SQL Server 2008 - CTP 6

The latest Community Technology Preview of SQL Server 2008 is available.

SQL Server 2008 CTP6 is "feature complete," which means that Microsoft won't be adding or removing features between now and RTM later this year.

SQL Server 2008 February CTP 6 can be downloaded from here

Microsoft Positioned in Leaders Quadrants in Magic Quadrant for BI Platforms

Congratulations Microsoft!

You can read the press release on the news here.

Overview of SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence by Tom Casey

In this 9 minutes video, Tom Casey (general manager SQL Server Business Intelligence at Microsoft) gives an overview of BI in SQL Server 2008 (code name Catmai)

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2008/bi/

What's New in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for Business Intelligence

Integration Services in SQL Server 2008

• SSIS 2008 provides the data integration features such as SSIS pipeline, SSIS persistent lookups, and SSIS data profiling that help you to integrate data more effectively.
• SSIS 2008 provides data warehousing features and tools that help you to effectively manage large volumes of data. These features and tools include partitioned table parallelism, query optimization, Resource Governor, and data compression.
• SQL Server 2008 provides the MERGE statement that helps you to simplify the code and enhance the system performance. You can also use the MERGE statement as a join between a target that is the recipient of the DML and a source that is the provider of the data.
• SQL Server 2008 provides the CDC (Change Data Capture) feature that helps you to insert records, update, and delete activities applied to SQL Server 2008 tables. You can use CDC to store details of the changes in an easy relational format. CDC also provides a structured, reliable stream of change data that can be applied by users to dissimilar target representations of data.

Reporting Services in SQL Server 2008

• SSRS 2008 includes the report server that is used to set a memory threshold for background operations and performance counters for monitoring service activity.
• SSRS 2008 supports two modes of deployment for report server, the native mode and SharePoint integrated mode.
• SSRS provides the report authoring features that help you to manage large reports. These features include Report Designer, data visualization, and Tablix.
• SSRS provides the report delivery features that help you to generate reports. The features include rich-text, Office Word rendering, Office Excel rendering, export to Office Word and Office Excel, and report delivery through MOSS.

Analysis Services in SQL Server 2008

• SSAS 2008 provides several Cube Designer enhancements for better detection and classification of attributes along with identification of member properties. These enhancements include Analysis Services personalization extensions, best practice alerts, enhanced dimension design, enhanced aggregate design, and dynamic named sets.
• SSAS 2008 provides you with the capabilities to can enhance the data mining models by appending a new algorithm to Microsoft Time Series algorithm. This new algorithim is based on the ARIMA algorithm. This enhancement improves the accuracy and stability of predictions in the data mining models.
• SSAS 2008 provides several performance enhancements to manage cube space. The enhancements include subspace computation, MOLAP-enabled write back capabilities, scale-out analysis, and scalable backup tool.

Source: MS Clinic 6189: What’s New in Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 for Business Intelligence

PPS 2007 MCTS Exam 70-556 Now Available

Prometric already listed the exam on its site.

The official preparation guide for the exam:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-556.mspx

MCITP – Business Intelligence Developer (Exam: 70-446)

Today I passed 70-446 exam. There were 6 scenarios and around 10 questions for each scenario and 30 minutes for each scenario. Not too hard and many straightforward questions if you have done a few projects and are familiar with concepts like: dimensional modeling, cube designing, SCD (especially type-2), data mining. There are only 183 MCITP -BI Developer all around the world up to now compare to 3,232 MCITP (DBA) or 148,244 MCDBA (SQL 2000), that's a very small number. Not sure if that means the MS BI is not popular or it is still young or because it’s a new exam or … (?)

• Number of Microsoft Certified Professionals Worldwide

I found these links very helpful:

• http://sqlrs.blogspot.com/2007/08/passed-70-446-bi-exam.html
• http://peterkol.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!68755AEAC31F9A6C!196.entry

Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD)

There are different types of Slowly Changing Dimension:

• Type 1 (overwrites the original information) (http://www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/scd-type-1.html)
• Type 2 (a new record is added to the table to represent the new information, keeps all historical information) (http://www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/scd-type-2.html)
• Type 3 (keeps original value, and current value in different columns of the same record) (http://www.1keydata.com/datawarehousing/scd-type-3.html)
• Type 4: uses "history tables", where one table keeps the current data, and an additional table is used to keep a record of some or all changes
• Type 6 (2+3+1) (hybrid approach that combines the three fundamental SCD techniques)

Note: SSIS SCD control only supports Type1 and Type2. But by identifying columns with the fixed attribute update type, you can capture the data values that are candidates for Type 3 changes.

