OLAP (online analytic processing) and data mining allow database users to consolidate and summarize large quantities of data residing in a data warehouse. OLAP also offers powerful analytical tools that can identify underlying trends within data. Until recently, using OLAP required companies to spend from $50,000 to $500,000. SQL Server 2000, however, has integrated OLAP, called Analysis Services, allowing database users to get these services for the price of SQL Server. This text and CD provides a practical guide to OLAP with SQL Server 2000 and VB. It covers advanced programming topics, such as querying cubes using MDX, building custom solutions with ADOMD, and tying into COM interfaces with DSO.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. Chapter 1: OLAP and Data Mining Concepts. Chapter 2: Analysis Services Architecture. Chapter 3: Analysis Services Lifecycle. Chapter 4: Using Analysis Services. Chapter 5: Advanced Analysis Services. Chapter 6: Querying Analysis Services with MDX. Chapter 7: Building Analysis Services Applications with ADO/MD Part I: Cube Schema Objects. Chapter 8: Building OLAP Services Applications with ADO/MD Part II: Query Retrieval Objects. Chapter 9: Advanced Usage of the PivotTable Service. Chapter 10: Managing an Analysis Services Environment Using DSO. Chapter 11: Building Data Mining Solutions with Analysis Services. Chapter 12: Supporting Natural Language Queries with English Query. Appendix A: MDX Reference. Appendix B: ADO/MD Object Model. Appendix C: DSO Object Model. Appendix D: English Query Object Model. Index.