Page 152 - DCAP606_BUSINESS_INTELLIGENCE

Unit 10: Retrieving Data from Analysis Services

7. Analysis Services provides dimensional data that is well-suited for data exploration in Notes
PivotTables and ......................................
8. Connecting to Analysis Services 2008 uses ......................................

Case Study Data Services Firm Uses Microsoft BI and Hadoop to
Boost Insight into Big Data

lout wanted to give consumers, brands, and partners faster, more detailed insight
into hundreds of terabytes of social-network data. It also wanted to boost efficiency.
KTo do so, Klout deployed a business intelligence solution based on Microsoft SQL
Server 2012 Enterprise and Apache Hadoop. As a result, Klout processes data queries in
near real time, minimizes costs, boosts efficiency, increases insight, and facilitates
innovation.

Solution
In 2011, Klout decided to implement a BI solution based on Microsoft SQL Server 2012
Enterprise data management software and the open-source Hive data warehouse system.
“When it comes to BI and analytics, open-source tool sets are just ineffective and there’s
really not a good choice,” Mariani says. “Instead, Klout chose the best of both worlds by
marrying the Microsoft BI platform with Hadoop and Hive.” Based on employees’ previous
experience with the Microsoft BI platform, Klout also knew that SQL Server offers excellent
compatibility with third-party software and it can handle the data scale and query
performance needed to manage big-data sets.
In August 2011, engineers implemented a data warehouse with Hive, which consolidates
data from all of the network silos hosted by Hadoop. In addition, Klout deployed SQL
Server 2012 on a system that runs the Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise operating
system to take advantage of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services. Engineers use it
to manage all business logic required to facilitate Multidimensional Online Analytical
Processing (MOLAP). Data is stored in multidimensional cubes, which helps preserve
detail and speed analysis. To provide high availability, Klout replicates the database to a
secondary system using SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn.
At the time that Klout was initially deploying its solution, SQL Server 2012 and Hive
could not communicate directly. To work around this issue, engineers set up a temporary
relational database that runs MySQL 5.5 software. It includes data from the previous
30 days and serves as a staging area for data exchange and analysis. Klout engineers are
currently working to implement the new open database connectivity driver in SQL Server
2012 to directly join Hive with SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services. In addition, to enhance
insight Klout plans to work with Microsoft to incorporate other Microsoft BI tools into its
solution, such as Microsoft SQL Server Power Pivot for Microsoft Excel.
Questions:

1. Analyse the case and provide any other solution to the problem.
2. Discuss the benefits of implementing business intelligence solution based on
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 by Klout.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/product-info/case-studies/klout.aspx

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