Front End Business Intelligence

I often get questions from management about the "end product" that they will see from Business Intelligence. Once all the information has been extracted, cleaned and cubed, they want to know about the ways they can see it!

One of the tools that can be used to view the information is Microsoft Excel. The ability to get information from BI engines was available in the 2003 version of the product and the information worker could manipulate it using pivot tables and visualise it in charts.

Now, in Excel 2007, the information worker has a far richer environment with which to visualise and manipulate their data. Mike Acuri explains in this video about the features that make this possible.

Excel is a great example of the power of BI in the Office 2007 System, but it is by no means the only example. The new version of Sharepoint, for example, provides a fluid presentation platform for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and Business Scorecard Manager.

One of the great thing about Business Intelligence at Microsoft is the ability to provide an end-to-end solution for our customers. Using all the technology available in the BI platform and beyond, Microsoft cuts down on the complexity and cost normally associated with similar competitive offerings.