Up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of the Oracle database and business intelligence tools Written by a team of Oracle insiders, this authoritative book provides you with the most current coverage of the Oracle data warehousing platform as well as the full suite of business intelligence tools. You'll learn how to leverage Oracle features and how those features can be used to provide solutions to a variety of needs and demands. Plus, you'll get valuable tips and insight based on the authors' real-world experiences and their own implementations. Avoid many common pitfalls while learning best practices for: Leveraging Oracle technologies to design, build, and manage data warehouses Integrating specific database and business intelligence solutions from other vendors Using the new suite of Oracle business intelligence tools to analyze data for marketing, sales, and more Handling typical data warehouse performance challenges Uncovering initiatives by your business community, security business sponsorship, project staffing, and managing risk

Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services provides fast access to data by means of multidimensional data structures and the multidimensional query languag MDX. Analysis Services provides the capability to design, create, and manage multidimensional cubes based on data warehouse tables, and it serves as the foundation for the Microsoft Business Intelligence strategy. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services gives the reader insight into the way Analysis Services functions. It not only explains ways to design and create multidimensional objects, databases, dimensions, and cubes, but also provides invaluable information about the reasons behind design decisions made by the development team. Here's what you will find inside: Understand the key concepts of multidimensional modeling Explore the multidimensional object model and its definition language Learn the main concepts of the MDX language and gain an in-depth understanding of advanced MDX concepts Understand the mechanisms of integrating multidimensional and relational databases Learn how to build client applications to access data in Analysis Services Examine server architecture, including main data structures, data processing, and query resolution algorithms Gain a deep understanding of the internal and external protocols for data transfer, including the XML/A protocol Explore how Analysis Services manages memory Explore the security model, including role-based security, code-access security, and data security Discover how to monitor and manage Analysis Services All the code for the sample database used in the book can be found at www.informit.com/title/0672327821.

SQL Server 2005 is the largest leap forward for SQL Server since its inception. With this update comes new features that will challenge even the most experienced SQL Server DBAs. Written by a team of some of the best SQL Server experts in the industry, this comprehensive tutorial shows you how to navigate the vastly changed landscape of the SQL Server administration. Drawing on their own first-hand experiences to offer you best practices, unique tips and tricks, and useful workarounds, the authors help you handle even the most difficult SQL Server 2005 administration issues, including blocking and locking. You'll learn how to fine-tune queries you've already written, automate redundant monitoring and maintenance tasks, and use hidden tools so that you can quickly get over the learning curve of how to configure and administer SQL Server 2005. What you will learn from this book How to use some of the more advanced concepts of installation Techniques for properly administering development features such as SQL CLR Ways to secure your SQL Server from common threats How to choose the right hardware configuration Best practices for backing up and recovering your database Step-by-step guidelines for clustering your SQL Server Who this book is for This book is for experienced developers and database administrators who plan to administer or are already administering an SQL Server 2005 system and its business intelligence features. Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working technologists to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

In this IBM Redbooks publication we describe and discuss DB2 Data Warehouse Edition (DWE) Version 9.1, a comprehensive platform offering with functionality to build a business intelligence infrastructure for analytics and Web-based applications, and best practices for deployment. DB2 DWE integrates core components for data warehouse construction and administration, data mining, OLAP, and InLine Analytics and reporting. It extends the DB2 data warehouse with design-side tooling and runtime infrastructure for OLAP, data mining, InLine Analytics, and intra-warehouse data movement and transformation, on a common platform based on DB2 and WebSphere. The platform pillars are based on the technology of DB2, Rational Data Architect (for physical data modeling only), the SQL Warehousing Tool, Intelligent Miner, DB2 Cube Views, and Alphablox. DWE includes an Eclipse-based design environment, DWE Design Studio, that integrates the DWE products (with the exception of Alphablox and Query Patroller) with a common framework and user interface. The new SQL Warehousing Tool enables visual design of intra-warehouse, table-to-table data flows and control flows using generated SQL. DB2 Alphablox is the tool for developing custom applications with embedded analytics-based visual components. DWE enables faster time-to-value for enterprise analytics, while limiting the number of vendors, tools, skill sets and licenses required.

