Expert Cube Development with SSAS Multidimensional Models

In DetailMicrosoft's SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 Multidimensional is an OLAP server that allows end users to analyze large amounts of business data quickly and easily, using a variety of tools including Excel, and to create their own reports without IT involvement. It is part of the Microsoft SQL Server suite of tools and has been used widely on Business Intelligence projects for the last 15 years; it is now the most commonly used OLAP server in the world.Expert Cube Development with SSAS Multidimensional Models will teach you tips and tricks for cube design from some of the most experienced Analysis Services experts in the world. Topics covered include designing dimensions and cubes, implementing common MDX calculations, security and performance tuning. The book takes you through the whole lifecycle of Analysis Services cube development, from how data warehouse design affects your cube, through cube and dimension design to performance tuning and monitoring. Some previous experience of Analysis Services is assumed - the focus is on best practices and design patterns.The book starts off with a discussion of data warehouse design and how it relates to Analysis Services. Following on from that, best practices relating to Analysis Services cube and dimension design are covered, including topics such as optimizing dimension attribute relationships and handling fact tables that contain data at different granularities.Next, the book looks at using MDX to implement common business calculations, and then moves on to more advanced problems like currency conversion calculations and creating a date tool dimensions.Finally security, performance tuning, automation of administrative tasks and monitoring usage and performance each get their own chapter and subject such as dynamic security roles, using Profiler to diagnose query performance problems and automating partition creation are also dealt with.ApproachAn easy-to-follow guide full of hands on examples of real-world Analysis Services cube development tasks. Each topic is explained and placed in context, and for the more inquisitive reader, there also more in-depth details of the concepts used.Who this book is forIf you are an Analysis Services cube designer wishing to learn more advanced topic and best practices for cube design, this book is for you.You are expected to have some prior experience with Analysis Services cube development.