Microsoft MDX SQL 2005 through SQL 2012

Microsoft

Microsoft MDX SQL 2005 through SQL 2012

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This instructor led course is designed to take a person from the very beginning of MDX queries to journeyman. The first chapters (1-4) get you well-grounded then from there we expand out. You wont know how to do every MDX query. You wont look at every function. But you will understand the patterns and from them you can examine examples and build on them to code your own sophisticated queries. Queries such as: what are the top 5 customers by country over the last 8 quarters ?, what is our reorder point based on inventory levels ?, what are our best customers in terms of volume and gross profit ?, what effect does shipping cost have on profitability on a geographical distribution ?, how do we calculate the Year to Date value ?, how do we do Year-over-Year growth ?, when looking at manufacturing how do we account only for workdays ?.

Audience Profile

If the past is any indicator of the future then this course will be attended mainly by SQL Professionals, Microsoft Analysis Service cube and report developers and Business Intelligence Professionals coming from competing platforms. But you do not need those skills. The course was not written assuming those skills.

Prerequisites

Course outline

Module 1: The Microsoft Business Intelligence Stack.

Module Overview

This module walks through the entire Microsoft stack showing step by step how raw data is extracted, transformed then loaded into the various technologies where it is presented for analysis.

Lessons

What Business Intelligence can do for your organization
What to watch out for in implementation
The Scope and what types of tools address each ?

Lab Sessions

The Microsoft Business Intelligence Stack

Lab Lessons

Examine and run a prebuilt SQL Integration Services Package that performs an Extract Transform and Load into a Data mart

After completing this module, students will be able to:

An overview of the Microsoft Business Intelligence Stack.
An understanding of the available technologies.

Module 2: Getting Started with MDX. We walk then run. Learn this and you wont trip.

Module Overview

This is the Hello World experience in MDX. This is where you will learn why you can get an answer without really asking a question. And this is where you say goodbye to SQL habits.

Lessons

MultiDimensional VS Tabular Space
Data Warehouse Data Mart
MDX Introduction
The Editors

Lab Sessions

Getting Started with MDX

Lab Lessons

Familiarization with the SQL Server Management Studio Query Editor
Familiarization with the Business Intelligence Development Studio Query Editor
SQL Profiler
Basic MDX

After completing this module, students will be able to:

The difference between multidimensional and flat or tabular space.
The importance of schemas in SQL Server Analysis Services.
Basic syntax of MDX.

Module 3: The all-important Dimensions. The bearers of truth.

Module Overview

In this module students will take a detailed look at dimensions.

Lessons

Dimensions
Dimension Attributes
Hierarchies
Referencing Members
Tuples
Cells
Sets
Set Functions

Lab Sessions

The all-important Dimensions

Lab Lessons

Dimension Properties
Dimension Attributes
Single Dimension Hierarchies
Multidimensional Hierarchies
The All Member
The Members function
Referencing Members
Syntax errors
Partial Tuple references
Multiple Axis
Crossjoin
Auto-Exists
Exists
Removing Duplicate Tuples

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Working knowledge of Dimensions.
The ability to explain what a tuple does.
Why SSAS cells are important and their properties.
How to construct a MDX Set.
Utilize built in Set Functions.

Module 4: Navigation and the secrets of relatives.

Module Overview

MDX unlike SQL is positionally aware which allows you to move up, down and across dimensions and hierarchies within dimensions. MDX allows you to move both horizontally and vertically and this movement is called Navigation.

Lessons

Navigation in reporting
Relatives
Navigational Functions
Controlling Sorting
Filtering the results
How to combine a set

Lab Sessions

Navigation and the secrets of relatives

Lab Lessons

Navigating a Hierarchy
Locating Immediate relatives
Using the members function effectively
Hierarchize Function

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Importance of Navigation to reporting.
How to locate a cells relatives.
How to use Navigational Functions in reporting.
Controlling Sorting of reports.
Filtering the results of a report.
How to combine a sets.

