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Wise Owl Blogs - Home (page 6 of 19)
Showing blogs 101-120 (out of 369)
A strange error when using Web Extensions to auto-compile SASS
Posted by Andy Brown on 19 May 2016
A short blog explaining a compile error I got using Web Extensions - here's hoping it saves someone else some time!
Using SSIS to loop over the worksheets in an Excel workbook, importing each
Posted by Andy Brown on 07 April 2016
Looping over Excel workbooks is one thing, but how can you loop over all of the worksheets in a single workbook, importing the contents of each? This blog explains the steps you need to follow.
Unpivoting data in SSIS using the Unpivot transformation
Posted by Andy Brown on 07 April 2016
If you've been given the output from a pivot table or a cube, you can collapse it back into its original state using the UNPIVOT transform in Integration Services.
In SSMS, how to add multiple aliases to tables using the ALT key
Posted by Andy Brown on 23 March 2016
It's only a small thing, but … this blog shows how you can click and drag with the ALT key held down, then type to apply a table alias to lots of tables simultaneously.
Creating an exchange rate slicer in PowerPivot
Posted by Andy Brown on 11 March 2016
A way to create a slicer in PowerPivot to choose which exchange rate to use (ie for which currency to show results).
How to use security roles to restrict access to your SSAS Tabular model
Posted by Andy Brown on 26 February 2016
Perspectives in Analysis Services let you show different parts of your tabular model to different people, but they don't have any security. To ensure that the right eyes see the right bits of your model, you'll need to create and manage security roles, as explained in this blog.
Administrator access to a tabular Analysis Services instance
Posted by Andy Brown on 22 February 2016
This blog gives an outline of how to add administrators to an instance of SSAS, and how to set whether some accounts are automatically made administrators by default.
How to use DirectQuery to run queries in SSAS Tabular against SQL Server tables
Posted by Andy Brown on 22 February 2016
DirectQuery mode allows you to run queries in Analysis Services (Tabular) directly against the underlying SQL Server tables imported into the model. This blog explains what DirectQuery is, shows how to enable it and gives an idea of its pros and cons.
Find how to use table partitions in SSAS Tabular to process data more quickly
Posted by Andy Brown on 19 February 2016
You can partition a table in SSAS Tabular, which involves processing it in chunks rather than in one fell swoop. This blog explains how partitions work, and how to set them up and use them.
How to process tables in your model, and ideas for speeding processing up
Posted by Andy Brown on 19 February 2016
Processing tables involves loading data into your model, and can take a long time. This blog explains how processing works in SSAS Tabular and the different options available to you, shows how to process tables or models, and gives some ideas on how to make processing run more quickly.
Using tabular model perspectives to restrict which tables a user sees
Posted by Andy Brown on 18 February 2016
Perspectives in SSAS tabular are windows which allow you to control who sees which bits of your model. They're really easy to set up, as this blog shows, but aren't a substitute for setting security roles.
How PowerPivot differs from SSAS Tabular, and using it to prototype data models
Posted by Andy Brown on 18 February 2016
PowerPivot is virtually identical to SSAS Tabular underneatht the glossy exterior, but it has got a few extra features explained in this blog (which also shows how to import PowerPivot data models into Analysis Services, and why you might want to do this).
How to get data from tabular models using DAX queries in various programs
Posted by Andy Brown on 18 February 2016
Knowing how to write DAX queries is one thing, but where are you going to use them? This blog shows how you can integrate DAX queries into SSMS, SSRS, SSIS, Excel and PowerPivot.
How to write queries in DAX to interrogate SSAS tabular models
Posted by Andy Brown on 12 February 2016
As well as creating measures to aggregate data in tabular models using DAX, you can also write queries to extract data - this blog shows you how!
How to create and use hierachies in Analysis Services tabular model
Posted by Andy Brown on 11 February 2016
Hiearchies allow you to group related columns together, to make for prettier pivot tables and happier users. This blog shows you how to create and use hiearchies in SSAS Tabular, considers whether they're worth it, and also looks at the specific case of how to model parent-child hierarchies.
A technique to group measures together so they can be added with one click
Posted by Andy Brown on 08 February 2016
If you've worked with date measures (or any others) in DAX for a while, you'll know they can clutter up your pivot table. This clever technique allows you to tick a single box to add lots of measures into a pivot table in one go.
How to use DAX date-based functions in Analysis Services tabular model
Posted by Andy Brown on 08 February 2016
There are some wonderful date functions in DAX, with evocative names like TotalYtd, SamePeriodLastYear and ParallelPeriod. This blog shows how to use DAX date functions to summarise data, assuming that you have already created a calendar table.
How to crash Analysis Services (Tabular Model)
Posted by Andy Brown on 05 February 2016
It's not often you find a place to right-click which is pretty much guaranteed to crash a software package, so I thought I'd share this discovery!
Common Table Expressions are even better than I'd realised, as this blog shows
Posted by Andy Brown on 01 February 2016
CTEs (or Common Table Expressions) allow you to divide complicated queries up into two or more simple discrete tasks, as this blog explains.
A short blog listing many ways to create aliases for columns in SQL
Posted by Andy Brown on 01 February 2016
It's not often that this owl learns new things about SQL when giving a course, but when I do, I like to share my new knowledge! This blog shows a new way to create aliases for columns in SQL.