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SQL Server 2008/R2 Analysis Services

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Course Id: 165Presented by Scott WhighamPublished by LearnItFirst.com

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• Welcome to Course 165: SQL Server 2008/R2 Analysis Services– Twelve chapters

– Covers what, why, and how-to

– Coverage at a Beginning-Intermediate level

What We’re Going to Cover

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Chapter Listing:1. Course Introduction and How to Get Started

2. Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

3. How to Install SSAS 2008

4. Understanding and Designing Multidimensional Databases

5. Dimension and Measure Design

6. Cube Development with SSAS

7. Reporting Services with SSAS 2008

8. Client Tools: Excel, PowerPivot, SharePoint and More

Chapter Listing

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Chapter Listing (cont.):9. ETL Strategies and How to Load Data Warehouses Using

SSIS

10. Writing MDX Queries

11. Data Mining with Analysis Services

12. Analysis Services Security

Chapter Listing

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• How this course is arranged– The videos and chapters in this course may be

taken in any order

– Certain chapters build on previous chapters4. Understanding and Designing Multidimensional Databases

5. Dimension and Measure Design

6. Cube Development with SSAS

What We’re Going to Cover

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• Chapters are arranged in tracks– Allows you to choose your most effective route

through the course material relevant to your needs

• System Administrators track

• Business Intelligence Architects track

• Business Intelligence Analysts/Users track

– More on tracks in the next video!

What We’re Going to Cover

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Chapter 1: Course Introduction and How to Get

Started

– Matches tracks to chapters

– How to install sample databases/files for the exercises

– Using Books Online

– How to use the video exercises

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 2: Business Intelligence and Data

Warehousing with SSAS

– Defining common terms and techniques

– What are multidimensional databases?

– What is Analysis Services?

– What’s new in Analysis Services 2008

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 3: How to Install SSAS 2008

– What types of installation is appropriate for a given situation

– Installing a fresh installation

– Adding to an existing server

– Analysis Services clustering

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 4: Understanding and Designing

Multidimensional Databases

– Understanding where to put data warehouse

– Understanding multidimensional vs. relational databases

– Creating Analysis Services databases

– Creating Visual Studio projects, solutions, and Data Source Views (DSVs)

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 5: Dimension and Measure Design

– Designing fact and dimension tables

– Snowflake vs. star schema

– Working with hierarchies in dimensions

– Creating dimensions in Visual Studio

– Deploying to Analysis Services

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 6: Cube Development with SSAS

– Designing and editing cubes

– Cube browsing basics

– Cube processing with SSIS

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 7: Reporting Services 2008 with SSAS 2008

– How to connect to an Analysis Services cube

– Creating tablix, matrix, and table-based reports against SSAS cubes

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 8: Client Tools: Excel, PowerPivot,

SharePoint, and More

– Overview of tools available for cube browsing

– How to connect Excel to an Analysis Services cube

– How to use PowerPivot to browse cubes

– How to browse Analysis Services cubes within a SharePoint site

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 9: ETL Strategies and How to Load Data

Warehouses Using SSIS

– Overview of common ETL strategies

– Creating data load-based SSIS package

• Discussions of both first-time load and upsertoperations

– Processing existing cubes

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 10: Writing MDX Queries

– Overview of MDX language

– Writing MDX queries in SSMS

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 11: Data Mining with Analysis Services

– What is data mining?

– Creating mining and prediction models

– Exploring with PowerPivot and Excel 2010

Chapter Breakdown

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Chapter 12: Analysis Services Security

– Comparing SSAS, SQL Server, and Windows security models

– How SSAS authenticates users

– Defining security on SSAS objects

Chapter Breakdown

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• You do not need to be a SQL guru to take this course– Any and all queries that your reports will be built

on will be provided in a file so that you can easily follow along

Course Introduction

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• Related courses you might be interested in:– Course 158: SQL Server 2008 Integration Services

– Course 160: Writing Queries for SQL Server (2005/2008)

– Course 162: SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

– Course 161: SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Programming

Course Introduction

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• This course is not an “Advanced Analysis Services” course– If you already know everything listed in the

chapter outlines, then this is not the right course for you!

Course Introduction

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• One final thing to discuss: – This is a SQL Server 2008/R2 Analysis Services

course

– This means it covers both:

• SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

• SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services

What We’re Going to Cover

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• What does it mean to say, “SQL 2008 Analysis Services”?– There are actually two different-yet-similar

versions of SSAS in the “SQL Server 2008” arena

– Learning one will make it extremely easy to use the other

What We’re Going to Cover

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• SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services– Released in 2008

– Report Builder 2.0 for SSRS

What We’re Going to Cover

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• SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services– Released in 2010

– Report Builder 3.0 for SSRS

What We’re Going to Cover

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• Next up: How to Take this Course: Which Chapters Should You Watch?

“Analysis is like a lobotomy. Who wants to have all their edges shaved off?”

David Byrne

Next up