practices

Backup Catalogs: Keep backup copies before making changes
Change Management: Use version control for catalog definitions
Performance Impact: Large catalog changes may cause temporary performance impact during reload
Consistent naming: Use descriptive catalog and table names
Schema organization: Group related tables in schemas
Data types: Match XMI column types with CSV type definitions
File encoding: Use UTF-8 encoding for international characters
Performance: Keep fact tables reasonably sized for tutorials
Development: Use writable mounts for development, read-only for production
Monitoring: Watch container logs for catalog reload confirmations

Usage

XMLA Endpoint

The Probe server exposes its XMLA (XML for Analysis) endpoint at:

Endpoint URL: http://localhost:8095/xmla

Connecting from Excel

Excel 2016+:
- Data → Get Data → From Other Sources → From Analysis Services
- Server: localhost:8095/xmla
- Connection type: HTTP
- Username: Any username (e.g., demo, testuser, or admin|role1|role2)
- Password: Leave empty (no password required)
Excel with OLEDB:
- Data → Get Data → From Other Sources → From OLEDB
- Connection string: Provider=MSOLAP;Data Source=http://localhost:8095/xmla;User ID=demo
- Password: Leave empty
Power BI Desktop:
- Get Data → Analysis Services → Connect live
- Server: localhost:8095/xmla
- Username: Any username
- Password: Leave empty

Connecting from Other BI Tools

Tableau: Use "Microsoft Analysis Services" connector with localhost:8095/xmla
Power BI Service: Configure on-premises data gateway pointing to the XMLA endpoint
Custom Applications: Use any XMLA/OLEDB client library

Authentication & Role Testing

Eclipse Daanse Probe uses a simplified authentication system designed for development and testing:

Basic Authentication

Username: Any username (no validation required)
Password: Always leave empty (no password needed)
Purpose: Development-friendly authentication for quick testing

Role-Based Access Control Testing

For testing catalog security and access control, you can specify roles directly in the username:

Username Format: username|role1|role2|role3|...

Examples

Basic User:

text

Username: demo
Password: (empty)
Result: Default access rights

Single Role Testing:

text

Username: testuser|manager
Password: (empty)  
Result: Access with "manager" role permissions

Multiple Roles Testing:

text

Username: admin|sales|finance|reporting
Password: (empty)
Result: Combined permissions from all specified roles

Role Testing Use Cases

🔐 Access Control Validation: Verify that cube and dimension security rules work correctly
👥 Multi-Role Scenarios: Test users with multiple organizational roles
🧪 Permission Testing: Validate that restricted data is properly filtered
📊 Catalog Security: Ensure tutorial catalogs demonstrate proper security patterns

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Port Already in Use

bash

# Use different host port (Docker/Podman)
docker run -p 8096:8080 eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot
podman run -p 8096:8080 eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot

Permission Issues with Volumes

bash

# Ensure correct ownership
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /path/to/catalogs

Memory Issues

bash

# Increase memory limit (Docker/Podman)
docker run --memory=4g eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot
podman run --memory=4g eclipsedaanse/probe:snapshot

Requirements

Java 21+ JRE or JDK
512MB+ RAM (recommended: 1GB+)
Write permissions for log directory
Network access for XMLA endpoint (port 8080)

Security Considerations

Container runs as non-root user (UID 1000)
Use read-only volume mounts for catalog data
Implement network policies in production
Regular security updates for base images

Support

For issues and feature requests:

Eclipse Daanse Project: Eclipse Foundation
GitHub Issues: Report bugs and feature requests
Documentation: Check the projects Readme Files and (daanse.org)

License

Eclipse Public License 2.0 (EPL-2.0)

Eclipse Daanse Probe Application ​

What is Eclipse Daanse Probe? ​

Full OLAP Analysis Server ​

XMLA Protocol Support ​

Excel Connection ​

Enterprise-Grade Features ​

Development-Focused Design ​

Live Catalog Reloading ​

Tutorial-Rich Environment ​

Features ​

Running the Probe Server ​

Container-Based Execution ​

Quick Start with Containers ​

Container Parameters Explained ​

Docker Compose ​

Directory Structure ​

Catalog Folder Structure ​

Catalog Organization ​

XMI Mapping Files ​

Data Files (CSV Format) ​

CSV File Structure ​

Supported Data Types ​

Schema Organization ​

Example: Minimal Cube Catalog ​

Directory Structure ​

Mapping Definition (catalog.xmi) ​

Data File (data/Fact.csv) ​

Schema Example ​

Creating Custom Catalogs ​

Runtime Catalog Management ​

Dynamic Catalog Updates ​

Supported Runtime Changes ​

Development Workflow ​

Best Practices ​

Usage ​

XMLA Endpoint ​

Connecting from Excel ​

Connecting from Other BI Tools ​

Authentication & Role Testing ​

Basic Authentication ​

Role-Based Access Control Testing ​

Examples ​

Role Testing Use Cases ​

Troubleshooting ​

Common Issues ​

Requirements ​

Security Considerations ​

Support ​

License ​

Eclipse Daanse Probe Application

What is Eclipse Daanse Probe?

Full OLAP Analysis Server

XMLA Protocol Support

Excel Connection

Enterprise-Grade Features

Development-Focused Design

Live Catalog Reloading

Tutorial-Rich Environment

Features

Running the Probe Server

Container-Based Execution

Quick Start with Containers

Container Parameters Explained

Docker Compose

Directory Structure

Catalog Folder Structure

Catalog Organization

XMI Mapping Files

Data Files (CSV Format)

CSV File Structure

Supported Data Types

Schema Organization

Example: Minimal Cube Catalog

Directory Structure

Mapping Definition (`catalog.xmi`)

Data File (`data/Fact.csv`)

Schema Example

Creating Custom Catalogs

Runtime Catalog Management

Dynamic Catalog Updates

Supported Runtime Changes

Development Workflow

Best Practices

Usage

XMLA Endpoint

Connecting from Excel

Connecting from Other BI Tools

Authentication & Role Testing

Basic Authentication

Role-Based Access Control Testing

Examples

Role Testing Use Cases

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Requirements

Security Considerations

Support

License