Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services provides online analytical processing (OLAP) functionality. OLAP helps you analyze data and identify trends that you might not otherwise discover when viewing data in traditional reports.

An OLAP query—called a cube—is said to be multidimensional because the query returns data from multiple tables in a database. The report data is then viewed in an Excel PivotTable or PivotChart report.

For more information about OLAP reporting and how to view the data included in a cube, see the following topics:

• Overview of online analytical processing (OLAP)

• Viewing preconfigured multidimensional reports