Overview
Teach yourself the fundamentals of SQL Server Analysis Services—one step at a time. With this practical, learn-by-doing tutorial, you get the guidance you need to build flexible and powerful solutions that meet the analytical needs of your organization.
Discover how to:
- Start building cubes using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Business Intelligence designers
- Create dimensions and measure groups to build, browse, and modify OLAP cubes
- Design objects to handle unique financial analysis requirements
- Improve query performance with aggregations and user hierarchies
- Customize cubes with multi-dimensional expressions (MDX) and other advanced design techniques
- Use actions to integrate Web pages, reporting applications, and drillthrough capabilities with cubes
- Manage role-based security and restrict data access
- Deploy and maintain a database in a production environment
CD features
- All practice exercises and answer files
- Fully searchable eBook
A Note Regarding the CD or DVD
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Synopsis
Your hands-on guide to learning Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Microsoft's customizable analysis solution for business data modeling and interpretation. Analysis Services is a powerful tool for business intelligence, so understanding the essentials-how to create a cube, as well as how to deploy, customize, and extend the basic calculations-is critical to harnessing the full benefits of SQL Server. This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to get started, how to build scalable analytical applications, and how to use and administer advanced features. Interactivity features (enhanced in SQL Server 2005), data translation, and security are also covered in detail. With Step By Step, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you're a beginning programmer or new to this version of the technology, you'll understand the fundamental techniques for using Analysis Services. A companion CD includes data sets and sample code.