Database Reference
In-Depth Information
3.6.1 Overview of Microsoft SQL Server Tools
Microsoft SQL Server provides an integrated platform for building analytical
applications. It is composed of three main components, described below:
￿ Analysis Services is an OLAP tool that provides analytical and data
mining capabilities. It is used to define, query, update, and manage
OLAP databases. The MDX (MultiDimensional eXpressions) language is
used to retrieve data. Users may work with OLAP data via client tools
(Excel or other OLAP clients) that interact with Analysis Services' server
component. We will study these in Chaps. 5 and 6 when we define and
query the data cube for the Northwind case study. Further, Analysis
Services provides several data mining algorithms and uses the DMX (Data
Mining eXtensions) language for creating and querying data mining models
and obtaining predictions. We will study these in Chap. 9 when we exploit
the Northwind data warehouse for data analytics.
￿ Integration Services supports ETL processes, which are used for loading
and refreshing data warehouses on a periodic basis. Integration Services
is used to extract data from a variety of data sources; to combine, clean,
and summarize this data; and, finally, to populate a data warehouse with
the resulting data. We will explain in detail Integration Services when we
describe the ETL for the Northwind case study in Chap. 8 .
￿ Reporting Services is used to define, generate, store, and manage
reports. Reports can be built from various types of data sources, including
data warehouses and OLAP cubes. Reports can be personalized and
delivered in a variety of formats. Users can view reports with a variety
of clients, such as web browsers or other reporting clients. Clients
access reports via Reporting Services' server component. We will explain
Reporting Services when we build dashboards for the Northwind case study
in Chap. 9 .
SQL Server provides two tools for developing and managing these com-
ponents. SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) is a development platform
integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio. SQL Server Data Tools supports
Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and Integration Services projects.
On the other hand, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) provides
integrated management of all SQL Server components.
The underlying model across these tools is called the Business Intel-
ligence Semantic Model (BISM). This model comes in two modes, the
multidimensional and tabular modes, where, as their name suggest, the differ-
ence among them stems from their underlying paradigm (multidimensional or
relational). From the data model perspective, the multidimensional mode has
powerful capabilities for building advanced business intelligence applications
and supports large data volumes. On the other hand, the tabular mode is
simpler to understand and quicker to build than the multidimensional data
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