What is (SSAS) SQL Server Analysis Services Tabular Mode?
SQL Server 2012 ships Analysis Services that can be installed in the traditional OLAP engine or in the Tabular engine mode. Tabular mode is an in-memory database that compresses and queries the data with great performance. In most cases, you may find developing a Tabular mode project quicker to develop, deploy and test. Reporting tools can access the Tabular model just like they can a traditional OLAP cube. If you have users that rely on Pivot Tables in Excel loaded with data from extracts and data dumps. Analysis Services Tabular mode is a great solution to improve performance and ease access to their data.
Where to Begin in Tabular Models
You create a Tabular model by using the SQL Server Data Tools that ship with SQL Server. To create your first project select new project and then Analysis Services Tabular Project as shown in Figure 1. In this article I will highlight the most important icons to use when first learning how to build Tabular models.
