Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2005/2008 news, announcements, publications

Nov 9, 2009 - Microsoft released SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP (CTP3)

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:17:28 +0000

Nov 9, 2009 - Microsoft announced release on SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP (CTP3). MSDN and TechNet Subscribers can download the SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP today. Non-subscribers will be able to access the CTP on Nov. 11th.

Source...

What's new...

Analysis Services

If you installed and used the SQL Server 2008 R2 August CTP, you can use the information in this document to read about enhancements in the November CTP.

Note: Some PowerPivot for SharePoint features were previously named using the "Gemini" codename. The codename is being replaced by final names that will be used in the product release.

For more information about PowerPivot, see the topics "PowerPivot Overview," "PowerPivot Features," "PowerPivot Concepts," and "PowerPivot Components and Tools" in SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online.

PowerPivot for Excel

PowerPivot Field List Enhancements

Numerous enhancements have been added to the PowerPivot field list. These include the following:

Automatic detection of relationships when columns from unrelated tables are used in a PivotTable.
Support for searching fields by name.
Support for named sets.

PowerPivot Data Source Editing

Support is available for the following data source editing tasks:

Refreshing data for table, for all tables from a data source, or for all the tables in the PowerPivot window.
Editing data source information such as server name, database name, and credentials.
Editing table settings such as data source table or query used, columns imported, and filters.

Support for More Types of Data Sources

Targeted support has been introduced for importing data from the following sources:

Microsoft Access 2003, 2007, 2010
Microsoft SQL Server 2005, 2008, 2008 R2 Analysis Services
PowerPivot workbooks published to Analysis Services running in SharePoint Integrated Mode
Text files
Excel 97-2003, 2007, 2010
Microsoft SQL Azure
Oracle 9i, 10g, 11g
Teradata V2R6, V12
Sybase
Informix
IBM DB2 relational databases 8.1

Enhanced Data Analysis eXpressions (DAX)

DAX functionality has been significantly expanded in the following ways:

User interface enhancements include better propagation of errors and easier creation of DAX formulas.
Several functions have been added, including a set of functions that operate on textual data, as well as those that provide common Date and Time manipulations.
Several performance and functional capabilities have been introduced, including automatic recalculation.
Support for handling referential integrity violations between related tables has been introduced.
Automatic selection of data types for expressions is available.

For more information, see the topic "Data Analysis Expression Language Reference" in SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online.

DAX is also documented in the online Help of the PowerPivot for Excel add-in. For more information, see the Help file that is installed with the add-in.

PowerPivot for SharePoint

Management Dashboard

A management dashboard for IT has been introduced. This dashboard provides visibility into PowerPivot use on a SharePoint farm that includes information about the following areas, as well as a rich PowerPivot workbook that can be used to build custom reports:

Published PowerPivot workbooks, including number of queries executed, number of users and size per workbook in the dashboard.
Hardware resource utilization for the PowerPivot service, including CPU and memory, is reported on a daily basis to the dashboard.
Data refresh activity is reported for all PowerPoint workbooks that are accessed through the same PowerPivot service application.

For more information about this feature, see the topic "PowerPivot Management Dashboard" in SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online.

Enhanced Infrastructure

The following enhancements to infrastructure are available:

Claims-aware support to enable a user's identity to flow between SharePoint components in a secure manner.
Parallelized refresh of PowerPivot data.

Whats is new source...

Oct 19,2009 - MS released Cumulative update package 6 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:47:08 +0000

On October 19, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 6 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 9.00.4266.

List of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 SP3:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description
354740	975748	FIX: You cannot process an object when you change or delete another unrelated object at the same time in the same database in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
355650	975783	FIX: You receive an incorrect result when you run an MDX query against a dimension that has a parent/child relationship, and uses the unary operator after you install Cumulative Update 3 for SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services SP3
358055	976030	FIX:Error message after you perform a Process Update on a dimension used on a cube that contains a writeback partition: "Errors in the high-level relational engine.The data source view does not contain a definition for the <tablename> table or view"

Please also see related Microsoft comulative update package 16 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2.

Oct 19, 2009 - Project “Gemini” name officially revealed as Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Excel

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:07:45 +0000

Oct 19, 2009. Today, Microsoft announced the official name of Project "Gemini", now Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Excel. PowerPivot for Excel helps drive timely and informed business decisions by empowering end users to access, integrate and analyze massive amounts of data on the desktop and share information using the familiar Microsoft Excel tools.

PowerPivot consists of two components – PowerPivot for Excel 2010 and PowerPivot for SharePoint 2010.

