How to fix 'error in the metadata manager dimension id of missing ' error in SSAS?

Question

I have this error that keeps popping up from time to time, the error is along the lines of the following:

Error -1055653635 : Errors in the metadata manager. The dimension with ID of <>, Name of <> referenced by the <> cube, does not exist. Error -1055653859 : Errors in the metadata manager. An error occurred when loading the Blah cube, from the file, '\?\W:\OLAP\Data\BlahBlah Cubes.0.db\Blah.8.cub.xml'.

For starters the dimension it thinks is missing DOES exist in the SSAS database on the server. The dimension ids appear to match in both the cube and the dimension so its not like the ID's have been renamed and now they don't match. It can sometimes be fixed by effectively deleting the two cubes that use the same dimension, and then if you redeploy one of them the first one might re-deploy OK but not the second one. The puzzling bit is why the error keeps recurring when it has been previously resolved by deleting the database and starting again..etc. Is there some particular way we are using that dimension that is more likely to lead to the metadata manager getting confused (?)

Answer 1

I had the same issue. It turns out that there were empty XML files in the directory it was complaining about.

This was my error specifically:

Errors in the metadata manager. An error occurred when instantiating a metadata object from the file, \?\R:\ANALYSIS\Warehouse.0.db\Role.5.role.xml

When I navigated to \?\R:\ANALYSIS\Warehouse.0.db\ I discovered that the Role.5.role.xml file was 0KB. I deleted (well moved, to be safe) the file, redeployed the solution and the error was gone :)