At the heart of every a Business Intelligence reporting solution is a data model, to optimize queries and enable ad hoc report interactions. Data modeling technology has evolved quite a lot over the past 20 years or so. You have several choices and options depending on the simplicity or formality of your project, and factors like data size and security. In the past, choices were simpler. Power BI was the choice for smallish, “good enough” projects and when data quality, high volume and exactness were the priority, SSAS was the better choice. Now, using Power BI for modelling larger data sets is even advantageous with new features like hybrid models, aggregations and incremental data refresh.
I’ve been a quest to find the best medium to break these choices down into simple terms but it truly is a journey and not a destination.