Module 5: MDX Calculations.

Module Overview

Most measures in a cube are based directly or indirectly on the columns in a fact table. It is highly likely that this will not suffice and you will need to create new measures and perform calculations on them with or without the existing measures. You do that with calculations which are the goal of this module.

Lessons

Expressions
Calculated members
Formatting output through the With clause
Dynamic Expressions
IIF function
Statistical Functions
Determining which tuples satisfy a parameter in a report

Lab Sessions

MDX Calculations

Lab Lessons

Explore variations of the With Clause
Create Members
Calculate Percentages
Advanced Formatting

After completing this module, students will be able to:

How to utilize expressions.
How to use MDX functions in Calculations.
Variances through the With clause.
How to use sets in expressions.
How to work with statistical functions.

Module 6: Working with Time. Multiple calendars, divergent horizons.

Module Overview

In this module students will learn how to perform time based analysis by using MDX functions. In business, time is of the essence, as the famous opening line it many contracts states. In analysis utilizing time slices may be the most common requirement. Who reads yesterdays newspaper ? Analysis needs to be current.

Lessons

Time Dimension
Multiple calendars
Time based Functions
ParallelPeriod
OpeningPeriod
ClosingPeriod
LastPeriod
Year-To-Date
Calculated Measures and a time Dimension
Comparing Periods
Sum Function
Aggregate Function
Max and Min Function in Time

Lab Sessions

Working with Time

Lab Lessons

ParallelPeriod
OpeningPeriod
ClosingPeriod
LastPeriod
Year-To-Date
Calculated Measures and a time Dimension
Comparing Periods
Sum Function
Aggregate Function
Max
Min
Use Crossjoin and ParallelPeriod

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Understanding of time in SSAS.
How to perform time based calculations.
Navigating Time Dimensions.
How to use a calculated measure in a time Dimension.
How to Sum and Aggregate data over time.

Module 7: Business Insights. Now lets put it to work and get some situational answers.

Module Overview

In this module we will review reporting scenarios.

Lessons

Or logic
And Logic
Combining Or and And logic from different hierarchies
Logical And with members from the Same
Using the NonEmpty function
Moving Averages
Last date with data
ParallelPeriod for Multiple Dates
Testing current context
Options of the Descendants function
Ranking Values

Lab Sessions

Business Insights

Lab Lessons

Rolling Average
Peer Ranking

After completing this module, students will be able to:

This module combines techniques from the other modules and expands where necessary.
You should develop an understanding of how to approach and solve MDX problems.

Module 8: Where else will MDX work ? SQL Reports.

Module Overview

This short module will demonstrate the use of MDX in SQL Server Report Services.

Lessons

Create a SSRS report
Create a connection into the cube
Create a MDX query with the query designer
Create a custom query
Pass a parameter
PerformancePoint Services Dashboard Designer (Not installed PowerPoint and Video demonstration)

Lab Sessions

Where else will MDX work – SQL Reports

Lab Lessons

Create a SSRS report
Create a connection into the cube
Create a MDX query with the query designer
Create a custom query
Pass a parameter

After completing this module, students will be able to:

How to use MDX in a SQL Server Reporting Services Report.
MDX in PerformancePoint Services 2010.

Module 9: KPIs and MDX in the Business Intelligence Development Studio Editor.

Module Overview

In this module students will learn how to use MDX in a Business Intelligence Development Studio Editor.

Lessons

Use Business Intelligence Development Studio to create a named calculation in the cube
Use Business Intelligence Development Studio to create KPIs

Lab Sessions

Performance Point Services

Lab Lessons

Create a named calculation
Create a Leaf KPI
Create an Objective KPI
Utilize IIF logic in a KPI

After completing this module, students will be able to:

How to use MDX in a Business Intelligence Development Studio Editor.
MDX in Calculations in Form view.
How to create KPIs.

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