Microsoft Analysis Services

SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services sets a new standard for business intelligence servers in enterprise scalability, manageability, and productivity.

Scalability. Analysis Services scales to the most demanding analytical and reporting applications. With a new dimensional architecture, UDM-enabled applications let users quickly perform rich and intuitive ad-hoc analysis using hundreds of dimensions and hierarchies. Hierarchies make it easier for users to navigate and query UDMs with hundreds of millions of members.

In addition, the new architecture removes the limitations of memory–resident dimensions and the number of children members per parent. With an XML⁄A–based communication protocol that is paired with greatly optimized role–based security, Analysis Services helps a UDM handle thousands of users, enabling enterprise-scale business intelligence applications using Web⁄middle-tier or client-server architectures.

Manageability. Because the management tools for the relational engine and Analysis Services are integrated, business intelligence administrators benefit from having a single, uniform environment for managing SQL Server Analysis Services. With SQL Server Management Studio, administrators can easily script Analysis Services objects and operations or tasks. Administrators can use a rich editor for MDX and Data Mining eXtensions (DMX) queries. SQL Profiler can be used to trace, capture, and replay Analysis Services queries and other commands. Multi-instancing, enhanced backup and restore, synchronization of databases across servers, and improved fine-grained administrative permissions are some of the new manageability tools.

Productivity. Integrated with Visual Studio, the intuitive Analysis Services wizards and editors provide a true application development environment, supporting the project's full life cycle. Source control, versioning, workstation isolation, embedded debugging, and configuration management are some of the benefits of the new Business Intelligence Development Studio.