A new edition of this title is available, ISBN-10: 0321580303 ISBN-13: 9780321580306 The second of a two-book series about business intelligence and reporting technology, introduces programmers to BIRT architecture and the reporting framework. Built on the Eclipse platform, this exciting technology makes it possible for programmers to build and deploy customized reports using scripting and BIRT APIs. In addition, programmers can extend the BIRT framework by building new plug-ins using the Eclipse Plug-in Development Environment. Integrating and Extending BIRT This book describes the key components of BIRT architecture, applications, and engines, including installing, deploying, and troubleshooting the Reporting and Charting engines in an Enterprise Java application-server environment.For developers who wish to incorporate custom business logic in their reports or access data from Java objects, the book describes BIRT's extensive scripting capabilities in JavaScript and Java. For developers who want to extend the BIRT framework, the book describes the key extension points to use in creating customized report items, rendering extensions for generating output other than HTML or PDF, and Open Data Access (ODA) drivers for new data sources. The book provides extensive examples of how to build plug-ins to extend the features of the BIRT framework. Topics discussed include Installing and deploying BIRT Deploying a BIRT report to an application server Understanding BIRT architecture Scripting in a BIRT report design Integrating BIRT functionality in applications Working with the BIRT extension framework

The authorized guide to the latest edition of the #1 business intelligence software product - Crystal Reports. More than 16 million licenses of Crystal Reports have been shipped to date. This book is a reference designed to provide hands-on guidance for the latest release of the product suite. The latest version of Crystal Reports and the Business Objects enterprise reporting suite delivers vast product enhancements and a tighter integration that will drive upgrades from licensees. Brand new features (e.g. Dynamic and Cascading Parameter Generation) will also appeal to new audiences. Over 1 million new Business Intelligence licensees will be migrating to the Crystal Enterprise Reporting platform, as this is the first release of the software with the existing Business Objects (BO) products being integrated into the Crystal infrastructure. As Business Objects insiders, the authors bring unique and valuable real-world perspectives on implementations and uses of the Crystal Reports product. The book also includes content, tutorials and samples for reporting within the Microsoft Visual Studio.NET and J2EE development environments and also on top of the SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) and the Peoplesoft platform. Advanced content on report distribution and integration into the secured managed reporting solution known as Business Objects Enterprise XI, is also now included in this definitive user guide with coverage on the new Web Services SDK.

• SAP is investing billions to redesign its flagship R/3 product line based on its ESA, and that ESA will become the standard framework for developing all new SAP ERP applications with NetWeaver * This book provides an overview of the core building blocks of SAP's new ESA, and shows how ESA works with the NetWeaver platform as well as mySAP ERP * A step-by-step action plan proposes ideas for designing ESA-based SAP applications * The companion Web site contains in-depth case examples that show how to build various SAP services and applications using the NetWeaver development tools, plus third-party tools * Some of the SAP tools covered include NetWeaver Developer Studio, WebDynPro and NetWeaver Portal, NetWeaver BI, and the SAP Composite Application Framework

A new edition of this title is available, ISBN-10: 0321580273 ISBN-13: 9780321580276 The first in a two-book series about Business Intelligence and Reporting Technology, introduces reporting to a broad base of users. Built on the Eclipse platform, this exciting technology makes it possible for programmers and non-programmers to build and deploy complex reports with minimal effort. BIRT: A Field Guide to Reporting presents information about how to develop and customize reports of progressive complexity using BIRT Report Designer. This tool was designed from the ground up for Web applications and uses a Web page-oriented design metaphor in contrast to older banded report writers that were developed before the advent of the Internet. This unique approach to report creation makes BIRT an approachable and effective tool for developers of all levels. BIRT: A Field Guide to Reporting Report designs discussed include Listing reports that include sorting, grouping, and totals Summary reports, such as top N reports Charts, including pie, line, bar, and gauge charts Master-detail reports Other topics discussed include Understanding the technology Planning report designs Accessing data Laying out and formatting reports Building charts Enhancing reports with interactive viewing, shared libraries, and localized text Preparing reports for international data

