Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services

by Alexander Berger, Edward Melomed, Irina Gorbach, et al.

Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services provides fast access to data by means of multidimensional data structures and the multidimensional query language MDX. Analysis Services provides the capability... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0672327821
• ISBN13: 9780672327827
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Sams
• Length: 842 Pages
• Weight: 2.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

More Than You Ever Want to Know About Analysis Services

My title says it all: if you want a nuts and bolts book about Analysis Services and MDX, this is the book for you. If you want to know how to implement OLAP from a higher level, their are other books I recommend (Mundy and Thornwaite, for example). So far I haven't found a book that explains what goes on under the hood as well as this one, but then these guys invented it. However, if you have specific implementation problem, there are really no solution short cuts in the book. On the other hand, you can probably figure out if you will be able to solve it by digging into the specifics of Analysis Services implementation.

Best book on Analysis Services

The book is not meant for beginners, but, doesn't expect the reader to be an expert on OLAP either. Some introductory knowledge of OLAP would be enough to derive a great deal of benefit from this book. Most books on Analysis services deal with the user facing aspects of it - MDX or database modelling. This is the only book that covers the storage engine of Analysis Services and not just covers it - offers a great deal of detail in a way that is easily understood. This is not to say that query evaluation through MDX is given a short shrift. Both aspects of Analysis services are covered in a very detailed fashion. No other book talks about the implementation of processing algorithms, memory management, query evaluation and the like in such a clear and in depth fashion. Topics like Distinct count and Many to Many dimensions that many implementations stumble over are explained well. The book will pay for itself over and over again when you have to implement Analysis Services. It should really have been called Inside Microsoft Analysis Services 2005.

The best Analysis Services book! Wonderful book!

The authors unveiled the secrets of Analysis Services internals. The book helps to understand why and how Analysis Services is designed, made, and how it runs. It helps immensely every designer and developer to get all of SSAS power. It describes not only the best practices, but also gives warnings about possible mistakes during cube design, processing and querying. Despite of its 900 pages, the book is filled with useful information that you don't find anywhere else, neither in MSDN and BOL, nor in other books and blogs. This book is absolutely not "yet another book about Analysis Services" and dramatically distinguishes itself over Wrox's publications. By the depth of the material presented, this book can be put in the same category as such wonderful books as Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by Itzik Ben-Gan and Kalen Delaney. Analysis Services 2005 is a serious book for serious people, but in no way dry or boring. I swallowed it in few days as a breathtaking adventure.

The Key for Deep Divers

I've been architecting BI solutions for large enterprise customers for past 7 years and one of the biggest challenges is trying to optimize the processing performance without enough knowledge about how the OLAP engine works under the hood. This is the 1st book which not only covers all the spectrums of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services but also reveals how the core OLAP engine handles various tasks such as creating execution plan for cube processing; coordinating thread pools; handling dependencies;... It also describes each processing job's features (like whether it's a single- or multi- threaded task; how resource intensive it is;...) in great details. If you are interested in the OLAP physical storage (for example, how different types of data are stored and compressed; how the bitmap index is created and optimized; how the hash table is constructed to enable fast access; what the file extension .ahstore\.kstore\.map\... stands for;...), then this is the book for you because the authors are OLAP engine gurus who know the physical structure inside out. Once equipped with the deep engine knowledge, you would be empowered for a high scalable and performing OLAP solution architecture, design and implementation. It will also help you with the capacity planning to better match the hardware selection with your processing window. That's why I think this book is "The Key for Deep Divers".

This book is the Daily Reference for the MSAS 2005 developer

I have been developing OLAP AS/MSAS solutions for companies for more then 7 years. I would give 5 stars for book not because it is the ONLY BOOK for MSAS 2005 and it coveres every aspect of THE TOOL (MSAS) in a very simple and understandable language but also because it's content is very well cataloged to understand MSAS Engine. However, if you are looking for a book on MDX(es) you might consider to go to MOsha Pasumansky's website http://www.mosha.com/msolap/ and his book for MDX developers.I also found this book as unique on examples how to code with XMLA scripts in MSAS. I would like to see more examples for coding with AMO objects but think that might be overkill for the book as it could of be a separate book itself. I would Recommend this book as a 'MUST' to read for Database Analysts and Developers who are Designing and Developing Reports/DW with MSAS cubes. The book has started to serving me as a 'wizard' to understand the best practices to design and develop OLAP cubes with MSAS 2005.