Professional Microsoft® Sql Server® 2012 Analysis Services with MDX and DAX

Understand Microsoft's dramatically updated new release of its premier toolset for business intelligence The first major update to Microsoft's state-of-the-art, complex toolset for business intelligence (BI) in years is now available and what better way to master it than with this detailed book from key members of the product's development team? If you're a database or data warehouse developer, this is the expert resource you need to build full-scale, multi-dimensional, database applications using Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services and related tools. Discover how to solve real-world BI problems by leveraging a slew of powerful new Analysis Services features and capabilities. These include the new DAX language, which is a more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and much more. Serves as an authoritative guide to Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services BI product and is written by key members of the Microsoft Analysis Services product development team Covers SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services, a major new release with a host of powerful new features and capabilities Topics include using the new DAX language, a simplified, more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and a new, yet-to-be-named BI reporting tool Explores real-world scenarios to help developers build comprehensive solutions Get thoroughly up to speed on this powerful new BI toolset with the timely and authoritative Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services with MDX . Professional Microsoft® Sql Server® 2012 Analysis Services with MDX and DAX 5 Contents 19 Introduction 37 Who This Book is For 37 What This Book Covers 38 How This Book is Structured 39 What you Need to USE This Book 40 Conventions 40 Source Code 41 Errata 41 P2P.Wrox.Com 41 Part I: Introduction 43 Chapter 1: Introduction 45 BISM Multidimensional Mode 46 A Closer Look at Data Warehousing 47 Key Elements of a Data Warehouse 50 Fact Tables 50 Dimension Tables 51 Dimensions 52 Cubes 53 The Star Schema 54 The Snowflake Schema 55 Inmon Versus Kimball?—?Different Approaches 56 Business Intelligence Is Data Analysis 57 BISM Tabular Mode 57 SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 59 The Business Intelligence Semantic Model 60 Data Model 61 Query Language 62 Data Access Technology 62 Summary 63 Part II Designing Multidimensional BISM 65 Chapter 2: A First Look at Multidimensional BISM 67 Development, Administrative, and Client Tools 68 Upgrading to Analysis Services 2012 68 Using SQL Server Data Tools to Build Analysis Services Multidimensional Applications 73 Creating a Project Using SQL Server Data Tools 74 The Solution Explorer 76 The Properties Window 77 The Output Window 77 Creating an Analysis Services Database Using SQL Server Data Tools 77 Creating a Data Source 78 Creating a Data Source View (DSV) 82 Creating a Cube Using the Cube Wizard 86 Deploying and Browsing a Cube 95 Using SQL Server Management Studio 98 The Object Explorer Pane 101 Querying Using the MDX Query Editor 103 Summary 105 Chapter 3: Understanding MDX 107 What Is MDX? 108 MDX Concepts 108 Measures and Measure Groups 108 Hierarchies and Hierarchy Levels 109 Members 110 Cells 112 Tuples 114 Sets 114 MDX Queries 115 SELECT Statement and Axis Specification 116 FROM Clause and Cube Specification 117 Subselect Clauses 117 WHERE Clause and Slicer Specification 118 Slicer Dimension 118 WITH Clause, Named Sets, and Calculated Members 119 Named Sets 119 Calculated Members 121 Ranking and Sorting 123 MDX Expressions 124 MDX Operators 125 Arithmetic Operators 125 Set Operators 125 Comparison Operators 126 Logical Operators 126 Special MDX Operators?