SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence: Integration Services and Analysis Services

Length: 5 Days | Price: Please contact us for pricing information.

This hands-on course walks students through the complete data warehousing and data mining process using SQL Server. Students will design and create data warehouses, then use the Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) to create SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) routines to move records from a relational database into the data warehouse. Once the data warehouse is populated, the data will be explored using SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). BIDS will again be used to create cubes to support business decisions. Hands-on exercises will use the cubes to develop Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and custom performance measures. Additional exercises will demonstrate how to update and manage cubes. Analysis Service's support of data mining is also covered, and hands-on labs will configure data mining algorithms to search for patterns and trends in the data. In addition to using SSIS to support data warehouses, students will also complete labs that demonstrate how to use the ETL utility to move data in and out of SQL Servers.

This includes exercises that import and export data between Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, XML files, flat files and SQL Server. Techniques to clean data will also be demonstrated, such as finding duplicate records or performing look-ups in tables. Other exercises will merge data from multiple sources, as well as splitting data to multiple destinations. Troubleshooting and security configurations for these Business Intelligence services are incorporated throughout the course.

Course Prerequisites: Familiarity with database concepts and Windows desktop navigation. Attendance at the 3-day SQL Programming course, or equivalent knowledge, is recommended but not required.