Learn how to design data models
for maximum efficiency and effectiveness
from Renowned DAX experts
Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo
ANALYZING DATA WITH MICROSOFT POWER BI AND POWER PIVOT FOR EXCEL
Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo are the founders of sqlbi.com, where they regularly publish articles about Microsoft Power Pivot, Power BI, DAX, and SQL Server Analysis Services. Both Ferrari and Russo provide consultancy and mentoring on business intelligence (BI). They are also frequent speakers at major international conferences, including Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and SQLBits.
How can you use Excel and Power BI to gain real insights into your information? As you examine your data, how do you write a formula that provides the numbers you need? The answers to both of these questions lie with the data model. This book introduces the basic techniques for shaping data models in Excel and Power BI. It’s meant for readers who are new to data modeling as well as for experienced data modelers looking for tips from the experts. If you want to use Power BI or Excel to analyze data, the many real-world examples in this book will help you look at your reports in a different way—like experienced data modelers do. As you’ll soon see, with the right data model, the correct answer is always a simple one!
By reading this book, you will:
• Gain an understanding of the basics of data modeling, including tables, relationships, and keys
• Familiarize yourself with star schemas, snowflakes, and common modeling techniques
• Learn the importance of granularity
• Discover how to use multiple fact tables, like sales and purchases, in a complex data model
• Manage calendar-related calculations by using date tables
• Track historical attributes, like previous addresses of customers or manager assignments
• Use snapshots to compute quantity on hand
• Work with multiple currencies in the most efficient way
• Analyze events that have durations, including overlapping durations
• Learn what data model you need to answer your specific business questions
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Target Audience
For intermediate to advanced users of Microsoft Excel
• For Excel and Power BI users who want to exploit the full power of their favorite tools
• For BI professionals seeking new ideas for modeling data
Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 Introduction to data modeling
CHAPTER 2 Using header/detail tables
CHAPTER 3 Using multiple fact tables
CHAPTER 4 Working with date and time
CHAPTER 5 Tracking historical attributes
CHAPTER 6 Using snapshots
CHAPTER 7 Analyzing date and time intervals
CHAPTER 8 Many-to-many relationships
CHAPTER 9 Working with different granularity
CHAPTER 10 Segmentation data models
CHAPTER 11 Working with multiple currencies
APPENDIX A Data modeling
Index
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