Applied Microsoft Analysis Services 2005, by Teo Lachev

There are BI books - and then there are BI Books. In this posting I will name one from the latter category: ‘Applied Microsoft Analysis Services 2005, and the Microsoft Business Intelligence Platform’, by Teo Lachev. It is no easy read, and it is hardly possible to read cover to cover, - but it is the type of book which provides background and understanding rather than “only” quick fixes to immediate problems. It is the type of book one can always delve into and find a section to broaden ones understanding of some topic. Let me give just two examples:
(1) I used to wonder, now and then, whether plain dimensions or parent-child dimensions should be preferred when both was an option. I could not really get it right, since different cases flipped the coin to either side and neither choice was always quite satisfactory. Given the desire for conformity and parsimony in model formulation, it did not occur to me that both might be required for an optimal solution. Then I chanced upon part of a sentence in TL’s book (p.77) explaining that a [single] Parent-Child dimension may not be enough for every need. If that is fine with TL then it is fine with me! Now I no longer worry about that question. If I can satisfy myself that different needs are best served with different – but not duplicate – views of the same dimension, then I do not hesitate long to produce them.
(2) As a newcomer to MDX, I stumbled upon a problem where results consistently appeared to be twice what I knew them to be. Somehow I solved the problem without really understanding what had happened. My various MDX sources at the time did not seem to provide an explanation. Only later did I read TL (p.309) detailing a case where [Reseller].[Reseller].Members is twice that of [Reseller].[Reseller].[Reseller].Members, because the former includes the [All] member for a doubling of the actual value! - Quite simple really, once you think of it, but nowhere else have I found such an explanation of the most likely reason for spurious double-counting in MDX.
I’m sorry for a few days delay with this posting. Stay tuned here at morlin’s BI blog for the August mid-month posting!