SQL Server 2012 Tabular Models vs. PowerPivot

Sunday, January 15, 2012
by jsalvo

I recently installed SQL Server 2012 and began exploring the tabular models.  At first glance, they look very similar to PowerPivot and contain much of the same functionality.  In fact, both the tabular model and PowerPivot share the same engine and the DAX language. 

Although on the surface they appear very similar, several notable differences exist.

The following grid lists a few of the differences between the tabular model and PowerPivot:

  Tabular Model PowerPivot
Scalability
  • No specified upper size limit
  • Partitions to process large volumes of data
  • Supports Direct Query and VertiPaq
  • 2 GB Excel file size limit (for uploading to SharePoint)
  • No partitioning
  • VertiPaq only
Manageability SSMS, AMO, ADOMD, XMLA, Deployment Wizard, PowerShell, Integration Services
(Cathy Dumas’s Blog) 		Excel / SharePoint
Securability Row level and dynamic security Excel workbook file security
Development Tool Visual Studio Excel

There are several new features common to both PowerPivot and Tabular Models:

  • Hierarchies
  • KPIs
  • Perspectives

If you’d like to see a list of the new features in PowerPivot 2012, check out this link (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272053(SQL.110).aspx).

Tags: SSAS

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