Book Image

Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook

By : Paul te Braak
Book Image

Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook

By: Paul te Braak

Overview of this book

Business Intelligence Semantic Models (BISM) is a technology that is designed to deliver analytical information to users through a variety of mechanisms that include model structure, definition, and design. This book demonstrates how to create BISM models so that information can be presented to users in an intuitive and easy-to-use format. Once the model is defined, we also show you how it can be managed and maintained so that the data in it remains current and secure. Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook is an all-encompassing guide to developing, managing, creating, and using analytical models using the Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM). This title covers a range of modeling situations and common data analysis related problems to show you the techniques required to turn data into information using tabular modeling. Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook examines three areas of tabular modeling: model development, model management and maintenance, and reporting. This book is a practical guide on how to develop semantic models and turn business data into information. It covers all phases of the model lifecycle from creation to administration and finally reporting. It also shows you how to create models which are designed to analyze data. All sections of BISM modeling from development to management and finally reporting are covered. The sections on development examine a wide range of techniques and tricks required to build models, including moving data into the model, structuring the model to manipulate the data, and finally the formulas required to answer common business questions; all of these are discussed in this book in detail. Finally, the book examines methods of reporting on the data within the model, including the creation of data-driven workbooks and reports for a powerful end user experience.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Role playing dimensions and relationships


Role playing dimensions are dimensional structures that are re-used throughout the model. The use of a role playing dimension can simplify model maintenance because only one physical structure is created and it is used many times.

Consider the Sales_Header table that has been used in this chapter. It includes three date fields (for Order Date, Due Date, and Ship Date). One date table can be used to reference all three columns.

Getting ready

This workbook model continues with the sales data that has been used so far in this chapter. However, unlike previous models, which focused only on the Sales Amount values that were ordered, we show the value of products that were shipped and delivered.

How to do it…

  1. Open the workbook Role Playing.xlsx and import the Sales_Header, Sales_Detail, Products, and Dates tables to a new tabular model.

  2. Create relationships between the following tables and fields:

    Table

    Column

    Related Table

    Related Column

    Sales_Detail

    sales_order_id...