Direct from Microsoft Insiders: the Complete Hands-On Guide to SQL Server 2005’s Powerful Tools! Microsoft SQL Server 2005’s high-powered management tools can dramatically improve DBA productivity and effectiveness. Now there’s a comprehensive guide to SQL Server 2005’s toolset, straight from the Microsoft team that created it. This book covers the entire toolset in unprecedented depth, guides database professionals in choosing the right tools, and shows them how to use various tools collectively to solve real-world problems. The authors present “how-to” solutions and never-before-published tips for SQL Server 2005 installation, upgrades, configuration, authoring, schema design, development, deployment, optimization, troubleshooting, and more. Coverage includes  Understanding how SQL Server 2005 tools differ from their predecessors  Leveraging the new Business Intelligence Development Studio and Management Studio to accomplish dozens of common tasks  Improving security by reducing the “surface area” you expose  Executing queries with the new Query Editor and SQLCMD query tools  Optimizing with the revamped SQL Server Profiler and Database Engine Tuning Advisor  Scheduling maintenance tasks with the SQL Server Agent  Monitoring with the Activity Monitor, SQL Server Agent, and other tools  Moving data efficiently and reliably with Integration Services  Using SQL Server’s new e-mail tool, Database Mail  Managing replication in complex distributed environments  Mastering SQL Server’s Analysis Services’ OLAP and Data Mining tools  Using Notification Services 2.0, Reporting Services, and more  Extending functionality using underlying APIs and the included CD-ROM’s sample code. MICHAEL RAHEEM is the senior product manager of the Microsoft SQL Server team and led the design and implementation of several SQL Server tools, such as SQL Server Management Studio, Database Mail, Upgrade Advisors, and Surface Area Configuration. He currently leads the SQL Server enterprise marketing efforts including high availability, scalability, and performance. DIMA SONKIN is development lead in the SQL Server Tools group responsible for SQL Server Agent, SMO, DMO, SQL Profiler, Database Engine Tuning Advisor, Database Mail, SQLMail, SqlCmd, and OSQL. THIERRY D’HERS is the lead program manager on Microsoft’s SQL BI Analysis Services team and has spent five years designing and specifying Analysis Services tools. KAMI LEMONDS is the documentation manager for Microsoft’s SQL Server User Education team and contributed to the SQL Server 2000 Resource Kit. CD-ROM contains all sample code from the book and corresponding Visual Studio project files. Contents Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxvi About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxvii Chapter 1 Inside the Fundamentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2 Inside the Installation and Upgrade Tools. . . . . . . 23 Chapter 3 Inside the Configuration Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Chapter 4 Inside Management and Administration Tools . . 129 Chapter 5 Inside Data Authoring Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Chapter 6 Inside SQLCMD Query Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Chapter 7 Inside Tuning and Optimization Tools . . . . . . . . . 237 Chapter 8 Inside Scheduling Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Chapter 9 Inside Monitoring Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Chapter 10 Inside Email Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Chapter 11 Inside Programming Object Models . . . . . . . . . . 357 Chapter 12 Inside Replication Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Chapter 13 Inside Analysis Services OLAP Tools . . . . . . . . . 429 Chapter 14 Inside Analysis Services Data Mining Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Chapter 15 Inside Notification Services Tools . . . . . . . . . . . 543 Chapter 16 Inside Integration Services Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 Chapter 17 Inside the Reporting Services Tools . . . . . . . . . . 679 Appendix A Sample KPI Client Code— Retrieving and Exposing Your First KPI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711 Appendix B KPI Utilities—Code for Parsing Display Folders and Getting Image Indexes . . . . . . . . . . 713 Appendix C KPI Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721 Appendix D Complete List of Data Mining Stored Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733

In this IBM Redbooks publication, we describe and demonstrate how to implement enterprise performance insight. This is an initiative that has a primary focus on the integration of Business Process Management and Business Intelligence. With this capability, management has an enterprise-wide view of their business that can enable proactive business management. We discuss the techniques, architectures, and processes used to define and implement such an environment. Among the specific techniques and technologies used are key performance indicators, process alerts, management dashboards, analytic applications, application integration, process modeling and monitoring, and real-time business intelligence. The products featured are DB2 UDB, DB2 Alphablox, WebSphere Information Integrator, WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Business Monitor, and WebSphere Business Modeler. Performance insight is an element of a more global initiative called business innovation and optimization (BIO). With this, we can enable business performance management, an initiative for the effective use of people, processes, assets, and technology to proactively achieve business goals and measurements. It enables strategic alignment of business and technology, resulting in real-time access to data and continuous process and data flow, for proactive business management, and business goal attainment.

