| We hear a lot about making business intelligence more | | | | It’s no surprise, then, that Microsoft is pitching |
| user-friendly, more pervasive more democratic, if | | | | seamless integration with Excel as a key selling point |
| you will. All of the BI vendors are plugging these terms | | | | for its PerformancePoint Server 2007. That emphasis |
| into their sales pitches. Taking Excel and making it part | | | | may pay off, based on the comments of folks in this |
| of the bridge to BI seems to make a lot of sense. | | | | Enterprise Systems article. According to the article, |
| Read how Microsoft is pitching a seamless transition | | | | many companies use PerformancePoint Server 2007 |
| for BI tools using Excel. | | | | as a complement to Excel and Excel-centric business |
| One of the continuing knocks against business | | | | processes, rather than a replacement for them. |
| intelligence is that it remains too darned difficult for all | | | | John Workman, senior manager of performance |
| but BI specialists. | | | | management for Microsoft partner RedPrairie, which |
| Back in April, for instance, I blogged about Ace | | | | created its newest application for SQL Server 2005 |
| Hardware’s decision to swap out an overly | | | | and PerformancePoint Server 2007, says that his |
| complex BI system for a simpler reporting tool from | | | | company's clients have cheered the Excel integration |
| Information Builders. Interestingly, one of the key | | | | capabilities. He says: |
| reasons Ace opted for the tool was its ease of | | | | It is amazing how many companies out there run their |
| integration with Microsoft's Excel. | | | | business on Excel. The ability for a non-geek |
| Though spreadsheets have typically (and often | | | | employee to build ad-hoc reports in Excel while |
| justifiably) gotten a bad rap, they are such a fixture in | | | | connecting to OLAP cubes with a live connection has |
| the corporate world that, like kudzu and cockroaches, | | | | really made an impact on our clients. |
| they will never be eradicated. Some BI vendors have | | | | This article includes lots of details about |
| given up on trying to fight spreadsheets and instead | | | | PerformancePoint Server 2007, including a rundown of |
| are creating ways to use their products with Excel. | | | | the product features. One of the primary strengths of |
| Writes IT Business Edge blogger Loraine Lawson: | | | | the product, according to the article, is the fact that, |
| While most vendors - and many IT departments - | | | | unlike many other Microsoft products, it is built from |
| struggle to convert the spreadsheet-addicted, | | | | scratch. Thus, it includes no inherited weaknesses or |
| Microsoft and a few other BI vendors have accepted | | | | known flaws, and Microsoft can more easily address |
| the Excel problem as a business reality and given up | | | | problems during development. |
| converting the business users, according to the State | | | | While the article is largely complimentary, it does |
| of Business Intelligence report. Instead, they’re | | | | question whether most companies will get enough BI |
| developing ways for their BI tools to work with the | | | | bang for their $20,000 bucks (cost of a single server |
| spreadsheet-addicted. | | | | license). |