SSAS : Introduction to Tabular Model in SQL Server 2014 (RTM) (Part I)

Introduction

In this introduction blogpost I'll explain the Tabular Model with a walk through the tutorial that is available on MSDN. In this tutorial a Tabular Model is created on the AdventureWorks Database. This tutorial is based on the Adventure Works Cycles, a fictitious company. They produce and distributes bicycles in North America, europe and Asia.

1. Setting up the project

The first thing to do is creating the project with Visual Studio 2012. In SQL Server Data Tools, on the File menu, click New, and then click Project. In the New Project dialog box, under Installed Templates, click Business Intelligence, then click Analysis Services, and then click Analysis Services Tabular Project. In Name, type AW Internet Sales Tabular Model, then specify a location for the project files. Click OK.

2. Select an Analysis Services Instance

The next dialog is about selecting the right Workspace Server and the right compatibility level. First set the Workspace server to the Tabular Model Instance in SQL Server. The next thing to do is setting the compatibility level of Tabular model. In SQL Server 2014 Analysis Services Instance supports the following compatibility levels (database version) (MSDN):

• SQL Server 2012 (1100)
• SQL Server 2012 SP1 (1103)
  
• SQL Server 2014 (1103)

Strangly enough, I see two compatability levels: SQL Server 2012 (1100) and SQL Server 2012 SP1 (1103).

I assume that SQL Server SQL Server 2012 SP1 (1103) and SQL Server 2014 (1103) are the same. Checking the compatibilty level in the Analysis Service Properties in SQL Server Managament Studio shows me that the compatibility level is also 1103.

Kasper de Jonge blogged about the differences between compatability levels 1100 and 1103. Please take a look at the differences between the two.

3. The Tabular project

Once you have created the Tabular project the following window is presented on the screen. There are a couple of interesting menus, options and properties available. In the Model menu, you can launch the Table Import Wizard, view and edit existing connections, refresh workspace data, browse your model in Microsoft Excel with the Analyze in Excel feature, create perspectives and roles, select the model view, and set calculation options. In the Table menu, you can create and manage relationships between tables, create and manage, specify date table settings, create partitions, and edit table properties. And in the Column menu you can add and delete columns in a table, freeze columns, and specify sort order. 

In the properties window of the model.bim, you can also see the compatbility level again(1103), the DirectQuery property. This property handles the In Memory (or not) possibillity of deploying a Tabular model.

Conclusion

In this blogpost I described an introduction to the Tabular model (Part I). I wrote about the compatability level of Tabular Model in SQL Server 2014 and Visual Studio 2012.

Greetz,
Hennie

R: getwd() and setwd() (Part II)

Introduction

R is a very popular programming language for statistical analysis of data. All kind of tools are supporting R or they will. In this blogpost and followup blogpost I've gathered some constructs in R that are quite often used when you program in R. This is not a complete list but it is a handy list.

This is the second post about R in a series:

• R : An introduction (Part I).
• R : getwd() and setwd()  (Part II).

getwd() and setwd()

The first step using R is checking out the working directory. The working directory is the place where all of your project files are placed.You need to keep track in each of your R session.If you read or write files, this takes place in the working directory.

> getwd()
[1] "C:/Users/Hennie/Documents"

Setting the working directory is executed with setwd()

> setwd("~/Coursera-RProgramming")
> getwd()
[1] "C:/Users/Hennie/Documents/Coursera-RProgramming" 

Conclusion

With setwd() and getwd() the workingdirectory is set and checked.

Greetz,
Hennie

SSAS : Partitions in a multidimensional cube

Introduction

When your fact tables grows, consequently your multidimenional cube will grow, too (if you have a multidimensional cube off course). You can increase your performance by splitting up the measures in partitions. Partitions allows you to divide a cube in one or more folders. These folders are usually placed on one or more hard drives for improved performance. Multiple partitions can have the following advantages (mssqltips):

• Increased performance by placing the partitions on different disks.
• Each partition can have it's own storage mode.
• Parallel processing of partitions
• etc. 

In this blogpost I'll show you how to create partition in SSAS by using the SSAS tutorial of MSDN. In this tutorial a cube is created on AdventureWorks2012DW database. The measuregroup internetsales is divided into partitions by year.

Creating the partitions

Open the cube and navigate to the partitions tab and click on New partition. A screenshot is shown in the picture below. Here you can zsee the standard partitions.

A wizard is opened and the following window appears. click on Next.

Change from Table binding to Query binding. Check the "internet tables" in the box Available tables and press OK

If you change to Query binding the following window is shown.The WHERE statement is not finished yet and there you have to enter your partition range.

The data of AdventureWorks is from 2005 until 2008. Below the first range is entered from 20050101 until 20051231. Now press on check and the messagebox "Syntax check succesful". Press on OK.

Now you have to enter the location of your partition. You can also process the partitions on different servers. Press OK

Do you want to design partitions by aggregating it? In this example I will not do that. Press Finish

Now The first partition is ready and now you can create the next partition.

Finally, when you have done this for 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 the partition tab will look like below.

Conclusions

It's is very easy to add partitions to a cube and a simple partition design is very straightforware and simple.

Greetz,

Hennie

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Sample databases

Introduction

Today, I decided to do some study on SQL Server 2014 and I wanted to install the sample databases of SQL server 2014. But, I can't find the sample AdventureWorks databases for SQL server 2014. It seems that the sample databases of SQL Server 2012 are applicable for SQL Server 2014.

By default, sample databases and sample code are not installed during the installation of SQL Server and you have to search, find and download the sample databases.

Sample databases

On Codeplex you can download the AdventureWorks databases for SQL Server. It's quite a list and I grouped the files together.

Relational Databases (OLTP):

• AdventureWorks2012 Data File
• AdventureWorks 2012 OLTP Script
• AdventureWorks2012-Full Database Backup.zip
• AdventureWorks2012_Data.zip

• AdventureWorks2012 CS Data File
• AdventureWorks 2012 CS OLTP Script

• AdventureWorksLT2012_Data
• AdventureWorks 2012 LT Script

Databases (DW)

• AdventureWorksDW2012 Data File
• AdventureWorksDW2012Images

SSAS MD

• AdventureWorks Multidimensional Models SQL Server 2012
• Analysis Services Tutorial SQL Server 2012

SSAS Tabular

• AdventureWorks Tabular Model SQL Server 2012
• AdventureWorks Internet Sales Tabular Model SQL Server 201

Here are some other samples for SQL Server I've found so far:

• SQL Server 2014 RTM In-Memory OLTP Sample. Samples of the new features of SQL Server : esource Governor IO, Online Operations, and the Columnstore Index.
• Adventure Works for SQL Server 2012
• SQLSkills databases
• Arcane Code. Upgrade for SQL Server 2014
• AdventureWorks for SQL Azure
• Power View and PowerPivot HelloWorldPicnic Samples for SQL Server 2012

Conclusion

It seems that the sample database of SQL server 2012 are reusable for SQL Server 2014. There are some more samples created specifically SQL Server 2014. But, the adventure Works databases are the same...

Greetz

Hennie