Book Image

Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook

By : te Braak
Book Image

Microsoft Tabular Modeling Cookbook

By: 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 (13 chapters)
12
Index

Using data feeds

Data feeds allow a tabular model to consume XML data through an HTTP service—these are called the OData and .atomsvc feeds. The feed(s) can be defined to the model through either an OData service (which also can provide data) or a data service document (the .atomsvc file) that specifies the URL to the service.

The Open Data Protocol (OData) is a standard protocol for creating and consuming data over existing technologies such as HTTP. This means that data can be imported into the model as a web service. The ability to use data which is not generated from the corporate environment extends the possible data sources that can be used for analysis. Data may be available for free or purchased from vendors (see http://datamarket.azure.com/ for both).

Getting ready

This recipe imports some data from an online database called Northwind. Northwind is a well-known sample database (actually, the data is not that important to us—only the technique used to import it is). We...