SQL Server 2012 - BI Semantic Model, Multidimensional vs Tabular

The landscape of Business Intelligence changes with SQL Server 2012. Microsoft has introduced a new "model" - the BI Semantic Model.

Don't get too hung up on this word though, the BI Semantic Model is really just an umbrella terminology that says as long as a source follows the BI Semantic Model, it will be supported in the tools. This is the eventual goal anyway; for now there is still a discrepancy which tools support what.