Overview
The ability to analyze and report on data from many sources is a must for organizations of all sizes. A popular technology for use with data warehouses—online analytical processing (OLAP)—has been criticized for its expensive tools, challenging implementation, and rigid deployment. Microsoft has overcome these limitations with SQL Server OLAP Services, a component of SQL Server 7.0. Now, organizations can analyze large volumes of data easily and inexpensively. A key feature of OLAP Services is Microsoft PivotTable® Service, a client cache and calculation engine that keeps network traffic light and enhances performance. Also, PivotTable lets organizations work with information even when they are disconnected from the network. This white paper discusses the role OLAP Services plays in Microsoft's overall data warehousing strategy. After outlining OLAP design and functionality, the paper also treats implementation issues, such as building the OLAP data model, managing data explosion, delivering OLAP information to the user, and making multidimensional analysis affordable to a wider audience.

Included in this document:

• Rationale for OLAP Systems
• OLAP Terms and Concepts
• OLAP Services Architecture
• Challenges of OLAP Implementation