SQL Server Analysis Services Tutorial

This tutorial guides you through the process of creating and managing multidimensional and tabular models in SQL Server Analysis Services. We'll cover key concepts, essential tasks, and best practices to help you build powerful business intelligence solutions.

Getting Started

Before you begin, ensure you have the necessary software installed:

You can download SSDT from the official Microsoft website.

Multidimensional Model Tutorial

This section focuses on building a traditional multidimensional cube.

  1. Chapter 1: Creating a New Project

    Learn how to create a new Analysis Services multidimensional project in SSDT.

    Estimated time: 15 minutes

  2. Chapter 2: Creating a Data Source

    Connect to your data source (e.g., SQL Server database) and define connection properties.

    CREATE TABLE Sales (ProductID INT, SalesAmount DECIMAL(10, 2));

  3. Chapter 3: Creating a Data Source View

    Define a logical view of your data, including tables, relationships, and calculated columns.

  4. Chapter 4: Creating Dimensions

    Build dimensions such as 'Date', 'Product', and 'Customer' to enable hierarchical analysis.

    Key concepts: Hierarchies, Attributes, Granularity.

  5. Chapter 5: Creating Measures and Cubes

    Define measures (e.g., 'Sales Amount', 'Quantity') and assemble them into a cube.

  6. Chapter 6: Browsing the Cube

    Use SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Excel to connect to and explore your newly created cube.

Tabular Model Tutorial

This section covers building a modern in-memory tabular model.

  1. Chapter 1: Creating a Tabular Project

    Start a new Analysis Services tabular project in SSDT.

  2. Chapter 2: Importing Data

    Import data from various sources into your tabular model using the Table Import Wizard.

  3. Chapter 3: Creating Relationships

    Define relationships between tables to establish the data model.

    Learn about different relationship types and cardinality.

  4. Chapter 4: Writing DAX Expressions

    Create calculated columns and measures using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX).

    CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]), 'Product'[Category] = "Bikes")

  5. Chapter 5: Deploying and Connecting

    Deploy your tabular model to an Analysis Services instance and connect using tools like Power BI.

Important Note: Always back up your Analysis Services databases before making significant changes. Refer to the official MSDN documentation for advanced topics and troubleshooting.

Next Steps

Once you've completed the tutorials, explore other areas of Analysis Services: