Installing SSAS and Preparing for Cube Development - Getting Started with SQL Server 2012 Cube Development - page 17

Choosing the deployment mode
As you understand, the choice you make about the deployment mode is very import-
ant, it is a choice that you make during installation of the server.
So what determines the right model for you? From a user perspective, the models
look the same; the user can use both of them from any of the user tools that can con-
nect to Analysis Services. The difference between the models is mainly something
that the developer gets exposed to. As you saw in the architectural diagram previ-
ously, there are some differences on the languages that you use when developing the
logic and the queries.
In the multidimensional world, you use a language called MDX ( Multidimensional
Expressions ) to query the model and to write the business logic. MDX is a hard lan-
guage to learn but it is extremely powerful when you really master it.
Tip
More information on how to use MDX to query your cube will be covered in
Chapter 5 , QueringYour Cube , in this topic.
In the tabular world, on the other hand, you work with tables and relations just like you
would in a relational database. The native query language is not like SQL in the re-
lational database, but instead a language called DAX ( Data Analysis Expressions ).
This language is a formula-based language that is very similar to Excel formulas.
To most novices DAX is much easier to start with since it is so similar to Excel formu-
las, and almost every developer knows how to work with a relational database.