—?Curly Braces, Commas, and Colons 126 MDX Functions 127 MDX Function Categories 127 Set Functions 127 Crossjoin 128 NONEMPTYCROSSJOIN and NONEMPTY 128 Filter and Having 129 Member Functions 129 Numeric Functions 130 Dimension Functions, Level Functions, and Hierarchy Functions 131 String Manipulation Functions 131 Other Functions 131 MDX Scripts 131 MDX Script Execution 132 CALCULATE Statement 132 Cube Space 134 AUTO EXISTS 135 Cell Calculations and Assignments 136 Recursion 139 Freeze Statement 139 Restricting Cube Space/Slicing Cube Data 140 SCOPE Statement 140 CREATE and DROP SUBCUBE 140 Using EXISTS 141 Using EXISTING 141 Using SUBSELECT 142 Parameterized MDX Queries 143 MDX Comments 144 Summary 144 Chapter 4: Data Sources and Data Source Views 145 Data Sources 146 Data Sources Supported by Analysis Services 147 .NET Versus OLE DB Data Providers 151 .NET Framework Data Providers 151 OLE DB Data Providers 151 The Trade-Offs 152 Data Source Views 152 DSV Wizard 153 DSV Designer 153 Adding/Removing Tables in a DSV 155 Specifying Primary Keys and Relationships in the DSV 156 Customizing Your Tables in the DSV Designer 157 Data Source Views in Depth 161 Diagrams 161 Data Source View Properties 163 Different Layouts in DSVs 165 Validating Your DSV and Initial Data Analysis 167 Multiple Data Sources Within a DSV 168 Summary 169 Chapter 5: Dimension Design 171 Working with the Dimension Wizard 172 Working with the Dimension Designer 178 Attributes 179 Attribute Relationships 181 User Hierarchies 186 Browsing the Dimension 190 Sorting Members of a Level 199 Optimizing Attributes 201 Defining Translations in Dimensions 201 Creating a Snowflake Dimension 204 Creating a Time Dimension 207 Creating a Parent-Child Hierarchy 210 Summary 214 Chapter 6: Cube Design 215 The BISM Multidimensional Mode 215 Creating a Cube Using the Cube Wizard 218 Browsing Cubes 222 Cube Dimensions 226 Relationship Types 227 No Relationship 227 Regular Relationships 228 Fact Relationships 228 Many-to-Many Relationships 229 Data Mining Relationships 229 Referenced Relationships 229 Browsing Reference Dimensions in Excel 232 Measures and Measure Groups 234 Calculated Members 240 Calculated Measures 242 Querying Calculated Measures 245 Creating Perspectives 245 Creating Translations 247 Browsing Perspectives and Translations 248 Summary 250 Chapter 7: Administration and Management 251 Administration Using SQL Server 2012 Tools 252 Managing Analysis Servers 252 Managing Analysis Services Objects 256 Database Creation 257 Processing Analysis Services Database Objects 259 Processing a Cube 263 Processing a Dimension 268 Managing Partitions 270 Managing Assemblies 276 Backup and Restore 279 Detach and Attach 283 Synchronization 286 Managing Security 291 Server and Database Roles 291 Enabling or Disabling Features 291 Online Mode 292 Programmatic and Advanced Administration 295 Analysis Management Objects (AMO) 295 Processing Analysis Services Databases 295 Back Up and Restore 300 Adding Assemblies to Analysis Services 301 PowerShell and Analysis Services 303 Resource and Activity Monitoring 303 HTTP Connectivity to Analysis Services 306 Analysis Services and FailOver Clustering 307 Summary 307 Part III: Advanced Topics in BISM -1 Chapter 8: Advanced Dimension Design 311 Custom Rollups 312 Enhancements to Parent-Child Hierarchies 322 Unary Operators 322 Specifying Names of Levels in a Parent-Child Hierarchy 328 Using Properties to Customize Dimensions 330 Ordering Dimension Members 331 The All Member, Default Member, and Unknown Member 331 Error Configurations for Processing 334 Storage Mode 335 Grouping Members 336 Dimension Intelligence Using the Business Intelligence Wizard 337 Account Intelligence 337 Time Intelligence 343 Dimension Intelligence 347 Server Time Dimension 349 Dimension Writeback 353 Summary 356 Chapter 9: Advanced Cube Design 357 Measure Groups and Measures 358 Adding and Enhancing Dimensions 363 Fact Dimensions 364 Many-to-Many Dimensions 365 Data Mining Dimensions 367 Role-Playing Dimensions 370 Adding Calculations to Your Cube 371 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 379 KPI Creation 379 KPIs in Depth 386 Using ADOMD.NET to Query KPIs 387 Drillthrough 389 Actions 390 Action Types 390 Action Target Types 390 URL Action 391 Browse URL Action in the Cube Browser 395 Report Actions 396 Drillthrough Action 398 Adding Intelligence to the Cube 404 Semiadditive Measures 405 Currency Conversion 407 Working with Partitions 413 Building a Local Partition 415 Building a Remote Partition 417 Storage Modes and Storage Settings 426 Building Aggregations 