Discovering tabular model strengths and challenges
Tabular models are the not-so-new version of analytic models in SSAS. They have been around for nearly 10 years now and are a key product in Microsoft's future of business intelligence tools. As discussed in Chapter 1, Analysis Services in SQL Server 2019, they are built on VertiPaq technology, which leverages memory and column compression to create a great analytics platform. Like multidimensional modes, tabular models have strengths and challenges that we want you to know about.
One key consideration of our list here is that we only cover compatibility level 1500. Tabular models have been through a lot of change since 2012, including with this release (see the new features in Chapter 1, Analysis Services in SQL Server 2019). Some of the features in the current release eliminate some key challenges that have existed in tabular models since they were released. One such weakness is no support for many-to-many relationships...