SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) is a part of the Microsoft
SQL Server platform that was introduced in SQL Server 2000 and has been greatly
enhanced since Microsoft SQL Server 2005. It provides the platform on which you,
as developer, can develop business intelligence solutions using the most
advanced tools available in the market.
Concepts
Let us first introduce some concepts that are essential to
any developer to begin creating any new project.
SSAS provides a platform for enterprise reporting and data
analysis. It is composed of two main core services:
·
Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) which is designed for storing
and retrieving large amounts of data to be used for ad-hoc reporting and
analysis.
·
Data mining which provides for data analysis using models to
uncover trends and patterns in your data.