428 The Aggregation Design Process 431 Usage-Based Optimization 434 Real-Time Cubes 435 Long Latency Scenario 435 Caching After Data Change 436 Caching Using Timed Updates 438 Average Latency Scenario 439 Caching with MOLAP Storage Option 439 No Latency Scenario 443 Real-Time ROLAP Storage Option 444 Defining Security 445 Cell Writeback 449 Cell Writeback Prerequisites 450 Writeback Statement 451 Update Nonleaf Cell Value Using Allocation 453 Equal Allocation 453 Weighted Allocation 454 Incremental Allocation 455 Cautions 455 AMO Warnings 456 Design Experience 457 Dismissing Warnings 457 Warnings Designer 458 Summary 460 Chapter 10: Designing Mulitdimensional BISM for Performance 461 Optimizing Multidimensional BISM Design 464 Fine-Tuning Your Dimensions 464 Choosing the Right Key Attribute 464 Avoiding Unnecessary Attributes 465 Turning Off Optimization for Rarely Used Attributes 466 Turning Off AttributeHierarchy for Member Properties 467 Defining Relationships between Attributes 467 Fine-Tuning Your Cube 469 Fact Table ? Measure Groups or Partitions 469 Optimizing Reference Dimensions 471 Many-to-Many Dimensions 471 Partitions 472 Merging Partitions 473 Partition Slices 476 Partition Slices and ROLAP 476 A Partition Slice Example 477 Distinct Count Partitioning 479 Optimizing for Processing 481 Creating Partitions to Speed Up Processing 483 Choosing Small and Appropriate Data Types and Sizes 483 SQL Server and Analysis Services Installations 484 Optimizing a Relational Data Source 484 Avoiding Excessive Aggregation Design 485 Using Incremental Processing When Appropriate 485 Parallelism during Processing 487 Identifying Resource Bottlenecks 491 Designing Aggregations 492 Understanding Aggregations 493 Creating Aggregations 495 Applying Aggregation Design 501 Usage-Based Aggregation Design 504 Aggregation Design Options 510 Designing Efficient Aggregations Using Hints 510 Relationships between Attributes 510 Properties Controlling Attributes and Aggregation Design 513 Managing Aggregation Designs 516 Scalability Optimizations 517 Configuring Server Configuration Properties 518 Scaling Out 519 Scaling Up 519 Handling Large Dimensions 520 Summary 520 Chapter 11: Optimizing Query Performance 521 How OLAP Enhances Performance 522 The Calculation Model 522 MDX Scripts 523 Scope and Assignments 525 Dimension Attribute Calculations 525 Session and Query Calculations 526 Query Execution Architecture 527 Analysis Services Engine Components 527 Stages of Query Execution 528 Query Evaluation Modes 529 Cell-by-Cell Mode 529 Subspace Computation 531 Performance Analysis and Tuning Tools 534 SQL Server Profiler 534 Analysis Services Trace Events 539 Performance Monitor 540 Task Manager 543 SQL Server Management Studio 544 SQL Server Data Tools 544 Server Properties 544 Analyzing Query Performance Issues 545 Understanding FE and SE Characteristics 546 Common Solutions for Slow Queries 546 Large Storage Engine Requests 546 Several Storage Engine Requests 547 Formula Engine-Intensive Query 547 Query Optimization Techniques 547 Using NON EMPTY on Axes 548 Using Non Empty for Filtering and Sorting 550 Using SCOPE Versus IIF and CASE 551 Auto Exists Versus Properties 551 Member Value Versus Properties 551 Move Simple Calculations to Data Source View 552 Features Versus MDX Scripts 552 Scale Out with Read-Only Database 552 Writeback Query Performance 554 Summary 554 Chapter 12: Data Mining, Multidimensional BISM, and Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2010 555 The Data Mining Process 556 Topic Area Understanding 557 Data: Understand It, Configure It 558 Choose the Right Algorithm 559 Train, Analyze, and Predict 559 Real-World Applications 560 Fraud Detection 560 Increasing Profits in Retail 561 Data Mining in the NBA 561 Data Mining in Call Centers 561 Data Mining Algorithms in SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 562 Microsoft Decision Trees 563 Microsoft Naïve Bayes 563 Microsoft Clustering 564 Microsoft Sequence Clustering 564 Microsoft Association Rules 564 Microsoft Neural Network 564 Microsoft Time Series 565 Microsoft Linear Regression 565 Microsoft Logistic Regression 565 Working with Mining Models 566 Relational