Tabular Model
A Tabular Model is a data modeling approach used in business intelligence and analytics to organize data into tables with rows and columns, optimized for fast querying and analysis. It is commonly implemented in tools like Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and Azure Analysis Services to create semantic layers that simplify complex data relationships for end-users. This model uses in-memory storage and columnar compression to enable high-performance aggregations and calculations.
Developers should learn Tabular Models when building scalable business intelligence solutions that require interactive dashboards, ad-hoc reporting, or data analysis with large datasets, as they provide a user-friendly semantic layer that abstracts underlying data complexity. It is particularly useful in enterprise environments using Microsoft ecosystems, such as with Power BI for self-service analytics or SSAS for centralized data modeling, to improve query performance and maintain data consistency across reports.