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

Creating the database


The SQL Server database used in the prior recipes is available as a backup from the online content for this book on the Packt Publishing website. This backup can be restored to the SQL server instance (running SQL Server 2012).

We do not specify details for the installation of SQL Server (since they are outside the scope of this book). However, a brief overview of the database restore is discussed in this section.

An evaluation version of SQL Server is available for download at the following URL. This license will expire after 180 days. Alternatively, a free edition of SQL Server (SQL Server Express) is also available (with reduced features and no license expiry limit).

http://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/pd/SQL2012EvalCTA/enus/default.aspx

The online resources contain two files. Firstly, a file named tabular_modelling.bak, which is the database backup. The second is the file that contains the restore script. It is also reproduced as follows:

USE [master]

RESTORE DATABASE tabular_modelling
FROM  DISK = N'C:\BOOK\SQLDATA\tabular_modelling.bak'
WITH  FILE = 1
,  MOVE N'tabular_modelling' TO N'C:\BOOK\SQLDATA\tabular_modelling.mdf'
,  MOVE N'tabular_modelling_log' TON'C:\BOOK\SQLDATA\tabular_modelling.ldf'
,  NOUNLOAD,  REPLACE,  STATS = 5

GO

This code assumes that the backup file has been stored in the C:\BOOK\SQLDATA directory. Additionally, the database files that are created will also be created in this directory. Running the code from SQL Server Management Studio will create the database and restore all its data.

The output of executing the script should look like the following screenshot:

If the folders used on your computer are different, the directories in the script should be changed accordingly. It should also be noted that SQL Server does not require its data (or log files) to be stored in specific folders, so the choice of C:\BOOK\SQLDATA as a data folder may be suitable.