What is SQL Server Analysis Services?

“Analysis Services is an analytical data engine used in decision support and business analytics, providing the analytical data for business reports and client applications such as Power BI, Excel, Reporting Services reports, and other data visualization tools.
A typical workflow includes authoring a multidimensional or tabular data model, deploying the model as a database to an on-premises SQL Server Analysis Services or Azure Analysis Services server instance, setting up recurring data processing, and assigning permissions to allow data access by end-users. When it’s ready to go, your semantic data model can be accessed by any client application supporting Analysis Services as a data source.” — says us Microsoft.

In other words, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) — is a Microsoft technology from BI stack, which helps us to develop Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) solutions. OLAP is part of the broader category of business intelligence, which also encompasses relational database, report writing and data mining. SSAS places predictive analytic capabilities in the hands of information workers by creating an instant connection to backend data using familiar applications such as Microsoft Excel and SharePoint for analysis.

In a nutshell, SSAS technology helps to create OLAP cubes — a data structure that overcomes the limitations of relational databases by providing rapid analysis of data.

To explore deeper this topic and to find the code samples, we offer you to look at the following articles:

→ Extended Events for SSAS
→ SSAS: Discipline, Accuracy, Attention to Details
→ SSAS: Discipline, Accuracy, Attention to Details — OLAP Cube
→ Azure SSAS. Cubes in Clouds