Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Analysis Services (formerly OLAP Services) is now integrated with English Query. Analysis Services is a middle-tier server for online transaction processing (OLTP).
Analysis Services includes a powerful server that constructs multidimensional cubes of data for analysis and provides rapid client access to cube information. The source data for Analysis Services is commonly stored in data warehouses in a relational database.
With the integration of Analysis Services and English Query, client applications can produce answers to users' questions in either a multidimensional display or in traditional SQL rows.
Using Analysis Services also enhances the performance of queries processed by English Query.
When an English Query model has been enabled for Analysis Services, entities and relationships can be associated with OLAP cube information. The English Query Model Editor now includes an explicit representation of OLAP cube dimensions, levels, properties, measures, and facts.
The following example shows the resulting query and
WITH SET set_1 AS 'filter([Time].[Year].members, [Time].currentmember.name>="1996"
AND [Time].currentmember.name<="1998")'
MEMBER Measures.[Unit Sales ] AS 'sum(set_1, Measures.[Unit Sales])'
SELECT {Measures.[Unit Sales ]} ON COLUMNS,
filter([Store].[Store Name].members, ancestor([Store].currentmember, [Store].[Store State]).name="CA") ON ROWS
FROM [Sales]
For more information about Analysis Services, see Analysis Services Overview.