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

Introduction


The ability to create a tabular model through PowerPivot opens up countless possibilities for the advanced Excel user and business analyst to develop reporting and analytical solutions. Historically, these types of users start by attacking a business problem by pulling data into Excel, creating pivot tables (to summarize data) using some of Excel's built-in programmatic, and form functionality to create solutions.

However, a common problem encountered with this approach is that of scalability. And as the amount of data increased, the ability of Excel to handle the solution decreased. This tipping point need not be very large; further, the requirement of traditional pivot tables to use flattened data required a lot of inefficient data work (usually through VLOOKUP functions, because a traditional pivot table required a single table of data). Obviously, it is a poor use of time when more effort is spent organizing data rather than analyzing it.

The ability of the tabular model to...