Customer Reviews

Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel 2010: Give Your Data Meaning

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being a member of the Analysis Services Insiders group is one of my favorite parts about being a Microsoft SQL/BI MVP. The Insider forums are locked down to select individuals and provide Microsoft experts with a venue to exchange ideas, thoughts, and technical solutions among one another. As a result, overtime I have begun to know both Marco & Alberto, and when I learned they were both working on a collaborative PowerPivot book it peaked my interest. Furthermore, when I learned that the book would have a focus on DAX my interest increased yet again. I received an early copy of the printed manual and over the past 24 hours I have torn thru the book's newly printed pages eager to see what my fellow colleagues across the pond created.

Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot is an extremely powerful and yet diverse Self-Service BI (SSBI) toolset. There are aspects of PowerPivot that are more slanted towards information workers (PowerPivot for Excel) while other aspects are intended purely for IT Pros (PowerPivot for SharePoint). The key decision for software-centric book authoring "is it better to drill down on a subset of a larger software product's features or provide complete coverage with less details" still applies today. Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari have clearly decided to focus on the PowerPivot for Excel experience with an advanced exploration of DAX, PowerPivot's best in class information worker expression language.

The book's key driver for purchase is that it is authored by seasoned Microsoft BI experts who exploit PowerPivot for Excel's analytical capabilities to the max. Who better to teach information workers about the advanced analytical capabilities of PowerPivot for Excel (which is driven internally by the in-memory Analysis Services Vertipaq engine) than those who've used past incarnations of similar technology for similar purposes? While I agree that PowerPivot for Excel 100% does not require information workers to be familiar with Analysis Services concepts, the author's background serves them well for the aspects of PowerPivot they choose to attack.

The manual begins with a nice introduction on classic Excel Pivot Tables and then demonstrates how PowerPivot for Excel clearly overcomes the limitations of the older pivot table & VLOOKUP technology. In chapters two and three the book explores PowerPivot for Excel introductory features including an introduction to DAX. The authors then introduce you to the concept of PowerPivot data models in chapter four with the loading of PowerPivot data models being covered in chapter five. Chapter six is where the authors expertise really begins to shine with a treatment of DAX's Evaluation Context and specifically the CALCULATE function.

Chapter seven hones in on using DAX for common time intelligence calculations. Date and time calculations are the crux of any analytical solution. Common expressions such as year-to-date, year-over-year, and beginning/closing balances are covered in detail. You are then taken into a chapter that shows you how to master Excel 2010 Pivot Tables including Classic Pivot Tables, OLAP Pivot Tables, and PowerPivot Pivot Tables.

Chapters nine and ten focus on DAX and data model patterns. SSBI users will find both of these chapters are extremely well tailored for them addressing common analytical challenges such as ratio calculations, ranking calculations, banding, and even a demonstration of how to overcome unsupported relationships with DAX. The manual concludes with chapter eleven covering the publishing of PowerPivot for Excel workbooks including a primer on PowerPivot for SharePoint via SharePoint data refresh settings & configuration.

Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel 2010 is without question the best book on PowerPivot for Excel I've read to date. The authors have executed well on a no-holds-barred approach to exploiting PowerPivot for Excel and everything that the client-experience can provide users. Both information workers and business intelligence professionals alike who use or intend to use PowerPivot for Excel should consider the book as required reading. Additionally, due to the sheer volume of DAX coverage, readers should retain the book as a must-have DAX reference.

Bravo!
Derek Comingore, Microsoft SQL/BI MVP

I like the book for two reasons.
First, while explaining how PowerPivot works, it also explains many BI concepts (OLAP cubes, sql joins, normalization) which are not necessarily known to every excel user. However, these help to maximize the usefulness of PowerPivot.
Second, it also shows what you can do with DAX, the new formula language of PowerPivot, which is quite impressive but not so easily mastered, especially here the book is a tremendous help.

Most of the book is well written, it would be nice to have some application exercises so you could do the process step by step and later check the answer. Otherwise it is too much theory.

If you are new to PowerPivot and especially DAX, this is simply a must-own book. Authors provide great examples and they're also included in the book on the dvd. Marco/Alberto are probably two of the leaders in PowerPivot/DAX.

People that have experience with PowerPivot and DAX could also extend their knowledge by utilizing this book as well.

A DVD of workbook examples and an Access version of the book's sample database accompanies a fine survey of data analysis skills in Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel 2010: Give Your Data Meaning. Any Excel collection catering to advanced users should have this: it teaches how to apply Excel's formulas to the Power Pivot language DAX, how to manipulate, sort and understand calculations and data results, and how to perform sophisticated functions such as using PivotTables and charts. Excel users in business settings will find this a 'must'.

I dare to predict that in a few years after SQL 11 ships, there will be two kinds of BI professionals - those who know the Business Intelligence Semantic Model and those who will learn it soon. By the way, the same applies to SharePoint. What can you do to start on the path and prepare while waiting for BISM? Learn PowerPivot, of course, which is one of the three technologies that are powered by VertiPaq - the new column-oriented in-memory store. This is where the book PowerPivot for Excel 2010 can help. It's written by Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari, whose names should be familiar for those of you who have been following Microsoft BI for a while. Both authors are respected experts who have contributed a lot to the community. Stationed in Italy, they run the SQLBI website and share their knowledge via their blog and publications.

This is the second book that I've read about PowerPivot - after Professional Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel and SharePoint. What I liked about this book is its deep coverage of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX). I specifically enjoyed the following chapters:

Chapter 6: Evaluation Context and CALCULATE - Provides a deep coverage of how DAX measures work. Although DAX is meant to be simpler than MDX, expressions can get complex and this chapter will help you understand how DAX works behind the hood.

Chapter 7: Date Calculations in DAX - Time calculations, such as YTD, QTD, are an important requirement for most BI projects. This chapter goes into details to explain how to implement them and provide workarounds for PowerPivot limitations.

Chapter 9: PowerPivot DAX Patterns - If you wonder whether PowerPivot can do this and that, read this chapter. It demonstrates advanced concepts ranging from ratio, percent of total, standard deviation, ranking over measures, Pareto computations, and more.

Chapter 10: PowerPivot Data Model Patterns - Another gem for addressing popular BI needs, such as banding, courier simulation, and many-to-many relationships.

Although not big in size (370 pages), you will find this book rich in patterns and solutions. What impressed me is that the authors put a great effort to cover not only the PowerPivot basics but to leave no stone unturned when the tool lacks in features. The authors discuss a requirement, approach it from different angles, and provide several implementation approaches. Thus, this book will benefit both beginners and advanced users. An indispensible resource for learning PowerPivot and giving a head start on BISM!

This is an outstanding book that is easy to read and understand, and progresses at just the right pace.
I am a power Excel User with a strong understanding of our system data structure but I am not a SQL programmer.
When I heard about Powerpivot I was immediately excited at the possibilities of ad hoc user access to data on the fly.
I loaded powerpivot and quickly became frustrated and disillusioned, as there is no real documentation to help you on the way.

After downloading "Powerpivot for Excel 2010 - Give your Data meaning", I was unable to put the book down, and the real power of Powerpivot is now clear to me.
The book explains in simple logical progression, in language that is clear to a non programmer. Within hours of starting to read, powerpivot has been opened up to me, and I am again excited at the possibilities.

DVD is not working. I was so disappointed because examples are derived from the DVD to explain how powerpivot works. The DVD is crucial especially if you do not have SQL Server.