69 practical recipes to analyze multidimensional data stored in SSAS 2012 cubes, using high-performance MDX calculations and flexible MDX queries

Overview

• A wide range of time-related, context-aware, and business-related calculations
• Combine MDX with utility dimensions
• Illustration of techniques to enrich business intelligence solutions, aided by practical, hands-on Cookbook recipes

In Detail

MDX is the BI industry standard for multidimensional calculations and queries. Proficiency with this language is essential for the realization of your Analysis Services’ full potential. MDX is an elegant and powerful language, and also has a steep learning curve. SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services has introduced a new BISM tabular model and a new formula language, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX). However, for the multi-dimensional model, MDX is still the only query and expression language. For many product developers and report developers, MDX is the preferred language for both the tabular model and multi-dimensional model.

MDX with SSAS 2012 Cookbook is a must-have book for anyone who wants to be proficient in the MDX language and to enhance their business intelligence solutions.

MDX with SSAS 2012 Cookbook is packed with immediately usable, practical solutions. It starts with elementary techniques that lay the foundation for designing advanced MDX calculations and queries. The discussions after each solution will provide you with a solid foundation and best practices. It covers a broad range of real-world topics and solutions and provides you with learning materials to become proficient in the language.

This book will guide you through the hands-on and practical MDX solutions, best practices, and many intricacies that hide within the MDX calculations and queries.

We will start by working with sets, creating time-aware, context-aware calculations, and business analytics solutions, through to the techniques of enhancing the cube design when MDX is not enough. We will then move on to capturing MDX generated by SSAS front-ends and using SSAS stored procedures, and we will explore the whole range of MDX solutions for real-world BI projects.

What you will learn from this book

• Create time-aware calculations that are relative to the current date
• Construct context-aware calculations that are relative to members on axes
• Implement business-related calculations such as forecasting, allocation of values, and ABC analysis
• Combine MDX with utility dimensions
• Implement error handling
• Apply AND, OR, NOT logic
• Conditionally format your MDX calculations
• Optimize, dissect, and debug MDX calculations and queries
• Capture MDX generated by SSAS front-ends
• Register SSAS-related assemblies and use stored procedures in them

Approach

The book includes 90 detailed and step-by-step recipes