The Silicon Valley SQL Server User Group meeting scheduled for May 20, 2014, includes food and networking, followed by a presentation by Patrick Sheehan from Microsoft and a discussion session. The agenda features a focus on SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) fundamentals, covering topics such as OLAP engines, data warehousing, and multidimensional modeling. Attendees are encouraged to participate in upcoming meetings and announcements related to new job opportunities and projects.

2. Silicon Valley SQL Server User Group
Tonight’s Agenda May 20, 2014
 6:30 – 7:00 pm Food and Networking
 7:00 – 7:10 pm Introductions
 7:10 – 8:10 pm Patrick Sheehan, Microsoft
 8:10 – 8:30 pm Discussion (Q&A)

3. Parent Organizations
 Bay Area Association of Database Developers
 BAADD www.baadd.org
 Professional Association of SQL Server
 PASS www.sqlpass.org

4. Sponsors

5. Upcoming Meetings
 San Francisco – Thurs, June 5
 Dimensional Modeling, The Basics &
Beyond
 Dan Bulos, Symmetry
 San Francisco – Wed, June 11
 SQL Server Implementation
Frameworks From Dev to Prod
 Prakash Heda, Advent Software

6. Announcements
 Attendee Announcements
 New Jobs
 New Projects
 Projects completed
 Upcoming learning opportunities

7. Patrick Sheehan
 Data Platform Architect at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley
Technology Center (SVC MTC)
 Previously with Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS)
as an engineer, architect, and enterprise strategist
 Specialties:
 SQL Server
 Business Intelligence
 Big Data
 Enterprise & Solutions Architecture
 Cloud Computing

8. SQL Server Analysis Services
SSAS – 2012
Fundamentals

9. What is Analysis Services?
• Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) engine
• Designed for data analysis, mining, and reporting
• Contains Databases
• Contains Cubes
• Cubes are multi-dimensional data sets
• Sourced from Facts
• Tables which contain measures
• …and Dimensions
• Tables which contain attributes
Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb522625.aspx

10. Use Cases
• Data abstraction layer
• Ad hoc reporting
• Data mining
• Data warehousing
• Kimball Methodology recommended

11. DEMO

12. Prerequisites
• Install SQL Server 2012 + SP1
• Developer Edition, Eval, or Enterprise
• Eval (180 day) can be obtained (free) here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/download/details.aspx?id=29066
• SQL Server Engine
• SQL Server Analysis Services
• Workstation Components
• SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
Download SSDT here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272686(v=vs.103).aspx

13. Tutorials
Analysis Services Tutorials (SSAS)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh231701.aspx
Multidimensional Modeling (Adventure Works Tutorial)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/db55e226-601a-4026-8651-573195555a59

14. Download samples
http://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com/

16. Set up environment
• Move .mdf to SQL Server Data directory (e.g. C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL
ServerMSSQL11.SQL2012MSSQLDATA)
• Attach .mdf to instance
• NOTE: if error is received, it is due to missing log file. Click on the .ldf file
listed in the Attach Database dialogue box, then click Remove (a new log file will
automatically be created in the default path)
• Extract .sln from .zip
• Open solution and reset connection strings to local db instance

17. Solution structure
• Data Sources node
• Connection strings to source
• Data Source Views node
• XML abstraction layer
• Cubes node
• Define dim/fact relationships, aggregations (calculations), partitions, mode
• Dimensions node
• Contains dimensions
• Roles node
• Define access to cube

18. Cube fundamentals
• Measure groups
• Contain measures
• Set properties (e.g. formatting)
• Dimensions
• Contain attributes
• Set properties (e.g. visibility)
• Define relationships (to key & each other)
• Define hierarchies
• Deployment
• Processing
• Affects of FULL versus

19. Multi-dimensonal Expression Language (MDX)
Example
Syntax
[ WITH <SELECT WITH clause> [ , <SELECT WITH clause> ... ] ]
SELECT [ * | ( <SELECT query axis clause>
[ , <SELECT query axis clause> ... ] ) ]
FROM <SELECT subcube clause>
[ <SELECT slicer axis clause> ]
[ <SELECT cell property list clause> ]
SELECT NON EMPTY { [Measures].[Reseller Order Quantity],
[Measures].[Reseller Gross Profit], [Measures].[Reseller Sales
Amount] } ON COLUMNS, NON EMPTY { ([Product].[Product
Categories].[Product].ALLMEMBERS *
[Date].[Fiscal].[Date].ALLMEMBERS ) } DIMENSION PROPERTIES
MEMBER_CAPTION, MEMBER_UNIQUE_NAME ON ROWS
FROM [Adventure Works] CELL PROPERTIES VALUE,
BACK_COLOR, FORE_COLOR, FORMATTED_VALUE,
FORMAT_STRING, FONT_NAME, FONT_SIZE, FONT_FLAGS
Reference:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms145595.aspx

20. MDX “Heads up”
• MDX my look like T-SQL, but do not be fooled! It isn’t!
• MDX is a different way to think about data
• MDX is designed to provide tabular output from multidimensional sources
Reference:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms145506.aspx
Books:
MDX Solutions: With Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 and
Hyperion Essbase – George Spofford (&others)
The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling
– Ralph Kimball

21. Working with Cubes
• Microsoft Excel is #1 app (>1billion worldwide deployments)
• Native integration with SSAS
• SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
• Native integration with SSAS
• Multidimensional Programming (see: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb500153.aspx)
• ADOMD.NET
• .NET provider for communication with SSAS (via XMLA)
• Analysis Services Scripting Language (ASSL)
• Extends XMLA
• Analysis Management Objects (AMO)
• SSAS management classes