PowerPivot passes a landmark in downloads

In the middle of May, just about 6 weeks ago, the SQL Server BI team launched PowerPivot. This weekend, we have we passed an important milestone: 100,000 downloads of the Excel add-in. For a BI application, this really is a huge number. I guess it truly underscores something we have said all along: that PowerPivot is aimed at a much wider market than traditional BI. (As Amir Netz says, those who can spell Excel, but can't spell BI.) I blogged about this very topic recently when I asked Who is PowerPivot For?

For me, it simply reminds me of one of the reasons I love working at Microsoft; we are the only company who can bring analytics of this power to this size of audience. It's not that other companies don't do great work; I love what many of our partners and rivals are able to accomplish. Yet only at Microsoft can we impact so many people. It's a huge privilege, and I know from my own experience that none of us take it lightly.

Of course, it is early days yet. There is a lot more to come. Some of you may be wondering if these 100,000 users already represent the bulk of those who may be interested? I can tell you that the download rate is increasing, and increasing rapidly.

For now, having passed this landmark, I think the team deserves to feel quite satisfied with the early reaction. It promises to be an exciting year!