Adam Aspin

Adam Aspin is an independent Business Intelligence consultant based in the United Kingdom. He has worked with SQL Server for seventeen years. During this time, he has developed several dozen reporting and analytical systems based on the Microsoft BI product suite.

A graduate of Oxford University, Adam began his career in publishing before moving into IT. Databases soon became a passion, and his experience in this arena ranges from dBase to Oracle, and Access to MySQL, with occasional sorties into the world of DB2. He is, however, most at home in the Microsoft Business Intelligence universe when using SQL Server Analysis Services, SQL Server Reporting Services, SQL Server Integration Services and SharePoint.

A fluent French speaker, Adam has worked in France and Switzerland for many years. He is the author of “SQL Server Data Integration Recipes” – Apress, November 2012, and High Impact Data Visualization with Power View, Power Map, and Power BI– Apress, June 2014 and Business Intelligence with SQL Server Reporting Services – Apress, March 2015.
03 April 2019
03 April 2019

SQL For Cosmos DB – Tips and Tricks

0
12
Building on the introduction to the SQL used by Cosmos DB in the first article in the series, here you will learn how to handle some of the more classic challenges that you may face when querying JSON documents. Adam Aspin shows you some of the workarounds that are useful in practice when finding and shaping output data ready for further analysis.… Read more
0
12
06 March 2019
06 March 2019

Introduction to SQL for Cosmos DB

0
22
This article by Adam Aspin reviews the Azure Cosmos DB SQL API from the perspective of the relational database developer. More specifically it will show you how to leverage your Structured Query Language skills to exploit the core possibilities of Cosmos DB as a NoSQL document database.… Read more
0
22
16 September 2016
16 September 2016

Power BI for Data Modelling

0
42
Power BI has a lot of uses, but one of the most interesting of them is to model and shape data to make it easier for self-service BI. Power BI is a full-stack solution that includes data loading, data modelling, metrics, reporting and distribution. It can take the source data, and perform in-process data modelling relatively easily as well a providing an easy to use and powerful user interface for analytics and reporting.… Read more
0
42
10 August 2016
10 August 2016

Direct Query with Power BI

0
18
Power BI allows you to connect directly to the data just as if it were a “standard” connection, and modify and extend the data to support analytics. By using DirectQuery, you can build reports based on extremely large datasets where re-importing data not a practical solution. It also allows you to do data aggregations on the server. There are, of course, restrictions as well but it is nevertheless a worthwhile technique to use where appropriate. Adam Aspin explains all. … Read more
0
18
25 September 2015
25 September 2015

SQLXML Bulk Loader: The Sequel

0
8
SQLXML isn't exactly new technology, and parts of it aren't pretty, but if you need to heave vast quantities of XML data into a SQL Server database then you may come to appreciate the raw speed of which it's capable. Adam Aspin shows how to configure the SQL XML Bulk Loader tool for optimal data loading performance.… Read more
0
8
02 June 2015
02 June 2015

SQLXML Bulk Loader Basics

0
24
SQLXML isn't exactly new technology, but like the even more venerable BCP, it remains the quickest and most reliable way of heaving large quantities of data into SQL Server databases. SQLXML is very versatile, and once set up is wonderfully reliable ETL system, but isn't trivial to learn. Adam Aspin comes to the rescue with a simple guide.… Read more
0
24
15 April 2015
15 April 2015

Mobile BI with SQL Server Reporting Services

0
55
For users to get the information they need from mobile reports, we frequently have to tailor the way we design those reports to the characteristics of the target device. Adam Aspin demonstrates some of the ways that we can deliver easy-to-use Business Intelligence to tablets and smartphones using Reporting Services. … Read more
0
55