Smart Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008

Chapter 23. Using Microsoft Excel 2007 as an OLAP Cube Client

In this chapter, we look at the ins and outs of using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 as a user client for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services OLAP cubes. We’ll take a look at the functionality of the updated design of the PivotTable interface in Excel 2007. Although you can use Excel 2003 as a client for OLAP cubes, we won’t cover that functionality here. We’ll start by reviewing the installation process.

Using the Data Connection Wizard

As we introduced in Chapter 2, you’ll need a sample cube to work with to understand what you can and can’t do using an Excel 2007 PivotTable as a client interface to SQL Server 2008 SSAS OLAP cubes. We’ll use the Adventure Works DW 2008 sample cube ...