Top BI Enhancements for SQL Server 2012

James Serra – Business Intelligence Lead ArchitectJamesSerra3@gmail.comJamesSerra.com/

About me

• In IT for 28 years, currently an independent consultant

• Worked as desktop/web/database developer, DBA, BI and DW architect, MDM, PDW

• Been perm, contractor, consultant, business owner• MCSE for SQL Server 2012: Data Platform and BI• SME for SQL Server 2012 certs• Currently a BI Lead Architect at Exterran• Contributing writer for SQL Server Pro magazine• Blog at JamesSerra.com

Agenda

Data Integration• Integration Services (SSIS)• Data Quality Services (DQS)• Master Data Services (MDS)• SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

Data Management & Warehousing• xVelocity• Tabular Model• Columnstore Indexes

End-user Reporting• Power View• PowerPivot• Reporting Services (SSRS)

Analysis Services (SSAS) BI Edition

• SQL Server 2012 has an abundance of new features and enhancements, with business intelligence (BI) being one area given a lot of attention. Microsoft understands the importance of BI and continues to make things easier and more powerful for BI developers and end users

Business Intelligence

Integration Services (SSIS)

• Projects• Parameters• Environments• Built-in Logging• Connection

Manager• Undo/Redo• Version Control• Upgrade Wizard

Integration Services

Data Quality Services (DQS)

DQS enables you to build a knowledge base and use it to perform a variety of important data quality tasks such as correction, enrichment, standardization, monitoring, and de-duplication of your data

Master Data Services (MDS)

• Improved UI• MDS Excel add-in• Integrates with DQS• Improved staging process• Installs with SQL Server

SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

• New development tool• Single development environment• Combines BIDS, Data Dude, SSMS• Uses Visual Studio 2010 shell or VS 2012 shell• No more Alt+Tab!

SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

xVelocity

• Rebranding of Vertipaq• Family of in-memory data management

technologies− PowerPivot− Tabular Model

• Family of memory-optimized technologies− Columnstore index

• Improved performance− Compression− In-memory cache− CPU/memory algorithms− Parallel intra-query execution

Tabular Model

• Part of new Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM)

• xVelocity in-memory database• Access via Excel, PowerPivot and Power View• Use on relational tables (no star schema needed)• Uses DAX

Tabular Model

Columnstore Indexes

• Speed improvements of 10-100x• xVelocity memory-optimized• High compression• Easy to build• Makes tables read-only• Very suitable for data warehouses

Columnstore Indexes

Each data page contains data only from a single column

Power View

• New interactive data exploration and visual reporting tool

• Fun drag-and-drop ad-hoc reporting experience• Web-based using Silverlight• Uses PowerPivot model• All done in browser with nothing to deploy• Presentation-ready at all times – no design mode• Uses xVelocity engine• Requires SharePoint (except in Excel 2013)• CTP to allow it to work with multidimensional

cubes

Power View

PowerPivot

• Diagram View• KPIs• Hierarchies• Perspectives• Sort by Other column• Excel 2013 – installed by default, features built in

(xVelocity)

PowerPivot

Reporting Services (SSRS)

• SharePoint Mode – Implemented as shared service• Data Alerts – Subscription driven by changes in the

source data

Analysis Services (SSAS)

• NUMA support, allowing for more than 64 processors

• Support for SQL Server Extended Events to monitor SSAS

• New profiler and trace events• Improved processing time

Business Intelligence Edition

A brand-new SKU that includes all of the Standard editions capabilities, plus Power View, reporting and analytics, data-quality services and master-data services.  So you get all the BI-related features without having to purchase the Enterprise edition.

Editions

Questions?

James Serra – Business Intelligence Lead ArchitectJamesSerra3@gmail.comJamesSerra.com/

Resources:• SQL Server 2012: New Business Intelligence Features - http://bit.ly/SbC5rb • Jumping from SSIS 2008 to SSIS 2012: http://bit.ly/10FWFZD