Ever wonder why there’s no "light" version of SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)?  Find yourself wishing that SSAS offered an in-memory operation model akin to some of its competitors?  And why are OLAP cubes nearly impossible for end-users to build while comparable capabilities have existed for relational databases for at least 15 years?  Enter Microsoft’s product code-named "Gemini," a component of the upcoming SQL Server 2008 R2 release, that joins together SSAS, Excel and SharePoint to make end-user analytics feasible, fun, publishable and discoverable by IT.  We’ll show you how it all works in this not-to-miss session.

Andrew Brust is Chief, New Technology at twentysix New York, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in New York City. Andrew was co-chair at Tech*Ed Developer conference 2008 and was recently named Microsoft Regional Director of the Year for 2008. He is co-author of Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (Microsoft Press), serves as Microsoft Regional Director for New York and New Jersey, is a Visual Basic MVP and a member of Microsoft's Business Intelligence Partner Advisory Council. Often quoted in the technology industry press, and himself a columnist for Redmond Developer News, Andrew has 20 years' experience programming and consulting in the Financial, Public, Small Business and Not-For-Profit sectors. He can be reached at andrew.brust@26ny.com.