Using DAX to retrieve tabular data

Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), originally the formula language for PowerPivot workbooks, can also be used within the MDX query window of SSMS to directly access data from a tabular SSAS database, an in-memory database that uses the xVelocity analytics engine and compression. Robert Sheldon shows how easy it is to retrieve data from a tabular database.

In my last article, "Getting Started with the SSAS Tabular Model," I introduced you to the SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) tabular database and how to access its components in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This article continues that discussion by demonstrating how to use the Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) language to retrieve data from your tabular database.