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How to Make Enterprise Dashboards in Excel

Carmel Shows a Finished Enterprise Dashboard Made in Excel

Carmel Gunn is a Data Management Specialist from Prodata. Let her show you Excel as an enterprise-grade BI client in this short video, in which she builds a fully fledged enterprise dashboard—in under 30 minutes!—and then shares it with others, even on mobile devices, such as an iPad, iPhone, Android, or a Surface.

Presentations (PPTs)

Over 50 of the popular PPTs (not PDFs) on: Artificial Intelligence, Azure ML, Azure AI (incl Cognitive Services and Bots), Data Science, Power BI, Microsoft R and ML Servers, R in general, and advanced analytics. Includes Microsoft Ignite, Data Science Summit and the Advanced Analytics and Data Science Roadshows, as well as various keynotes and roadshows focused on the future of data and databases from global conferences from this and the past years are available here.

MDX Basic Concepts

MDX Basic Concepts: Cubes and Tuples

MDX, or Multidimensional Expressions, has the reputation of being a difficult language, but this reputation is undeserved, even if the concepts it uses are different from those of relational databases. In this free, 29-minute video, part of our series on MDX, world-renowned SQL Server Analysis Services expert Chris Webb of Crossjoin Consulting and Technitrain introduces three basic concepts: the use of unique names to refer to objects, tuples and how they are used to return values from a cube, and sets, which are ordered lists. Understanding these ideas will give you the theoretical foundation you need to write your own MDX calculations, and queries, for SSAS and PowerPivot.

What is the MDX Current Member Function?

Chris Webb explains what is the CurrentMember MDX function

The CurrentMember function is, probably, the most important function in MDX: understanding how it works is the key to being able to write all kinds of really useful calculations in MDX, such as time intelligence calculations. Let Chris Webb, noted authority on MDX, explain this function to you in this short, free video.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence (Article)

SQL Server 2012 Logo

This article, by Rafal, discusses pivotal BI aspects of Microsoft SQL Server 2012: BI Semantic Model (BISM), PowerPivot 2, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), the future of OLAP Cubes and MDX (Multidimensional Expressions), and, briefly, it touches on the role of the Cloud for analytics.

MDX Queries

Chris Webb introduces a basic MDX SELECT statement

In most cases an MDX SELECT statement is used to retrieve data from a SQL Server Analysis Services cube. Let Chris Webb introduce this important statement to you in this 20-minute video.

MDX Calculated Members

Chris Webb explains three ways to create calculated members in MDX

Calculated members are the most commonly used way of performing calculations in MDX. Let Chris Webb explain the different ways in which they can be created in this 45-minute video, part of our online MDX course.

Books about BI

This article lists books about BI, Statistics, Data Warehousing and Management, which we recommend in conjunction with our courses and seminars.

Multidimensional Analysis with Microsoft Excel and SQL Server

Multidimensional Analysis with Microsoft Excel and SQL Server

For most people, the easiest tool for opening and navigating a multidimensional (OLAP) cube is Microsoft Excel. In this short demo you can also see how to perform basic slice-and-dice analysis, drill into and filter using dimensions, and summarise trends with a sparkline.

MDX Numeric Functions and CURRENTMEMBER

Chris Webb discuses the Sum() MDX function

There are a number of important functions in MDX that return numeric values. Chris Webb explains these in this 30-minute, demo-driven tutorial, focusing on Sum(), Count(), Aggregate(), and other numeric functions like Min(), Max(), and Avg(). Importantly, however, half of this video is dedicated to the most important MDX function, CurrentMember, which is essential to writing real-world calculations, such as time intelligence.

What is a Subselect in MDX?

Chris explains the MDX Subselect

Chris Webb introduces the subselect in this short 3-min video. It uses an MDX SELECT statement instead of a cube’s name, and it allows you to pre-filter the members on a hierarchy before you run a query.

MDX: Member and Set Functions

Chris Webb explains the Ancestor MDX function

Being able to think in sets is the key to being able to write more advanced queries and calculations in MDX. Chris Webb introduces the commonest MDX functions that return sets in this 40-minute, demo-driven video, including: .MEMBERS, CROSSJOIN(), .PARENT, DESCENDANTS( ), ANCESTOR(), .NEXTMEMBER, .PREVMEMBER, .LEAD() and .LAG(). You will need these functions for rudimentary navigation using MDX.

Excel BI: Basic Concepts

Basic Excel BI Concepts

Carmel Gunn, a Data Management Specialist from Prodata introduces fundamental concepts of Excel BI: measures, dimensions, attributes, and hierarchies, while explaining how to use them in your pivot tables. In the extensive, 30-min demo, you will also learn about the layout of the Excel BI tools, including the Pivot Table Fields List and its Fields Section, the Design ribbon, and even how to add a new calculated measure.

Exists, MDX Solve Order, and Subselects

MDX Solve Order

This 50-min video, part of our MDX course, by Chris Webb, covers three separate, advanced MDX topics: autoexists and the Exists() function and the Existing operator, solve order, and subselects. Not only does Chris carefully explain these important topics, but he also takes time to show everything in his detailed, live demos, discussing the code, and the results.

More MDX Member & Set Functions

Chris Webb shows how to set date dimension type properties

MDX has a lot of set and member functions that make it easy to create all kinds of advanced common business calculations. Watch this full-length, 1-hour 40-minute, demo-rich video by Chris Webb to learn how to compute important business reporting metrics using MDX. You will learn about: ParallelPeriod(), PeriodsToDate(), YTD(), QTD(), MTD(), Filter(), NonEmpty(), TopCount(), BottomCount(), TopPercent(), BottomPercent(), Head(), Tail(), Generate(), StrToX/XToStr function family.

MDX: Previous Period Growths, Shares & Moving Averages

Chris Webb discusses Previous Period Growth MDX Pattern

In this 40-minute video by Chris Webb you will see common business calculations implemented in MDX: the relative tuple pattern, used for previous period growth calculations, percentage share calculations, and the relative set pattern, used for obtaining three-period moving averages.

MDX Performance Diagnosis with Profiler

Selecting relevant SQL Server Profiler events for SSAS query tracing

Watch this 30-minute video by Chris Webb to learn the steps necessary to use the SQL Server Profiler to identify performance problems in your MDX queries, and to learn about the interaction between the SSAS Formula Engine and its Storage Engine, focusing on the useful Profiler events, including Query Subcube Verbose.

Cube Deployment, Processing and Admin

Chris introduces cube processing strategies

This 30-minute video by Chris Webb discusses the operational side of cubes: deployment, processing, backup and restore, synchronization, and scripting.

Cube Security

Chris explains how to create dynamic cube security

In this 30-minute video, part of our Cube Design series, Chris Webb explains SQL Server Analysis Services security. You will learn about administrative and data security, the latter on three levels: at cube, dimension hierarchy, and at cell levels.