"This book is the definitive guide for SAP NetWeaver BI professionals. Based on their extraordinary expertise with the product, the authors provide deep insights about key innovations in the areas of user experience, query performance, integrated planning, and enterprise-wide data warehousing." —Stefan Sigg, Vice President, SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence The long-anticipated publication of this second edition reflects the growing success of SAP NetWeaver as well as the various Business Intelligence (BI) capabilities that are embedded with SAP BW version 7.0. Written by SAP insiders, this comprehensive guide takes into account the ever-changing features, functionality, and toolsets of SAP NetWeaver to bring you the most updated information on how to use SAP BW to design, build, deploy, populate, access, analyze, present, and administer data. You'll discover the options that are available in SAP NetWeaver and uncover a new means to improve business performance. This book reflects the process an organization goes through during an implementation of the software. The authors begin with an introduction to BI and SAP NetWeaver and quickly progress to information modeling and enterprise data warehouse concepts. You'll learn how to access and deliver meaningful analytic information to the organization, as well as perform integrated planning functions. Finally, the authors share invaluable insight on warehouse administration, performance, and security. With more than 50 percent new or revised material, this second edition of Mastering the SAP Business Information Warehouse shows you how to: Extract data from online transaction processing systems Store transformed data in a way that best supports reporting and analysis Use the various Business Explorer tools such as BEx Report Designer, BEx Analyzer, BEx Broadcaster, and BEx Web Application Designer Schedule, monitor, troubleshoot, and archive data loads The companion Web site contains sample chapters in Wiki format and the authors' blog where readers may enter discussions about the book and SAP. Wiley Technology Publishing Timely. Practical. Reliable. Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/ Visit the companion Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/mcdonald The companion Web site contains the sample code presented in the text of the book, plus implementation templates.

All medium to large companies have to deal with data being stored in a number of databases, spreadsheets and proprietary applications. Bringing all this data together into one system can be useful to analyzing the business; but can also be quite difficult to do. Integration Services is the next big bet in Microsoft's business intelligence lineup, providing you with true enterprise extract transform and load features (ETL). Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services concentrates on providing you with real world solutions to real world problems, giving you a head start on various projects. If you are only evaluating Integration Services, you'll be able to focus on the early chapters with the option of drilling down into details in the later chapters where some of the more complex concepts will be discussed in detail. The interesting sidebars peppered throughout the book provide insight into the processes, people and decisions that yielded the final IS product.

