Chapter 7Developing a Flexible and Scalable Tabular Model
The tabular model in Analysis Services provides an easy-to-use and handy way for business users to access their data. Determining the best way to make the model as friendly and optimized as possible can often be a tricky process. You must understand the correct way to build the model from the ground up, modify it to add needed enhancements, and adjust the model if it performs erratically. Only in this way can you create a flexible and scalable tabular model that will fit the needs of all your business users.
This chapter describes the best way to build an Analysis Services tabular model, with a focus on scalability and flexibility. You first learn the origination, definition, and benefits of using the tabular model. Next, you design your model using best optimization practices and then enhance it to make it more flexible. Finally, you discover how to performance-tune the model in case of issues in either querying or processing. By the end of this chapter, you should have an optimal tabular model for your business users.
Why Use a Tabular Model?
The tabular model is the younger sibling in the Analysis Services family, but may quickly turn out to be your favorite child. In this section, you learn about the origination of the tabular model, its benefits, and the differences between it and the multidimensional model.
As discussed in Chapter 5, Microsoft recently added the tabular model to the Analysis Services product. The ...
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