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This paper outlines the recommended best practices for designing OLAP databases in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services to better meet the functional and performance needs of users. Designing a database for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) databases is very different from designing a database for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) and requires a different approach for achieving optimal results.

The best practices recommendations are grouped into the following sections:

• Data Source Design Best Practices
• Dimension Design Best Practices
• Cube Design Best Practices
• Partition Design Best Practices
• Aggregation Design Best Practices

Within each section, these best practices are ordered roughly by priority, where priority is a combination of how important the best practice is and how often you must worry about it. Major topics not covered include best practices for the design of calculations and for server management and operations.  These two topics are sufficiently complex to deserve separate and more in-depth treatment.

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