Mining Model 566 OLAP Mining Models 590 Analyzing the Cube with a Data Mining Dimension 597 Using Data Mining with Office 2010 599 Table Analytics 600 Analyze Key Influencers 601 Detect Categories 604 Fill from Example 607 Forecast 608 Highlight Exceptions 610 Shopping Basket Analysis 611 Scenario Analysis 613 Data Mining Tools 613 Explore Data Wizard 614 Clean Data: Outliers and Re-label Wizards 616 Sample Data Wizard 618 Classification Model 619 Model Accuracy 621 Classification Matrix 624 Visio Add-in 626 The Decision Tree Shape 626 The Cluster Shape Wizard 630 The Dependency Shape Wizard 634 Summary 636 Chapter 13: SQL Integration Services and SQL Server Reporting Services with Multidimensional BISM Models 1 SQL Server Integration Services 1 Creating an Integration Services Project 1 Creating Integration Services Packages for Analysis Services Operations 1 The Execute DDL Task 1 Processing an Analysis Services Object 1 Loading Data into an Analysis Services Partition 1 Deploying the Integration Services Project 1 Integration Services Tasks for Data Mining 1 Automating Execution of SSIS Packages 1 Monitoring SSIS Package Executions 1 SQL Server Reporting Services 1 Report Designer, Report Builder 1 Report Definition Language 1 Report Wizard 1 Report Server 1 Creating a Report on a Relational Database 1 Connecting and Deploying to a Report Server 1 Creating a Report on a Multidimensional Model 1 Designing Your Analysis Services Report 1 Enhancing Your Analysis Services Report 1 Enhancing Your Report Using Extended Properties 1 Custom Aggregates 1 Summary 1 Chapter 14: Securing Multidimensional BISM 713 Securing Your Source Data 714 Securing Your Dimension Data 716 A Scenario Using Dimension Security 716 The User-Role Approach 724 The Access-Role Approach 739 The Member Property Approach 740 The Security Measure Group Approach 742 The External Function Approach 745 Securing Your Cube Data 747 Scenario Using Cell Security 748 Summary 757 Part IV: PowerPivot and Tabular BISM 759 Chapter 15: Self-Service Business Intelligence and Introduction to PowerPivot 761 SQL Server 2012 762 Self-Service Business Intelligence 763 PowerPivot: Microsoft’s Implementation of SSBI 764 PowerPivot Applications 764 PowerPivot for Excel 765 PowerPivot for SharePoint 774 The Analysis Services Engine in VertiPaq Mode 778 Summary 781 Chapter 16: A First Look at Tabular BISM 783 Tabular Mode Projects in SSDT 784 Setting Up a Tabular Instance of Analysis Services 2012 784 Creating a Tabular Project Using SQL Server Data Tools 785 Workspace Server and Deployment Server 786 Importing Data 788 The Tabular Designer 790 The Model Menu 792 Working with Tables in the Designer 794 Working with Columns in the Designer 798 Relationships 801 Adding Calculations to Your Tabular Model 803 Calculated Columns 803 Measures 804 Browsing the Model 807 Modeling and Deploying 809 Administering Your Tabular Model Using SSMS 811 Summary 814 Chapter 17: Enhancing Your Tabular BISM 815 Sourcing Data for Your Model 815 Refining Your Tabular Model 816 Changing the Model 816 Adding a New Table 816 Modifying an Existing Table 817 Hiding and Deleting Tables, Columns, and Measures 818 Creating a Date Table 819 Creating and Managing Relationships 819 Column Operations 819 Filtering and Sorting 819 Configuring for PowerPivot and Power View 821 Enhancing Your Model with Hierarchies 821 Creating a Date Hierarchy 822 Making Use of Time Intelligence Functions 825 Creating a Geography Hierarchy 827 Creating a Product Hierarchy by Combining Columns from Different Tables 828 Creating Parent/Child Hierarchies 830 Enhancing Measures 830 Building Explicit Measures with DAX 830 Implicit Measures 832 Change Measure Properties 834 Mimicking the Multidimensional Model 834 Building Semi-Additive Measures 836 Creating KPIs 836 Creating Perspectives 840 Creating Partitions 842 DirectQuery Partitions 846 Processing a Tabular Database 850 Creating and Applying Security Roles 851 Understanding Security Roles 851 Row Filters 852 Summary 854 Chapter 18: Introduction to DAX 855 Sample Data 856 DAX Fundamental Concepts 857 DAX Syntax 857 DAX Data Types 858 Calculated Columns and Measures 858 Row Context and Filter