

This format is ideally suited for SQL-based use cases and tooling using common protocols like JDBC and ODBC. A tabular view of the data is useful since it presents data as a simple, flatten view of data in rows and columns. These modeling techniques rely on concepts like fact and dimension tables and are meant to make a relational database or data warehouse easier to query. The tabular or relational model was popularized by modeling gurus like EF Codd and Ralph Kimbal in the 70s and 80s. There are two types of semantic layers, or models, to consider: a tabular semantic layer and a multidimensional semantic layer. The semantic layer data model is ideally suited to define the digital version of the business, but it needs to be capable of expressing a wide variety of business concepts in a variety of contexts. This blog will focus on the “Multidimensional Calculation Engine”, highlighted in red :įor a semantic layer to function, it must translate the inbound, logical queries coming from the data consumers into physical SQL queries in the dialects of the underlying data platforms. Īs a reminder, the following diagram shows the seven core capabilities for a semantic layer. It is the calculation engine that implements the semantic data model logic that we described in my last post: The Semantics of the Semantic Layer Part 4: Data Preparation. In this blog, I will dive deeper into the multidimensional calculation engine that serves as the query and calculation engine for a business-friendly view of data.
Tabular vs multidimensional series#
Just something to keep in mind if you migrate at some point.This is the fifth blog in my series The Semantics of the Semantic Layer, where I discuss the seven core capabilities of a semantic layer. Tabular Cubes can use OLE-DB as well as ODBC, which is more universal. However, we have found that some others (Snowflake, etc.) do not have an OLE-DB connector. This is perfectly fine if you're using SQL server and some other DB's.

Another item, which you should note, is that Multidimensional cubes use OLE-DB connections to connect to their data source(s). What is the most efficient way to pull the data, and report it to the end user(s) How can I extract the data for my report What am I trying to accomplish with this report However, if you need to create a lot of one-off formulas for your Power BI reports, then you might consider connecting to your data in another manner.Īlso, if you need real-time data, and incremental loading of your cubes is not an optimal process for you, then you should consider connecting to your data in another manner.īeing in the BI space means that you need to ask some simple questions: The formulas that you can create using MDX formulas can be accomplished in your SSAS cubes. The two strongest uses of SSAS is to build the shell of your report so that you can use your reporting tools to arrange the data in a comprehensive manner, and to reduce report run times by pulling only the data you wish to report against.

One thing that you need to keep in mind is what you are trying to accomplish with your reports. If you are using power bi to develop dashboards from a cube, do you think its better to create the cube in tabular rather than MDX and why?Ĭurrently we are creating a cube in via direct querry mdx, and ive already noticed that i can't create measures in in power bi but i am able to do that in tabular. You can also "prototype" your tabular model using Power BI Desktop, and finish the work in SSAS. Microsoft is putting more efforts on that Tabular in-memory technology since a few years. If you haven't start with Multidimentional yet, GO with Tabular, unless you have major reasons to go with Multi (see documentation). Subject: SSAS tabular vs mdx with power bi
