Introducing the SharePoint Server 2013 Business Intelligence TLG stack!

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Hey TLG and SharePoint fans,

My esteemed colleagues Mike Plumley and Joanne Hendrickson on the SharePoint writing team have just published the SharePoint Server 2013 Business Intelligence TLG stack, a collection of 11 new TLGs that build out and demonstrate the business intelligence features of SharePoint Server 2013:

Here is the stack diagram (click on it for larger version):

 

This stack leverages the existing SharePoint 2013 three-tier test lab environment, which consists of the first 3 TLGs in the stack (from the bottom). Note that although the SharePoint Server 2013 three-tier farm TLG allows for the use of SQL Server 2008 R2 on SQL1 as an alternative, the SharePoint Server 2013 Business Intelligence TLG stack requires the use of SQL Server 2012. If you have already set up your three-tier farm test lab with SLQ Server 2008 R2, you must upgrade SQL1 with SQL Server 2012 before implementing the Business Intelligence TLGs.

This new stack highlights the benefits of the modular nature of TLG content:

  • The BI Baseline Environment TLG sets up the configuration that is common to all of the subsequent TLGs in the stack.
  • The Configure Secure Store TLG does the same, but can also be used for other SharePoint scenarios and solutions.
  • Separate branches of the stack configure Excel Services, Visio Services, and PerformancePoint Services and specific account and data refresh functions.

This test lab environment was originally documented for SharePoint 2010 in Configuring a BI infrastructure: Hands-on labs. This new TLG stack also serves as a great example of adapting and converting an existing test lab document to TLGs that leverage the base configuration or three-tier farm test lab environments, which you might already have configured and ready to go.

Both the SharePoint Server 2013 Business Intelligence TLG stack and the hands-on lab topics for SharePoint 2010 are a great way to get started in exploring how you can use SharePoint to solve your business intelligence needs.

Enjoy!

 

TLGs: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the test lab.

Reader challenge: The above TLG tag line is based on a famous movie poster tag line. Name the movie in the comments.

 

Joe Davies
Principal Writer