“Buck Woody’s new book will help new and experienced users alike in getting productive with SQL Server 2005 quickly. His special attention to security and performance make this an exceptional reference that is sure to remain relevant for some time.” —Chip Andrews, CISSP, MCDBA, Director of Research and Development Special Ops Security, Inc. “SQL 2005 is the most exciting upgrade to come out of Redmond in years; this book will help you get up and running quickly to take full advantage of it! If you are looking for a book about upgrading to SQL 2005, look no further, this one is all you need. It gives you all you need to take advantage of everything SQL 2005 has to offer, and that is a lot!” —Doug Ellis, Area Technical Manager, Cognos “Buck Woody provides insight into administering SQL Server 2005 that all developers and database administrators will find useful; the book assumes very little knowledge by providing ‘DBA 101’ sections which will not alienate the experienced reader while providing the necessary introduction to topics for those less experienced.” —Doug Holland, Visual C# MVP, Precision Objects “SQL Server 2005 is a landmark release and this title does an awesome job of hitting everything new in SQL 2005. It covers new and improved administration tools, and contains an overview of Notification Services, SQL Server Service Broker, Reporting Services, Integration Services, and Analysis Services. As a result, you’ll be able to work on your own SQL Server 2005 solutions quickly and painlessly. Ultimately, this book provides you with a starting point, a roadmap, and then the tools and knowledge to exploit this powerful new database server to its fullest power. So, start your computer and get ready to learn SQL Server 2005!” —Alexzander N. Nepomnjashiy, SQL Server DBA, NeoSystems NorthWest “A solid introduction to administering SQL 2005. The ‘DBA 101’ sections provide useful tips for the new DBA, good review for the experienced DBA, and the 101 label enables the seasoned DBA to skip basic material and jump ahead to where the REAL action is…. Buck’s conversational writing style makes this an enjoyable and refreshing contrast to the majority of tech books written these days.” —Brad Russell, MCDBA, Visionary Integration Professionals The Complete, Practical, 100% Useful Guide for Every SQL Server 2005 DBA! This book has one goal: to help database administrators and their managers run SQL Server 2005 with maximum efficiency, reliability, and performance. Renowned SQL Server expert Buck Woody covers every facet of database administration, from installation and configuration through maintaining enterprise-class business intelligence environments. If you’re a new SQL Server administrator, Buck will help you master core tasks rapidly—and avoid costly mistakes that only show up when it’s too late. If you’re familiar with previous versions of SQL Server, he’ll get you up-to-speed fast on everything new that matters, from high availability improvements and Integration Services to the SQL Server Management Studio. Whatever your background, you’ll find best practices, real-world scenarios, and easy-to-use automation scripts—all grounded in Buck’s unsurpassed SQL Server knowledge. • Timesaving tips, practical applications, and start-to-finish examples throughout • Understand the key “decision points” at every stage of your SQL Server deployment • Perform day-to-day maintenance more efficiently, from hotfixes to backup/recovery • Automate maintenance tasks with the SQL Server Agent • Establish and audit security on SQL Server 2005 and the underlying Windows Server platform • Monitor and optimize SQL Server: baselining, profiling, index strategies, query refactoring, and more • Maximize availability using replication, clustering, mirroring, and SQL Server’s new online indexing • Leverage important new improvements in Integration Services and Reporting Services • Use Analysis Services to support enterprise-class Business Intelligence deployments • Even set up a simple configuration of SQL Server 2005 for free—legally! Foreword xviii Chapter 1: Installation and Configuration 1 Chapter 2: Architecture and Tools 35 Chapter 3: Maintenance and Automation 99 Chapter 4: Security 173 Chapter 5: Monitoring and Optimization 237 Chapter 6: High Availability 295 Chapter 7: Notification Services and the Service Broker 365 Chapter 8: Integration Services 399 Chapter 9: Reporting Services 451 Chapter 10: Analysis Services 515 Appendix A: Upgrading to SQL Server 2005 581 Index 605

Transform data into action for competitive advantage "The knowledge assets of an organization are becoming increasingly important for competitive advantage, and therefore, the way in which knowledge is created, renewed, and communicated is critical. This book provides practical insights into how this may be achieved through the establishment of a Business Intelligence Competency Centre and is a valuable read for 'information professionals.'" --Bill Sturman, Information Architecture Project Manager The Open University, United Kingdom "BI is more than technology and projects. BI must live in the organization--as a BICC. This book helps to make BI tangible and understandable, bringing it to life." --Miriam Eisenmann, Project Manager (PMP) CSC Ploenzke AG, Germany "This book is a must-read for planning and implementing your BICC. It is a pragmatic guide that addresses a lot, if not all, of the questions you'll be asking yourself. Don't miss out on getting a head start from the people who thought this through from start to finish . . . Pray your competitors don't get hold of this book!" --Claudia Imhoff, President Intelligent Solutions, Inc., USA "Creating a BICC forces the organization to focus on the importance of centralizing the gathering, interpreting, and analyzing of information to create business insight." --Anne Ulyate, Group Manager Business Intelligence Mutual & Federal, South Africa "BI is a highly visible element in the 'business value' trend for IT investments. Initiatives, such as competency centers, should empower user organizations to drive even more value out of their BI investments." --Marianne Kolding, Director, European ServicesIDC, United Kingdom