Context 858 DAX Operators and Blank Values 862 DAX Function Categories with Examples 863 Scalar DAX Functions 864 Statistical DAX Functions 871 Other DAX Functions 877 RELATED and RELATEDTABLE 880 LOOKUPVALUE 881 EARLIER and EARLIEST 882 VALUES and DISTINCT 882 FILTER 883 CALCULATE, ALL, and ALLSELECTED 884 Time Intelligence Functions 888 Context Information Functions 894 DAX as a Query Language 895 DAX and MDX 906 Summary 907 Chapter 19: Advanced Topics in DAX 909 Parent-Child Hierarchies 910 Cross-Filtering with Many-to-Many Relationships 918 Filtering 919 Cross-Filtering 919 Cross-Filtering with DAX 920 Multiple Relationships Between Tables 929 Multiple Instances of the Table 930 Multiple Relationships Between Two Tables 933 Time-Based Analysis 937 Moving Average 937 Opening and Closing Balance 942 Non-Aggregatable Columns 946 Summary 947 Chapter 20: Analyzing Multidimensional and Tabular BISMs In Excel 949 Analyzing Data in Excel 2010 950 Analyzing Data Using Pivot Tables 950 Creating a Pivot Table from a Tabular Model Using Analysis Services Data 951 Creating a Pivot Table from a Multidimensional Model 954 Updating SSAS Connection Information 955 Analyzing Data in Pivot Tables 956 Filtering in Pivot Tables 963 Drilling Down to Detailed Data 967 Analyzing Multiple Measures 971 Custom Grouping 972 Organizing Attributes in the PivotTable Field List 977 Number Formatting 978 Highlighting Exceptions 979 Viewing Member Properties 981 Sorting Data 983 Filtering Data 984 Style and Design 990 Excel 2010 Conditional Formatting 991 Perspectives and Translations 992 Key Performance Indicators 996 Named Sets 998 Sheet Data Reports 998 Cube Functions in Excel 2010 1002 Pivot Charts 1004 Local Cubes 1005 Excel Services 1008 Summary 1009 Chapter 21: PowerPivot for SharePoint 1011 SharePoint 2010 1012 Excel Services 1012 Comparing Excel and Excel Services 1012 Excel Services and PowerPivot 1013 Key Servers in PowerPivot for SharePoint 1015 SharePoint Web Front End (WFE) 1015 SharePoint Application Servers (App Servers) 1016 SharePoint Content Databases (Content dBs) 1016 Key Services in PowerPivot for SharePoint 1017 Analysis Services Engine Service 1017 PowerPivot Mid-Tier Service 1020 Connectivity 1020 Data Refresh 1020 Services Architecture Workflow Scenarios 1022 Excel Client Upload to SharePoint 1022 Excel Services Rendering 1022 Excel Services Server Action 1023 What’s New 1025 New Administrative Capabilities 1025 Setup Improvements 1025 PowerPivot for SharePoint 1026 Installation and Configuration 1026 New Server Installation 1026 Existing Farm Installation 1027 Scale Out Implementations 1027 Scale Out SQL 1027 Homogeneous Scale Out 1028 Heterogeneous Scale Out 1028 Verifying Your PowerPivot for SharePoint Setup 1028 Publishing Your Excel Workbooks 1028 Viewing Workbooks in PowerPivot Gallery 1030 Viewing Workbooks in Excel Services 1033 Optional Setup Steps 1033 Configuring File Size Limits 1033 Turning Off the External Data Warning on Data Refresh 1035 Integrating Reporting Services 1036 BI Appliances 1036 Summary 1037 Part V: Advanced Topics with Tabular Bism and Integration with Power View 1039 Chapter 22: Introduction and Configuration of Power View 1041 Reporting Services Power View 1041 Power View 1042 Reporting Services 1043 Reporting Services Add-in 1043 Reporting Services Service Application 1044 PowerPivot for SharePoint 1044 Installing Reporting Services for SharePoint 1044 SharePoint Site Settings 1052 Preparing Model Connection for Power View Tutorial 1054 Deploying the FAA Flight Data Model 1054 Creating SharePoint Image Library for FAA Airline Images 1056 Publishing FAA Workbook Directly to PowerPivot Gallery 1056 Creating Data Source Connections for Power View 1058 BI Semantic Model (BISM) Connection File 1058 Report Data Source (RSDS) Connection 1059 Configuring Data Source Connections 1060 Connecting to PowerPivot Workbooks 1062 Connecting to a BISM Connection File 1063 Connecting to an RSDS 1064 Authentication Scenarios 1065 Comparison and Trade-offs 1067 Kerberos Delegation with BISM or RSDS 1067 BISM Connection and RS Service Account 1067 RSDS and Stored Windows Credentials 1068 RSDS with Impersonation and EffectiveUser 1070 