PowerPivot for Excel is a data analysis tool that delivers unmatched computational power directly within the application users already know and love — Microsoft Excel. Leveraging familiar Excel features, users can transform enormous quantities of data from virtually any source with incredible speed into meaningful information to get the answers they need in seconds. PowerPivot for Excel consists of the following components:

The Excel 2010 addin that delivers the seamless PowerPivot user experience integrated within Excel.
The VertiPaq engine that compresses and manages millions of rows of data in memory with blazing fast performance.

PowerPivot for SharePoint enables end users to effortlessly and securely share their PowerPivot applications with others and work seamlessly in the browser using Excel Services. PowerPivot for SharePoint also helps IT improve their operational efficiencies by tracking PowerPivot usage patterns over time, discovering mission-critical applications, and improving system performance by adding resources. PowerPivot for SharePoint consists of the following components:

PowerPivot Gallery – the Silverlight based gallery where users can share PowerPivot applications with others and visualize and interact with applications produced by others using Excel Services and Reporting Services.
PowerPivot Management Dashboard – the dashboard that enables IT to monitor and manage the PowerPivot for SharePoint environment.
PowerPivot Web Service – the “front-end” service that exposes PowerPivot data via XML/A to external applications such as Report Builder.
PowerPivot System Service – the “back-end” service that manages the PowerPivot application database, load balancing, usage data collection, automatic data refresh, etc.
Analysis Services – the Analysis Services server running the VertiPaq in-memory engine and integrated with SharePoint to load and manage the data within PowerPivot workbooks.

For more information on PowerPivot for Excel, visit http://www.powerpivot.com .

Source - Microsoft SQL Server News Blog and Gemini Team blog.

Sep 21, 2009 - MS Released CU4 package for SQL Server 2008 SP1 (CU7 for RTM)

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:18:31 +0000

On September 21, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2008 SP1.

Cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 contains hotfixes for the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 issues that have been fixed since the release of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 10.00.2734.

List of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2008:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description
326105	972939	FIX: A validation error is returned when you use the MSOLAP10 provider to connect to a SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services server and set the value of the SubQueries property to 2 in the connection string
332017	973588	FIX: You receive various error messages when you open a SQL Server Reporting Services report whose data source uses the HTTP protocol to connect to SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
351197	975272	FIX: An access violation occurs when you run a MDX query that involves a calculated member that uses the SUM({set of measures}) function where the set contains measures from different measure groups in SQL Server 2008

Note: Please also see related release on SQL Server 2008 CU7 (build 10.00.1818).

Aug 18, 2009 - MS released cumulative update package 5 for SQL Server 2005 SP3

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:26 +0000

On August 18, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 5 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 9.00.4230.

This update does not have any of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 SP3:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description

Please also see related Microsoft comulative update package 15 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2.

Aug 10, 2009 - MS Released SQL Server 2008 R2 August CTP

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:03:29 +0000

The SQL Server Team is pleased to announce the release of the August Community Technology Preview (CTP) of SQL Server 2008 R2

Your Data, Any Place, Any Time

SQL Server® 2008 R2 expands on the value delivered in SQL Server® 2008 to help your organization scale with confidence and improve IT and developer efficiency with new and enhanced tools for application and multi-server management, master data services and complex event processing. The new Self Service BI capabilities will empower end users to access, integrate, analyze and share information using business intelligence tools they already know - Microsoft® Office.

The Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 August Community Technology Preview (CTP) includes Application and Multi-server Management which will help organizations manage database environments efficiently at scale with increased visibility and control across the application lifecycle. Also included is Report Builder 3.0 with support for geospatial visualization (mapping, routing, custom shapes) which can help produce new insights and discoveries well beyond what can be achieved with standard tables and charts when geospatial data is combined with business information. Microsoft® SQL Server® StreamInsight will also be made available for Community Technology Preview in the coming weeks. This new complex event processing technology will help businesses derive better insights by correlating event streams from multiple sources with near-zero latency.

Download here...

July 21, 2009 - MS Released CU3 package for SQL Server 2008 SP1 (CU6 for RTM)

webadmin@ssas-info.com (Microsoft) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:22:48 +0000

On July 21, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 3 for SQL Server 2008 SP1.

Cumulative update package 3 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 contains hotfixes for the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 issues that have been fixed since the release of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 10.00.2723.

List of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2008:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description
307698	970538	FIX: Error message when you process the index for a partition in a cube in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services: "Internal error: An unexpected error occurred (file 'pffilestorefilegroup.cpp', line 1483, function 'PFFileStoreGroup::ReadPage')"
321810	970551	FIX: Error message when you run an MDX query that requests a dimension property on a parent-child hierarchy in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
321836	970966	FIX: An MDX query that uses the NON EMPTY clause and the DrillDownLevel function returns null values in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
311907	971772	FIX: Error message when you process a partition in a measure group in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services: "Errors in the high-level relational engine. The binding for the '<ColumnName>' column is not a ColumnBinding type"
324564	972763	FIX: The queries run very slowly when you run MDX queries in an application that uses the ADOMD.NET data provider through HTTP to connect to SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
322329	972777	FIX: The SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services service crashes when you run an ALTER command on a database while an UPDATE CUBE statement is running on the database
326522	972984	FIX: You receive an incorrect result when you query a parent/child hierarchy that contains a single member on a level in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
328433	973200	FIX: No results are returned when you run an MDX query that references a calculated member in SQL Server 2008

Note: Please also see related release on SQL Server 2008 CU6.

