Showing posts with label Excel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Excel. Show all posts

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Designing SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services Cubes for Excel 2007 PivotTables

My buddy Wayne just brought to my attention a white paper that came out just a year ago from Microsoft that describes how to design SSAS 2005 cubes for use with Excel 2007.  I'm posting it here for my own future reference.  Here is the description:

Overview

Microsoft Office Excel 2007 takes advantage of most of the features in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. To take full advantage of these features, it is important to keep in mind the end-user experience in Office Excel 2007 when you are designing cubes.
This document outlines how you can create a good end-user experience by optimizing the cube design for Office Excel 2007 PivotTable dynamic views.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Excel 2003 Add-in for Analysis Services

If your company (like most companies) is still using Excel 2003 and you are implementing a data warehouse which contains SSAS cubes, you might be interested in the Microsoft Excel 2003 Add-in for SQL Server Analysis Services.  I have not used this tool extensively, but it does bring Excel 2003 closer to Excel 2007 in terms of OLAP capabilities.  Here is the blurb from the download page, I will post more as I spend time with the tool.  This is not a new find, nor is it likely news to anybody, but worth noting so I am putting it here.

Overview and Benefits

The Excel Add-in for Analysis Services enables users to access and analyze data from multiple Analysis Services Cubes, and to create rich, customized reports directly in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 or Microsoft Excel 2002. This download can improve data analysis, shorten reporting cycles, and enhance your company's ability to respond to customers.
This download not only reduces the time and resources required to train users, but it also eliminates the need for organization’s to support specialized reporting systems and tools. The key business benefits of Excel Add-in for Analysis Services include:

  • Visibility in Excel into business trends
  • Increased speed and quality of decision-making
  • Streamlined data analysis that shortens reporting cycles and saves resources
  • Increased reporting flexibility through rich, highly customized, and refreshable reports
  • Access to relevant information from multiple data sources

About the Excel Add-in for Analysis Services
With the Excel Add-in for Analysis Services, individual users can manage the reporting cycle from beginning to end and eliminate the need to cut and paste data from multiple systems.
  • Access: Easily create and maintain live data connections to multiple Analysis Services cubes, ensuring data consistency and integrity, and combine data from multiple sources into a single report.
  • Analyze: Conduct detailed analysis using native Excel capabilities. Extend the richness of analysis through “what if” and drill through capabilities.
  • Author: Easily personalize and refresh report layouts. Minimize end user training and reduce reliance on IT due to Excel’s popularity and ease of use.