Professional Data Warehousing with SQL Server 7.0 and OLAP Services

This book discusses the architecture of a data warehouse, and introduces the concept of multidimensional data representation using Microsoft OLAP. This book provides a complete introduction to designing, building and tuning Datawarehouses using SQL Server 7. There are many features new to SQL Server 7 that facilitate storage, retrieval, analysis and distribution of large amounts of data from Data Warehouses. This book covers them all in detailed examples - as well as showing how to design and build a bespoke Datawarehouse in SQL Server. OLAP and Microsoft Decision Support Services, ROLAP, and HOLAP options are covered. How to maximize performance using the new Query Analyzer, Tuning Wizard, and SQL Profiler tools is included as well as how to implement incremental backup. This will enable the analysis of large amounts of complex information with the latest data warehousing technologies. By reading this book you'll learn how best to employ data warehousing and OLAP in your business and how to leverage it to provide your organization with improved revenue and profitability.

What is Great about this Book?

• A complete introduction to designing and building Data warehouses using SQL Server 7.
  
• Covers the relevant new tools shipped with SQL Server 7.
  
• Explains OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) and Microsoft Decision Support Services.
  
• Practical and detailed examples of the core technologies.
  

Who is this Book for?

Application developers who want to make use of datawarehousing functionality in their applications.

SQL Server developers, plus administrators and other database developers who want to investigate the data warehousing facilities of SQL Server 7.0.

Table of contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Overview of OLAP and Data Warehousing in SQL Server
Chapter 2: Microsoft OLAP Services Architecture
Chapter 3: Dimensional Modeling - OLAP Cubes
Chapter 4: Designing the Data Warehouse and OLAP Solution
Chapter 5: The OLAP Manager
Chapter 6: Microsoft Data Transformation Services (DTS)
Chapter 7: Introduction to MDX
Chapter 8: Advanced MDX Topics
Chapter 9: Data Analysis and Presentation
Chapter 10: Data Marts
Chapter 11: Data Mining
Chapter 12: Data Warehouse Security
Chapter 13: Administration and Maintenance
Chapter 14: Optimization and Tuning
Appendix A: Overview of Decision Support Objects (DSO)
Appendix B: Installing OLAP Services
Appendix C: MDX Function Reference
Appendix D: Using Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) With SQL Servers
Appendix E: Microsoft Data Warehousing Alliance and MS OLAP-Related Third Party Tools