Level: Introductory to Intermediate

William E. Pearson III

Business Intelligence Architect and Founder

Island Technologies Inc.®

Analysis Services 2012 witnesses the introduction of the Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM), which unifies Multidimensional (OLAP) and Tabular (relational) options for organizational BI. BI professionals can implement Multidimensional cubes for data warehousing and OLAP; or they can create Tabular models, or enhance PowerPivot models developed by business users, and then deploy them to a dedicated server. Those who have only worked with Multidimensional models in the past, or those embarking upon a BI project for the first time with Analysis Services 2012, may find it difficult to choose between a Multidimensional or Tabular approach.

In this session, BI Architect and MVP Bill Pearson offers insight into determining the best path for a given objective. He first overviews the nature and design goals of each option, comparing Multidimensional and Tabular features. He then offers guidance on selecting the appropriate model, providing real world examples to illustrate the best approaches for given scenarios.

You will learn:

• An understanding of BISM components, and the implementation paths that BISM offers
• An overview of each of the Multidimensional and Tabular models, discussing the respective design goals, and exploring how each model fits underneath