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Chapter 1 - Video # 2

How to Take this Course: Which Chapters Should You Watch?

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Chapter 1: Course Introduction and How to Get StartedCourse: SQL Server 2008/R2 Analysis ServicesCourse Id: 165Presented by Scott Whigham

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• Let’s talk about skipping class…– Sometimes it is okay to skip videos, sections, or

even entire chapters

• This course is designed so that you can take what you need at the time you need it– Do not feel pressure to watch entire course in one

week

Tracks

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• There are at least three groups of people watching this course– System Administrators

• Installation, configuration and security

– Business Intelligence (“BI”) Architects

• Creating, designing cubes, dimensions, measures; creating/managing ETL processes

– BI Analysts/Users

• Information consumers who use SSAS-based reports/tools for decision support

Tracks

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• To make it easy for each group to use this course effectively, there are three tracks– A “track” is a subsection of the course meant to

be watched completely

– It is recommended that you identify with one or more of the groups and then choose your track(s) accordingly

Tracks

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• Let’s take a closer look at each group:– System Administrators

– Business Intelligence (“BI”) Architects

– BI Analysts/Users

Tracks

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• System Administrators are responsible for:– Installation of SQL Server Analysis Services

(“SSAS”)

– Configuration of SSAS

– Responsible for disaster recovery

– Manage security to the SSAS database

Tracks

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• BI Architects are responsible for:– Designing, creating cubes, dimensions, measures

– Designing relational data warehouse

– Creating/managing ETL processes

– Designing/managing cube processing

– Gathering user requirements for the data warehouse and supporting tools

Tracks

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• BI Analysts/Users usually:– Are primarily “information consumers”

– Interact with SSAS through cube browsing tools such as Excel, Reporting Services, and more

– Often executive, management, or analyst-level users

– Generally not involved in design/creation of cube other than at “requirements gathering” time

Tracks

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• Which of the three groups do you identify with?– System Administrator

– BI Architect

– BI Analyst/User

Tracks

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• Here are the chapters and tracks:– “SA” = System Administrators

– “BIA” = Business Intelligence Architects

– “BIU” = Business Intelligence Analysts/Users

Tracks

Title Tracks

1 Course Introduction and How to Get Started (all)

2 Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing (all)

3 How to Install SSAS 2008 SA

4 Understanding and Designing Multidimensional Databases BIA, BIU should “skim”

5 Dimension and Measure Design BIA

6 Cube Development with SSAS BIA

7 Reporting Services with SSAS 2008 BIA, BIU

8 Client Tools: Excel, PowerPivot, SharePoint, and More BIA, BIU

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• Here are the chapters and tracks:– “SA” = System Administrators

– “BIA” = Business Intelligence Architects

– “BIU” = Business Intelligence Analysts/Users

Tracks

Title Tracks

9 ETL Strategies and How to Load Data Warehouses BIA

10 Writing MDX Queries BIA, BIU maybe

11 Data Mining with Analysis Services BIA, BIU

12 Analysis Services Security SA

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• If you are a System Administrator:

Tracks

Chapter Title

1 Course Introduction and How to Get Started

2 Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

3 How to Install SSAS 2008

12 Analysis Services Security

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• If you are a BI Architect:

Tracks

Chapter Title

1 Course Introduction and How to Get Started

2 Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

4 Understanding and Designing Multidimensional Databases

5 Dimension and Measure Design

6 Cube Development with SSAS

7 Reporting Services with SSAS 2008

8 Client Tools: Excel, PowerPivot, SharePoint, and More

9 ETL Strategies and How to Load Data Warehouses

10 Writing MDX Queries

11 Data Mining with Analysis Services

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• If you are a BI Analyst/User:

* These topics are related to BI Analysis at a user-level but are not completely necessary to perform your job.

Tracks

Chapter Title

1 Course Introduction and How to Get Started

2 Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

4 * Understanding and Designing Multidimensional Databases

7 Reporting Services with SSAS 2008

8 Client Tools: Excel, PowerPivot, SharePoint, and More

10 * Writing MDX Queries

11 * Data Mining with Analysis Services

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• Now just come up with a plan of attack for the course– Of course, it is totally fine to watch the course

from start to finish!

Tracks

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• Introduction to the Sample Databases and Data Sources Used

“The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time.”

Tom Cargill (a.k.a. The Ninety-Ninety Rule)

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