Tag Archives: data source

Loading Data from a Relational Database

510cHjGCsUL. SL160 Loading Data from a Relational DatabaseMicrosoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Unleashed Book Review Chapter 17

This chapter assumes what I believe is still true — that the majority source for OLAP systems in general (whether by frequency or volume) are relational systems. This chapter discusses two topics:

  • Loading Data through XSL Cartridges
  • XML behind Data Source Objects

A cartridge refers to an abstracted XML definition. SQL Server Analysis Services works like many other providers in having some way to translate a native SQL understanding to an foreign SQL understanding. The cartridge provides the bridge. If a native cartridge is not available, then as the book says on page 309, it defaults to the SQL Server 2000 cartridge. The diagram on the same page shows the central role cartridges play.

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Using SQL Server Data Mining

51oz6dERfFL. SL160 Using SQL Server Data MiningData Mining with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Review Chapter 4

This chapter covers a complete look at how to develop data mining structures and data mining models using Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS). The authors’ outline Pages 127-128):

  • Using BIDS
  • Understanding immediate mode and offline mode
  • Creating and modifying data sources, data source view, and data mining objects
  • Exploring data and evaluating models

Let’s start with a fact: SQL Server Data Mining is a technology bound to SQL Server generally and Analysis Services specifically. This technology is neither a desktop nor a web application. It was created to be part of desktop and web applications, and was intended to allow people to modify and extend using XMLA and DMX. BIDS (an implementation of the extended Visual Studio) is the best way to create the DDL required for production (and enterprise level) data mining, and this chapter shows how to do that.

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