Jun 16,2009 - MS released Cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:28:22 +0000

On June 16, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 9.00.4226.

List of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 SP3:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description
303461	968900	FIX: Measures, measure groups, and dimensions that are not part of a perspective are exposed incorrectly when you create a grouping on the perspective in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
297422	969844	FIX: A server that is running SQL Server 2005 build 9.00.3159 or a later version, or SQL Server 2008 crashes if you run an MDX query
307742	970551	FIX: Error message when you run an MDX query that requests a dimension property on a parent-child hierarchy in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
310902	970966	FIX: An MDX query that uses the NON EMPTY clause and the DrillDownLevel function returns null values in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services

Please also see related Microsoft comulative update package 14 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2.

May 19, 2009 - MS Released CU2 package for SQL Server 2008 SP1

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:19:51 +0000

On May 19, 2009 Microsoft released cumulative update package 2 for SQL Server 2008 SP1.

Cumulative update package 2 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 contains hotfixes for the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 issues that have been fixed since the release of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1.

Note This build of the cumulative update package is also known as build 10.00.2714.

List of fixes related to SQL Server Analysis Services 2008:

SQL Bug Number	KB Article Number	Description
304028	968290	FIX: A mining model of the Microsoft Decision Tree algorithm generates incorrect nodes when you set the MINIMUM_SUPPORT parameter to "9" in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
304734	968900	FIX: Measures, measure groups, and dimensions that are not part of a perspective are exposed incorrectly when you create a grouping on the perspective in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
303142	969235	FIX: Error message when you run an MDX query in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Service: "The Extract function was called with hierarchy '' that does not exist in the set
304044	969588	FIX: Some cell values are doubled when you run an MDX query against a database that has the AllowedSet permission set for a dimension in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
304133	970184	FIX: You receive a "File system error" error message that mentions a temporary file when you process a cube in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
306626	970461	FIX: An MDX query that contains the Aggregate function incorrectly returns a NULL value for a calculated measure in SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

Note: Please also see related release on SQL Server 2008 CU5.

May 11,2009 - MS announced first information about SQL Server 2008 R2

webadmin@ssas-info.com (webadmin) — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:51:30 +0000

May 11, 2009. Microsoft announced that the next version of its SQL Server database (current code name Kilimanjaro) will be called "SQL Server 2008 R2".

What's new in R2 (related to SSAS)

Build Robust Analytical Applications
With the in-memory analytics add-in for Microsoft Excel 2010, business users can quickly access, analyze and summarize vast amounts of data directly in Excel without the assistance of the IT department.

Consolidate Your Data
New “data mash up” capabilities will simplify time consuming data gathering and consolidation tasks. Integrate data from multiple sources, including corporate databases and external sources, using powerful tools within Microsoft Excel.

Share and Collaborate with Confidence
New collaboration tools make it easy to share analytic applications and reports through Microsoft Office SharePoint, where they are refreshed automatically, maintained, and made accessible to others.

R2 Benefits by Workload (related to SSAS)

Self Service Analysis with “Project Gemini”

Add-in for Microsoft Office Excel 2010

Build Robust Analytical Applications

Combines native Excel 2010 functionality with an in-memory, column oriented processing engine to allow users to interactively explore and perform calculations on millions of rows of data at lightening speeds
Streamlines the process of integrating data from multiple sources – including corporate databases, spreadsheets and external sources
Access PivotTables, slicers, and other familiar analysis features in Excel to create reports and perform advanced analysis

Add-in for Microsoft Office SharePoint 2010

Share & Collaborate with Confidence

Enables users to publish reports and analyses to SharePoint to make them available to others in the organization
Applications and reports can be refreshed automatically while also maintaining version control and tracking
Central, secure location where users can easily control who has access to sensitive data while also maximizing the number of people who can view the reports

SharePoint 2010 Management Console

Manage User-Generated Analytical Applications

Provides a single, comprehensive management tool through Microsoft Office SharePoint that gives IT administrators the ability to set server policies and monitor Self Service BI activities
IT can manage and secure all BI assets, freeing the original authors to focus on business priorities
Dashboard views to monitor access and utilization of analyses and reports as well as track patterns of hardware usage to help ensure the right security privileges are applied and user generated solutions are continuously available, up-to-date, and secured