Summary 1072 Resources 1072 Chapter 23: Visual Analytics with Power View 1073 Introduction to Power View 1073 Visual Analytics with Power View 1078 Getting Started with Power View 1078 Creating a New Power View Report 1078 Opening an Existing Power View Report 1079 Introduction to the Power View Design Experience 1080 Creating a Table Visualization 1081 Converting Visualizations 1083 Sorting Inside Charts 1084 Expanding Visualizations 1085 Filtering in Views 1086 Multiple Views 1089 Saving Reports 1093 Permissions for Power View 1095 Visualizations and Interactivity 1095 Tile Visualizations 1096 Highlighting in Visualizations 1099 Matrix 1100 Slicers 1101 Filters 1102 Card, Callout Views 1103 Zooming in Charts 1105 Scatter and Bubble 1106 Animated Timeline Charts 1107 Refreshing Data in a Power View Report 1110 Presenting and Exporting in Power View 1111 Reading and Presentation Mode 1111 Printing Views 1113 PowerPoint Export and Interactivity 1113 Tips and Tricks for Power View 1116 Summary 1118 Resources 1118 Index 1119

Understand Microsoft's dramatically updated new release of its premier toolset for business intelligence

The first major update to Microsoft's state-of-the-art, complex toolset for business intelligence (BI) in years is now available and what better way to master it than with this detailed book from key members of the product's development team? If you're a database or data warehouse developer, this is the expert resource you need to build full-scale, multi-dimensional, database applications using Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services and related tools.

Discover how to solve real-world BI problems by leveraging a slew of powerful new Analysis Services features and capabilities. These include the new DAX language, which is a more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and much more.

• Serves as an authoritative guide to Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services BI product and is written by key members of the Microsoft Analysis Services product development team
• Covers SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services, a major new release with a host of powerful new features and capabilities
• Topics include using the new DAX language, a simplified, more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and a new, yet-to-be-named BI reporting tool
• Explores real-world scenarios to help developers build comprehensive solutions

Get thoroughly up to speed on this powerful new BI toolset with the timely and authoritative Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services with MDX.

**Understand Microsoft's dramatically updated new release of its premier toolset for business intelligence**The first major update to Microsoft's state-of-the-art, complex toolset for business intelligence (BI) in years is now available and what better way to master it than with this detailed book from key members of the product's development team? If you're a database or data warehouse developer, this is the expert resource you need to build full-scale, multi-dimensional, database applications using Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services and related tools. Discover how to solve real-world BI problems by leveraging a slew of powerful new Analysis Services features and capabilities. These include the new DAX language, which is a more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and much more. * Serves as an authoritative guide to Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services BI product and is written by key members of the Microsoft Analysis Services product development team * Covers SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services, a major new release with a host of powerful new features and capabilities * Topics include using the new DAX language, a simplified, more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and a new, yet-to-be-named BI reporting tool * Explores real-world scenarios to help developers build comprehensive solutions Get thoroughly up to speed on this powerful new BI toolset with the timely and authoritative __Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services with MDX__.