As the foundation of the Microsoft Business Intelligence Strategy, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services provides users with faster access to data and even more tools for managing and analyzing data across multidimensional objects (databases, dimensions, cubes).

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Unleashed is the ultimate guide for anyone who is planning to use the latest version of Analysis Services. It gives readers insight into the way Analysis Services functions, and explains practical methods for designing and creating multidimensional objects. It also provides valuable insight into the reasons behind the design decisions taken by the product development team. The authors have been involved with Analysis Services from its earliest days. They have documented in detail the internal features of Analysis Services 2008, explaining server architecture, main data structures, data processing, and query resolution algorithms.

• Discover the new functionality introduced in Analysis Services 2008 including MDX enhancements and new DMV (dynamic memory views)
• Work with the Business Intelligence Development Studio, the new Dimension Editor, and Aggregation Designer interfaces
• Enjoy complete coverage of new Shared Scalable Databases scale-out infrastructure
• Learn the key concepts of multidimensional modeling
• Explore the multidimensional object model and its definition language
• Integrate multidimensional and relational databases
• Build client applications to access data in Analysis Services
• Unravel the inner workings of the server architecture, including main data structures, data processing, and query resolution algorithms
• Learn the main concepts of the MDX language and gain an in-depth understanding of advanced MDX concepts
• Gain a deeper understanding of the internal and external protocols for data transfer, including the XML/A protocol
• Discover how Analysis Services manages memory
• Explore the security model, including role-based security, code-access security, and data security