Book Image

Tabular Modeling with SQL Server 2016 Analysis Services Cookbook

By : Derek Wilson
Book Image

Tabular Modeling with SQL Server 2016 Analysis Services Cookbook

By: Derek Wilson

Overview of this book

SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) has been widely used across multiple businesses to build smart online analytical reporting solutions. It includes two different types of modeling for analysis services: Tabular and Multi Dimensional. This book covers Tabular modeling, which uses tables and relationships with a fast in-memory engine to provide state of the art compression algorithms and query performance. The book begins by quickly taking you through the concepts required to model tabular data and set up the necessary tools and services. As you learn to create tabular models using tools such as Excel and Power View, you’ll be shown various strategies to deploy your model on the server and choose a query mode (In-memory or DirectQuery) that best suits your reporting needs. You’ll also learn how to implement key and newly introduced DAX functions to create calculated columns and measures for your model data. Last but not least, you’ll be shown techniques that will help you administer and secure your BI implementation along with some widely used tips and tricks to optimize your reporting solution. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained hands-on experience with the powerful new features that have been added to Tabular models in SSAS 2016 and you’ll be able to improve user satisfaction with faster reports and analytical queries.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Tabular Modeling with SQL Server 2016 Analysis Services Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

Introduction


This chapter will explore how to leverage Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) in Power Pivot, tabular models, and SQL Server Management Studio. DAX is a formula-based language similar to functions in Excel that allows you to create calculations and queries. When designing models, you will leverage these formulas to enhance the model to make it easier for users to leverage. There are two ways to add DAX into your model, either as a calculated column or a calculate measure. When you create a calculated column you apply a function that evaluates each row independently and returns the result. Calculated measures are applied to the table and column by using functions to determine the result based on the context. In addition, you can use DAX to query your model much like using T-SQL to query a relational database.

Note

There are several categories of DAX functions designed to perform a variety of calculations. These include logical, aggregation, text, mathematical, statistical, date and...