SQL Server Analysis Services Roadmap – Helping Older Models and Building DAX Queries

by
Andrew Snodgrass

by
Andrew Snodgrass

Andrew analyzes and writes about Microsoft's data management, business intelligence, and machine learning solutions, as well as aspects of licensing... more

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) is a role in SQL Server, Microsoft’s long-standing on-premises database management and business intelligence (BI) software. SSAS is an analytic processing component used to build complex data models used in data mining and other data analytic applications to guide business decisions. Analysis Services has two modes for organizing data into models: 

• Tabular mode organizes data into tables, columns, and metrics, and the technology is used in Excel, Power BI, and Azure Analysis Services 
• Multidimensional (MDX) mode is an older technology that organizes data into models called cubes.

SSAS is available in SQL Server, as a deployment option in Azure Analysis Services and in Power BI. The cloud services include most SSAS features but with lower model sizes and are limited to Tabular data models only.

Product: SQL Server

Licensing: SQL Server

Near Term (2025–2026)

SQL Server 2025, expected in late 2025, will bring several performance and functional enhancements that are already available in the cloud services. This approach is not unusual, as Microsoft often develops new capabilities and tests them on the cloud services, before adding them to the on-premises product.