Actually in this instance SSAS is being used. A view is used to pivot the data back into the traditional structure that the cube is built on.

The original concept for the narrow table is because Qlikview is also in use and needs that structure, but SSAS cubes are used with performancepoint too, as well as them being accessed directly with Excel.

In this case though, I'm not so concerned about the cubes, once they're processed the data is there, although the length of time to perform that load could be a concern.