• Slowly Changing Dimension Transformation (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms141715.aspx)
• Configuring Outputs Using the Slowly Changing Dimension Wizard (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms141662.aspx)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_changing_dimension

Slowly Changing Dimension Transformation Outputs
Output	Description	Data flow requirements
Changing Attributes Updates Output	The record in the lookup table is updated. This output is used for changing attribute rows.	An OLE DB Command transformation updates the record using an UPDATE statement.
Fixed Attribute Output	The values in rows that must not change do not match values in the lookup table. This output is used for fixed attribute rows.	No default data flow is created. If the transformation is configured to continue after it encounters changes to fixed attribute columns, you should create a data flow that captures these rows.
Historical Attributes Inserts Output	The lookup table contains at least one matching row. The row marked as “current” must now be marked as "expired". This output is used for historical attribute rows.	Derived Column transformations create columns for the expired row and the current row indicators. An OLE DB Command transformation updates the record that must now be marked as "expired". The row with the new column values is directed to the New Output, where the row is inserted and marked as "current".
Inferred Member Updates Output	Rows for inferred dimension members are inserted. This output is used for inferred member rows.	An OLE DB Command transformation updates the record using an SQL UPDATE statement.
New Output	The lookup table contains no matching rows. The row is added to the dimension table. This output is used for new rows and changes to historical attributes rows.	A Derived Column transformation sets the current row indicator, and an OLE DB destination inserts the row.
Unchanged Output	The values in the lookup table match the row values. This output is used for unchanged rows.	No default data flow is created because the Slowly Changing Dimension transformation performs no work. If you want to capture these rows, you should create a data flow for this output.

SQL Server 2005 Books Online (September 2007)

Usage-Based Optimization in Analysis Services 2005

You can optimize partitions of a measure group based on the usage. Here is the full instruction:

http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/10894_3575751_1

What is "Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007"?

Well, Microsoft says:

"Microsoft® Office PerformancePoint™ Server 2007 is an integrated performance management application that provides robust monitoring, analytics, and planning capabilities. Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 helps businesses to articulate goals; monitor business activity; identify and analyze issues; and collaborate and take action."

PPS is very feature rich. It has all the functionality customers can expect if they need to plan, budget, forecast, scorecard, dashboard their business activities and use management reporting and consolidation. In addition, all users work with a single data model whether they are monitoring, analyzing and planning.

We can’t talk about PPS and don’t mention two names: Adrian Downes and Nick Barclay my ex-colleagues at SDM and PPS gurus. Their books about PPS 2007 have just been published a couple of days ago:

Here are their blogs:

• http://adriandownes.blogspot.com/
• http://nickbarclay.blogspot.com/

Here are some more useful links about PPS 2007:

• http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/performancepoint/ha102422371033.aspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/business/performancepoint/resources/training.aspx

Microsoft Office PPS 2007 - beta exam

A few weeks ago, I sat for a Microsoft beta exam 71-556 "TS: Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, Application Development".

Some exam topics from our memory (myself and my colleague Lisset):

• Refresh rate Interval - (PPSAddInforExcel.chm)
• Assignment rule, allocation rules - PEL Syntax
• Rule set types and rule types - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• PSSAddinforExcel.dll
• Review all the help - (PPSAddInforExcel.chm) - is small and there are different questions about it. (e.g. parameters)
• Business Roles – administrative Roles. Very clear what to do which each one. Security and roles - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Update member property - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Current Time period - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Association- (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Member set- (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Installing the PPS (Clean Installation)
• Building the Reports, defining filters, show the leaf members, link the reports in worksheet (PPSAddInforExcel.chm)
• Generic models, sub sites, Associations - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Workflow, setup roles, modify the existing workflow - (PPSAddInforExcel.chm, PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Creating Data Sources, DSN
• Create an association to move data between models PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Assumption models - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Defining a SCOPE statement - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)
• Data Integration: Sync the staging DB, Loading data from staging to application database - (PPSPlanningBusinessModelerHelp.chm)