What are SQL Server Analysis Services
SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SSAS) delivers online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining
functionality for business intelligence applications. SQL Server Analysis Services supports OLAP by letting you
design, create, and manage multidimensional structures that contain data aggregated from other data sources, such as
relational databases. For data mining applications, SQL Server Analysis Services lets you design, create, and visualize
data mining models that are constructed from other data sources by using a wide variety of industry-standard data mining algorithms.
SQL Server Analysis Services Architecture
SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SSAS) uses server and client components to provide OLAP and data mining functionality
for business intelligence applications:
- Server components: implemented as a Microsoft Windows service. SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
supports multiple instances on the same machine, with each instance of Analysis Services implemented as a
separate instance of the Windows service.
- Client components: clients communicate with SQL Server Analysis Services using the public standard
XML for Analysis (XMLA), a SOAP-based protocol for issuing commands and receiving responses, exposed as a
Web service. Client object models are also provided over XMLA, and can be accessed either by using a managed
provider, such as ADOMD.NET, or a native OLE DB provider.
- Query commands: can be issued using the following languages: SQL; Multidimensional Expressions (MDX),
an industry standard query language for analysis; or Data Mining Extensions (DMX), an industry standard query
language oriented toward data mining. Analysis Services Scripting Language (ASSL) can also be used to manage
SQL Server Analysis Services database objects.
SQL Server Analysis Services Concepts
SQL Server Analysis Services combines the best aspects of traditional OLAP-based analysis and relational-based reporting
by enabling developers to define a single data model, called a Unified Dimensional Model (UDM) over one or more physical
data sources. All end user queries from OLAP, reporting, and custom BI applications access the data in the underlying data
sources through the UDM, which provides a single business view of this relational data.
Analysis Services provides a rich set of data mining algorithms to enable business users to mine their data looking for
specific patterns and trends. These data mining algorithms can be used to analyze data through a UDM or directly from a
physical data store.
Click here to go back to the SQL Server content index page.
|