The fourth module of this course focuses on the new BI Semantic Model (BISM), and its implementation as a tabular model hosted by SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services (SSAS) Tabular Mode. This 1 hour 20 minutes video includes discussions, such as: “How should I build my BI Semantic Model tabular project?”, slides, diagrams, and an in-depth, 35 minute demo block, showing you key principles in 13 detailed, hi-res demonstrations, which you can select, follow, pause, and repeat at will, by using “Jump to a chapter” links, shown on the right.

At the heart of BI Semantic Model is the freedom to power any analytical user experience by using any analytical data storage, and so breaking away from a traditional dependency of user tools on a specific analytical back-end. For example, drill-through and hierarchical advantages of multidimensional analysis used to require you to build and maintain cubes, a complex task. With BISM, it is now, at last, possible to have the benefits of multidimensional analysis using simpler, tabular, relational data. At the same time, you can use the newest, tabular tools such as SSRS Power View, while still using traditional cubes. Also, it is now possible to support applications that traditionally worked best with cubes, such SharePoint PerformancePoint Services, without having to build a cube. You could say that you just wrap simple tables into a BISM, and they function like a cube!

In the practical demonstrations shown in this video you will see how to create a brand new tabular model from relational data taken from a SQL Server database, using the new SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). You will also learn how to secure it, using the very new SSAS concept of role-based, row-level security implemented through DAX rule expressions. While security is one of the hottest, enterprise-grade features of BISM running in SSAS, there are several other important techniques explained in this video, including: partitioning data for performance optimisation while processing it, support for large tables (more than 2 billion rows), in-memory paging, SharePoint BI Semantic Model Connection File, and using DirectQuery, MOLAP, ROLAP, and Vertipaq/xVelocity for data storage and access.

BISMs hosted in SSAS also support all features of BISM running in PowerPivot. This means that you can start your SSAS Tabular Projects by importing an existing BISM, as is shown in the demo, and which is likely to be a common scenario for many organisations. Make sure to also watch our video “Introduction to PowerPivot for SQL Server 2012”, as it will prepare you to follow this module.

Log in or purchase access below to the premium version of this content.