Data Integration, Analysis Improved for SQL Server 2008

Architecture and tooling enhancements in SQL Server 2008 could speed development and boost performance for SQL Server developers using the product’s Analysis Services and Integration Services for business intelligence (BI) and data integration. The new Analysis Services also gives administrators more options for backing up large databases. However, some product gaps persist, and some features highlighted in product previews appear not to have made the final cut.

Tools for OLAP, Data Mining, ETL

Integration Services and Analysis Services provide development tools, run-time services, and management utilities that organizations use to extract, cleanse, summarize, and analyze business data. Together with Reporting Services, these features comprise the SQL Server BI platform. In general, Analysis Services and Integration Services support the following BI-related functions:

Extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes extract data from one or more data sources, transform or process those data (for example, casting them into a common format or correlating data elements from different sources), and then load the transformed data into a separate destination source. The most important and common ETL process is the periodic update of data warehouses, which house (typically large) volumes of historical business data. Integration Services provides a platform for applications that perform ETL, as well as other data integration tasks.