SQL Server Analysis Services concepts

Chapter 14 DBMS-Specific Features

SQL Server Analysis Services concepts

PowerDesigner supports Analysis Services in Microsoft SQL Server.

The OLAP Services feature available in SQL Server version 7.0 is called Analysis Services in SQL Server 2000.

SQL Server Analysis Services major features are:

The Analysis server that manages, stores multidimensional information and serves client application requests for OLAP data. The server stores cube metadata (cube definition specifications) in a repository. Completed cubes can be stored in a variety of storage modes: multidimensional database files (MOLAP), tables in a relational database (ROLAP), or a hybrid of multidimensional database files and relational tables (HOLAP)
A metadata repository that contains definitions of OLAP data objects such as cubes and their elements
The PivotTable Service, which is an OLE DB for OLAP provider that connects client applications to the Analysis server and manages offline cubes
An object model called Decision Support Objects (DSO), that provides support for the Analysis Manager user interface and for custom applications that manage OLAP metadata and control the server. DSO exposes the object model for the Analysis server. The DSO object model contains interfaces, objects, collections, methods, and properties. PowerDesigner creates and manipulates DSO objects to manage metadata for OLAP data. DSO uses hierarchically arranged groups of objects to define basic elements of OLAP data. These basic elements include databases, dimensions, cubes, partitions, aggregations, and virtual cubes. DSO addresses these basic elements in a hierarchical structure where elements contain other elements in a tree, with the server at the root of the tree

Source data for multidimensional cubes resides in relational databases where the data has been transformed into a star or snowflake schema typically used in OLAP data warehouse systems. Analysis Services can work with many relational databases that support connections using ODBC or OLE DB.

For more information on SQL Server Analysis Services, see corresponding DBMS documentation.