Chapter 18
BI Storage and Reporting Resources
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER:
- The tools SQL Server provides to perform BI reporting
- Multidimensional querying in T-SQL using analysis functions
- How to create and use columnstore indexes
- An introduction to building a cube in SQL Server Analysis Services
- Methods of providing self-service reporting with different SQL Server components
Once you begin to understand the promise and structure of a business intelligence system, your mind can start to really swim with possibilities. To be perfectly honest, that’s what I truly hope, because once you start to envision your BI system, you’re that much closer to designing and building it — and building things is what gets people into this business in the first place. SQL Server 2012 has a wide variety of tools available to help you build a BI system, and this is the chapter where you’ll actually get to do a little hands-on work with them.
With all the theory you were subjected to in the last chapter, this hands-on practice will be quite a contrast. If you’ve jumped straight here but haven’t read Chapter 17 yet, I do strongly suggest you do so unless you’re already familiar with BI concepts and structures; this chapter really does build on that one, and you’ll want to be fresh on the basics.
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When I was in Atlanta for TechEd recently, my travelling compatriots and I went out for some barbecue at a local restaurant recommended by a friend. When we arrived, ...
