excel - Is Power Pivot Multi Dimensional?

Question

I created a multi dimensional pivot table in Excel and then used the following add on to generate the MDX: http://olappivottableextend.codeplex.com/releases/view/618637

The MDX was generated by Excel as follows:

SELECT NON EMPTY Hierarchize(DrilldownMember({{{DrilldownLevel({[Customer].[Customer Geography].[All]},,,INCLUDE_CALC_MEMBERS)}}}, {[Customer].[Customer Geography].[State Province].&[New South Wales]&[Australia]},,,INCLUDE_CALC_MEMBERS)) DIMENSION PROPERTIES PARENT_UNIQUE_NAME,HIERARCHY_UNIQUE_NAME,[Customer].[Customer Geography].[State Province].[Country-Region],[Customer].[Customer Geography].[City].[State Province] ON COLUMNS , NON EMPTY Hierarchize({DrilldownLevel({[Customer].[FullName].[All]},,,INCLUDE_CALC_MEMBERS)}) DIMENSION PROPERTIES PARENT_UNIQUE_NAME,HIERARCHY_UNIQUE_NAME ON ROWS  FROM [Adventure Works DW2012] WHERE ([Measures].[Sales Amount]) CELL PROPERTIES VALUE, FORMAT_STRING, LANGUAGE, BACK_COLOR, FORE_COLOR, FONT_FLAGS

I then opened the Power Pivot windows and copied and pasted the MDX. It generated a two dimensional data structure.

I realise that Power Pivot is available because of the max row limitation in Excel i.e. it can deal with more rows. Is Power Pivot just a two dimensional data source? i.e. it is used to get all of the data into one place so that a standard Pivot Table can be used to analyse the data from a multi dimensional perspective?

Answer 1

It is the pivot table which is using mdx. Pivot tables came about around the same time as olap - they use the same technology. I think even if we create a pivot and point it at a server-side tabular model then the xl pivot will still be talking in mdx.

So the pivot table needs to work with mdx irrespective of the data source.

Power Pivot and Tabular models use a language called DAX. Tabular uses analysis services but is different from multi-dimensional .... it is tabular