Your hands-on guide to learning Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Microsoft’s customizable analysis solution for business data modeling and interpretation. Analysis Services is a powerful tool for business intelligence, so understanding the essentials—how to create a cube, as well as how to deploy, customize, and extend the basic calculations—is critical to harnessing the full benefits of SQL Server. This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to get started, how to build scalable analytical applications, and how to use and administer advanced features. Interactivity features (enhanced in SQL Server 2005), data translation, and security are also covered in detail. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you’re a beginning programmer or new to this version of the technology, you’ll understand the fundamental techniques for using Analysis Services. A companion CD includes data sets and sample code.

Generate detailed reports that will give your company the competitive edge Put essential information in the hands of end-users across your organization using Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer 10 g and the comprehensive information contained in this Oracle Press guide. You’ll learn, step-by-step, how to query databases and warehouses, format the results, and distribute dynamic, Web-enabled reports. All features are covered in full detail, including OracleBI Discoverer Desktop, Workbook Wizard, Plus, Viewer, Discoverer Administrator, Portlet Provider, OLAP, and Enterprise Manager. Real-world case studies and tutorials illustrate all of the analysis, security, and reporting capabilities of Oracle Discoverer 10 g. Set up, configure, and manage Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer 10 g Perform ad hoc and fixed queries using the Workbook Wizard Integrate sorts, calculations, percentages, and parameters using Discoverer Plus Create reports with graphs, tables, titles, headers, footers, and margins Use Discoverer Viewer to review, format, export, email, and print reports Refine queries using interactive pivoting, drilling, and Hyper Drilling Control OLAP workbooks using the Discoverer Catalog and Oracle Enterprise Manager Establish access and sharing rights, and scheduling privileges with Discoverer Administrator Set up and use Portal using Discoverer Portlet Provider and Portlets Implement query shortcuts, cascading parameters and advanced analytic calculations using templates

SQL Server Reporting enables the creation, management, and delivery of both traditional, paper-oriented reports and interactive, Web-based reports. An integrated part of the Microsoft business intelligence framework, Reporting Services combines the data management capabilities of SQL Server and Microsoft Windows Server with familiar and powerful Microsoft Office System applications to deliver real-time information to support daily operations and drive decisions. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services will help you understand Reporting Services from various perspectives: How it fits business scenarios How to install and configure Reporting Services Reporting Services components Developing reports As you progress to advanced user status, you will enjoy the chapter about accessing Reporting Services programmatically and extending Reporting Services, and you will be able to use this book as a convenient reference.

Need to get your arms around Microsoft SQL Server 2005 fast, without getting buried in the details? Need to make fundamental decisions about deploying, using, or administering Microsoft’s latest enterprise database? Need to understand what’s new in SQL Server 2005, and how it fits with your existing IT and business infrastructure? SQL Server 2005 Distilled delivers the answers you need–quickly, clearly, and objectively. Former SQL Server team member Eric L. Brown offers realistic insight into every significant aspect of SQL Server 2005: its new features, architecture, administrative tools, security model, data management capabilities, development environment, and much more. Brown draws on his extensive experience consulting with enterprise users, outlining realistic usage scenarios that leverage SQL Server 2005’s strengths and minimize its limitations. Coverage includes Architectural overview: how SQL Server 2005’s features work together and what it means to you Security management, policies, and permissions: gaining tighter control over your data SQL Server Management Studio: Microsoft’s new, unified tool suite for authoring, management, and operations Availability enhancements: online restoration, improved replication, shorter maintenance/recovery windows, and more Scalability improvements, including a practical explanation of SQL Server 2005’s complex table partitioning feature Data access enhancements, from ADO.NET 2.0 to XML SQL Server 2005’s built-in .NET CLR: how to use it, when to use it, and when to stay with T-SQL Business Intelligence Development Studio: leveraging major improvements in reporting and analytics Visual Studio integration: improving efficiency throughout the coding and debugging process Simple code examples demonstrating SQL Server 2005’s most significant new features

Transform disparate enterprise data into actionable business intelligence Put timely, mission-critical information in the hands of employees across your organization using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and the comprehensive information in this unique resource. Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 shows you, step-by-step, how to author, customize, and distribute information that will give your company the competitive edge. It's all right here--from data mining, warehousing, and scripting techniques to MDX queries, KPI analysis, and the all-new Unified Dimensional Model. Real-world examples, start-to-finish exercises, and downloadable code throughout illustrate all of the integration, analysis, and reporting capabilities of SQL Server 2005.

