BISM Introduction Marco Russo

Who I Am BI Experts and Consultants Problem Solving Complex Project Assistance DataWarehouse Assesments and Development Courses, Trainings and Workshops Microsoft Business Intelligence Partners Book Writer New M2M paper:

Agenda PowerPivot is the road to BISM What is BISM Multidimensional and Tabular Several Scenarios Dimensional vs Relational Modeling

WHAT IS UDM? Semantic Model for Business Intelligence

UDM – Unified Dimensional Model Semantic model for Business Intelligence Introduced by SQL 2005 (SSAS) Connect data from several sources –Relationships between tables –Calculations In tables – calculated columns in DSV (T-SQL) In the model – MDX script (MDX)

UDM – Data Modeling 1/3

UDM – Data Modeling 2/3

UDM – Data Modeling 3/3

UDM – Data Analysis

SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services Excel add-in & Excel 2007 Reporting Services 2005 & Report Builder 1 SharePoint 2003 & SharePoint 2007 Reporting Services 3rd party SSAS clients PerformancePoint 2007 MDX

SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Excel 2007 Reporting Services 2008 & Report Builder 2 SharePoint 2007 Reporting Services PerformancePoint Services Excel Services Visio Services 3rd party SSAS clients MDX

SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services Excel 2010 Reporting Services 2008 R2 & Report Builder 3 SharePoint 2010 Excel Services PerformancePoint Services Visio Services 3rd party SSAS clients MDX

WHAT IS BISM? Semantic Model for Business Intelligence

BISM – BI Semantic Model Business Intelligence Semantic Model –For reporting, analytics, scorecards, dashboards –Unify OLAP (UDM) and relational (SMDL) models Queryable with MDX and DAX Different engines: –MOLAP – ROLAP (UDM) –Vertipaq – in-memory columnar database (Tabular) –DirectQuery – query passthrough to SQL Server 2012

BI Semantic Model

BI Semantic Model What about Existing Applications? New applications New technology options 2012 Existing applications Based on Unified Dimensional Model Existing applications Every UDM becomes a BI Semantic Model Existing applications Based on Unified Dimensional Model

BI Semantic Model: Architecture

Road to BISM PowerPivot for Excel –Free AddIn for Microsoft Excel 2010 –Available since June 2010 –Different releases for 32/64 bits –Contains the Vertipaq Engine SSAS running in process with Excel PowerPivot for SharePoint –Vertipaq running server side –Integrated with SharePoint

Road to BISM: SQL Server 2012 SQL Server 2012 –New release of SQL Server (expected in 2012) –MOLAP / Vertipaq running server side –Works standalone (PowerPivot for SP cannot) –Vertipaq / MOLAP selected at instance level –New release of PowerPivot (2.0)

Vertipaq: change your mind! Vertipaq in SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 –Not a simple evolutionary step –It is a complete new environment –New calculation paradigms, new data modeling techniques, new formula authoring experience –No aggregations –Security, partitioning and paging (in PowerPivot) Want to learn BISM? –Forget MDX, Forget SQL, Learn DAX!

SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 BISM Multidimensional Excel 2010 SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 SharePoint 2010 Excel Services Reporting Services PerformancePoint Services Visio Services 3rd party SSAS clients SharePoint 2010 Project Crescent MDX

SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 BISM Tabular Excel 2010 SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 SharePoint 2010 Excel Services Reporting Services PerformancePoint Services Visio Services 3rd party SSAS clients SharePoint 2010 Project Crescent 3rd party SSAS clients MDX DAX

Instance-level choice A SSAS instance can be: –MOLAP (classic mode) –PowerPivot for SharePoint (since SQL2008 R2) –BISM (only SSAS 2012) You can install several instances of SSAS 2012 side-by-side on the same server, also with different roles

DAX Role in BISM DAX is –A language to write expressions (like PowerPivot 1.0) –A query language (new to BISM) Syntax based on CALCULATETABLE (existed since 1.0) Now a different projection can be defined (ADDCOLUMNS) You can control the order of results (EVALUATE / ORDER BY) –It is the fastest way to query BISM data stored in Vertipaq engine MDX is available, but it adds some overhead

What is Changing?

Relational vs Multidimensional UDM –Facts, Dimensions, Bridges, Snowflakes –Relationships: Regular, Referenced, M2M –Hierarchies, Attribute Relationships BISM –Tables –Relationships (1:N, One Column only)

Complexity in BISM BISM: simple data model Complexity is moved into: –Calculated columns –Measures –DAX, DAX, DAX, DAX, DAX and… DAX! Every column is a dimensional attribute Every column is a measure

DIMENSIONAL VS RELATIONAL MODELING Is Dimensional Modeling still necessary for PowerPivot / BISM?

Dimensional vs Relational Multidimensional (OLAP/UDM) –Strong separation between facts and dimensions –Advanced relationship types –Great aggregation level computations –Poor leaf level computation performances Designed, optimized for dimensional models No brain option: go dimensional

Dimensional vs Relational BISM (Tabular) –No concept of fact and dimension: only tables –Very simple concept of relationship –No aggregations, in memory computation –Great leaf level computation performances Optimized for simple models Two options –Dimensional modeling –Relational modeling

Dimensional vs Relational Relational Modeling –Does not mean third normal form! –Users like facts and dimensions Denormalization –Needed for the user experience –And for performances Each relationship has a cost, remember it!

BISM: New Power Calculated columns –Materialize complex calculations –ABC Pareto is a good example –Have access to the whole data model Not like calculated columns in UDM DSV! Linked tables –Two steps computation Easy integration with many sources Power to the end user

BISM: DAX Brand new language Mixes programming and querying Much cleaner and easier than MDX Designed for efficiency on modern CPU Hard to enter the «DAX Mind» –For MDX and SQL programmers –Don’t search same concepts, they are not there! Once you master it… awesome! Simple, not easy

Prepare to DAX! PowerPivot for Excel 2010: Give Your Data Meaning

THANK YOU! For attending this session and PASS SQLRally Nordic 2011, Stockholm