Why should you care?

BI dashboards scan facts; columnstore turns those scans into compressed column batches.

See it live — copy this example

Run in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Azure Data Studio.

USE DataVerse;
SELECT ProductId, SUM(Revenue) AS TotalRevenue, SUM(Qty) AS TotalQty
FROM dbo.FactOrderDaily
GROUP BY ProductId
ORDER BY TotalRevenue DESC;
-- Check batch mode in the actual plan (Window Aggregate / Hash Match)

What happened?

• Aggregating FactOrderDaily by ProductId should show batch-mode operators when CCI is in place.
• That is the payoff versus rowstore scans.

Practice next

1. Ensure CCI exists on FactOrderDaily.
2. Run the aggregate with actual plan.
3. Confirm Mode = Batch on key operators.
4. Filter TheDate to one month and watch segment elimination.
5. Add COUNT_BIG(*) to the SELECT list.

Remember

Use columnstore for analytic scans. Look for batch mode in plans. Keep OLTP on rowstore.

Executive revenue dashboard

DataVerse BI sums FactOrderDaily by product.

Outcome: Dashboard refresh stays under the SLA.