This groundbreaking book is the first in the Kimball Toolkit series to be product-specific. Microsoft’s BI toolset has undergone significant changes in the SQL Server 2005 development cycle. SQL Server 2005 is the first viable, full-functioned data warehouse and business intelligence platform to be offered at a price that will make data warehousing and business intelligence available to a broad set of organizations. This book is meant to offer practical techniques to guide those organizations through the myriad of challenges to true success as measured by contribution to business value. Building a data warehousing and business intelligence system is a complex business and engineering effort. While there are significant technical challenges to overcome in successfully deploying a data warehouse, the authors find that the most common reason for data warehouse project failure is insufficient focus on the business users and business problems. In an effort to help people gain success, this book takes the proven Business Dimensional Lifecycle approach first described in best selling The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit and applies it to the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 tool set. Beginning with a thorough description of how to gather business requirements, the book then works through the details of creating the target dimensional model, setting up the data warehouse infrastructure, creating the relational atomic database, creating the analysis services databases, designing and building the standard report set, implementing security, dealing with metadata, managing ongoing maintenance and growing the DW/BI system. All of these steps tie back to the business requirements. Each chapter describes the practical steps in the context of the SQL Server 2005 platform. Intended Audience The target audience for this book is the IT department or service provider (consultant) who is: Planning a small to mid-range data warehouse project; Evaluating or planning to use Microsoft technologies as the primary or exclusive data warehouse server technology; Familiar with the general concepts of data warehousing and business intelligence. The book will be directed primarily at the project leader and the warehouse developers, although everyone involved with a data warehouse project will find the book useful. Some of the book’s content will be more technical than the typical project leader will need; other chapters and sections will focus on business issues that are interesting to a database administrator or programmer as guiding information. The book is focused on the mass market, where the volume of data in a single application or data mart is less than 500 GB of raw data. While the book does discuss issues around handling larger warehouses in the Microsoft environment, it is not exclusively, or even primarily, concerned with the unusual challenges of extremely large datasets. About the Authors JOY MUNDY has focused on data warehousing and business intelligence since the early 1990s, specializing in business requirements analysis, dimensional modeling, and business intelligence systems architecture. Joy co-founded InfoDynamics LLC, a data warehouse consulting firm, then joined Microsoft WebTV to develop closed-loop analytic applications and a packaged data warehouse. Before returning to consulting with the Kimball Group in 2004, Joy worked in Microsoft SQL Server product development, managing a team that developed the best practices for building business intelligence systems on the Microsoft platform. Joy began her career as a business analyst in banking and finance. She graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Economics, and from Stanford with an MS in Engineering Economic Systems. WARREN THORNTHWAITE has been building data warehousing and business intelligence systems since 1980. Warren worked at Metaphor for eight years, where he managed the consulting organization and implemented many major data warehouse systems. After Metaphor, Warren managed the enterprise-wide data warehouse development at Stanford University. He then co-founded InfoDynamics LLC, a data warehouse consulting firm, with his co-author, Joy Mundy. Warren joined up with WebTV to help build a world class, multi-terabyte customer focused data warehouse before returning to consulting with the Kimball Group. In addition to designing data warehouses for a range of industries, Warren speaks at major industry conferences and for leading vendors, and is a long-time instructor for Kimball University. Warren holds an MBA in Decision Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and a BA in Communications Studies from the University of Michigan. RALPH KIMBALL, PH.D., has been a leading visionary in the data warehouse industry since 1982 and is one of today's most internationally well-known authors, speakers, consultants, and teachers on data warehousing. He writes the "Data Warehouse Architect" column for Intelligent Enterprise (formerly DBMS) magazine.