Understand Microsoft's dramatically updated new release of its premier toolset for business intelligence The first major update to Microsoft's state-of-the-art, complex toolset for business intelligence (BI) in years is now available and what better way to master it than with this detailed book from key members of the product's development team? If you're a database or data warehouse developer, this is the expert resource you need to build full-scale, multi-dimensional, database applications using Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services and related tools. Discover how to solve real-world BI problems by leveraging a slew of powerful new Analysis Services features and capabilities. These include the new DAX language, which is a more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and much more. Serves as an authoritative guide to Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services BI product and is written by key members of the Microsoft Analysis Services product development team Covers SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services, a major new release with a host of powerful new features and capabilities Topics include using the new DAX language, a simplified, more user-friendly version of MDX; PowerPivot, a new tool for performing simplified analysis of data; BISM, Microsoft's new Business Intelligence Semantic Model; and a new, yet-to-be-named BI reporting tool Explores real-world scenarios to help developers build comprehensive solutions Get thoroughly up to speed on this powerful new BI toolset with the timely and authoritative Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services with MDX.

When used with the MDX query language, SQL Server Analysis Services allows developers to build full-scale database applications to support such business functions as budgeting, forecasting, and market analysis. Shows readers how to build data warehouses and multi-dimensional databases, query databases, and use Analysis Services and other components of SQL Server to provide end-to-end solutions Revised, updated, and enhanced, the book discusses new features such as improved integration with Office and Excel 2007; query performance enhancements; improvements to aggregation designer, dimension designer, cube and dimension wizards, and cell writeback; extensibility and personalization; data mining; and more

Written by the lead developers of Analysis Services at Microsoft, this book begins with an overview showing how Analysis Services and MDX can be used to build data warehouses and multidimensional databases The authors then describe the development processes for building dimensions and cubes from various data sources Demonstrating a variety of techniques in real-world scenarios, the book shows how MDX can be used to query databases to provide sophisticated analysis of business problems Finally, the book explains how Analysis Services can be used with other components of SQL Server, including DTS, data mining, and Report Services, to provide comprehensive, end-to-end solutions

Serving as both a tutorial and a reference guide to the MDX (Multidimensional Expressions) query language, this book shows data warehouse developers what they need to know to build effective multidimensional data warehouses After a brief overview of the MDX language and a look at how it is used to access data in sophisticated, multidimensional databases and data warehousing, the authors move directly to providing practical examples of MDX in use New material covers changes in the MDX language itself as well as major changes in its implementation with the latest software releases of Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 and Hyperion Essbase Also covers more advanced techniques, like aggregation, query templates, and MDX optimization, and shows users what they need to know to access and analyze data to make better business decisions Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.