IFS Analysis Models provide a platform for high performance interactive visualizations
from a range of different tools, both from Microsoft as well as from other vendors
on the market.
The Analysis Models can be used in many different scenarios, e.g. :
The Analysis Models are pre-packaged for direct use together with IFS Cloud after initial configuration and data load. The models offer a wide range of pre-defined and ready to use measures and dimensions in several areas of IFS Cloud.
The Analysis Models are implemented as Tabular Models, powered by Microsoft SSAS. The Tabular Model technology holds pre-aggregated data in-memory, which offers high performance information delivery in interactive analysis scenarios.
The Analysis models are implemented as star schema models, offering a business oriented view of IFS Cloud information, prepared and optimized for analysis and reporting.
Each model offers a platform for analysis and reporting in a specific application area. The model is based on input from one or, in most cases, a number of Information Sources. In addition to the measures and dimension attributes directly provided from the Information Sources, there is a large number of additional calculated measures as well as additional dimension related capabilities such as hierarchies. These additional calculated measures and dimension capabilities offer much more extensive and direct analysis capabilities compared to directly using Information Sources. Some examples are:
Power BI Reports viewed by the end-user directly in IFS Cloud. Reports published either on the Power BI Service or on a Power BI Report Server can be integrated in IFS Cloud using the Power BI integration.
Fixed format reporting based on IFS Analysis Models can be made with Report Builder, a tool included in SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services). Report design is made on model level without the need to use any query language.
Excel can be used for interactive ad-hoc analysis or producing more fixed format analysis models including graphs. Excel is directly connected to the tabular model via Data Sources option in the Excel ribbon. The automatically created pivot table can be used for analysis by dragging/selecting relevant measures into the design areas. With the use of available hierarchies, it is possible to drill down into details directly in the pivot table. Slicers can be used to enhance interactivity and pivot graphs can be used to visualize information in many different ways.
With Power BI it is possible to build graphical dashboards and reports that can be published for different user communities. Power BI can connect directly to tabular models and reports can be created by dragging and dropping design items into the design areas and apply different visualization alternatives. Power BI supports a wide range of different visualizations including geographical visualizations like BING and ESRI. Power BI reports are fully interactive with graphical filtering in combination with slicers affecting all relevant visualization elements within a report. This offers a high level of interactivity and possibility to analyze details.
The information in IFS Analysis Models is prepared by loading data from IFS Information Sources. In most cases, one model is based on combined data from several Information Sources. Each tabular model is referenced by an IFS-specific tabular model. The latter holds references to IFS-specific Tabular Data Sources.
The Tabular Framework uses the Tabular Data Sources to create a data storage in a SQL Server database. The framework also supports creation of SSIS packages to transfer data from the Information Sources into SQL Server. Finally the necessary data transformations are handled by SQL Server views that are defined as part of IFS Tabular Data Sources. The data load frequency from the Information Sources can be configured individually for each customer case.
The following tabular models are pre-packaged and delivered as a part of IFS Analysis Models