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The Widening Road Ahead for Microsoft Business Intelligence
By Dave Burke, BI Practice Manager, SCG
If you haven't noticed an up tick in buzz regarding Microsoft's Business Intelligence offerings - those tools serving the data warehousing, analytics, planning and decision-making functions such as on-line analysis, dashboarding and business scorecarding - you will soon.
Microsoft's growth in the BI marketplace has been more logarithmic than linear, as evidenced by recent reports. According to The Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) Report, Microsoft surpassed established BI vendors in 2002 to become number one market leader and now owns 28% of a $6 billion OLAP market, a market twice the size of what it was in 2002, putting Microsoft well ahead of its nearest competitor.
Ten years ago Microsoft's BI offering consisted of Excel for desktop analysis, desktop reporting tools, and an early version of SQL Server still tied to the Sybase code base from which it originated. With the introduction of SQL Server 7.0 in 1998, however, Microsoft began its march toward recognition as a legitimate player. SQL Server 7.0 not only was a complete re-design of the DBMS product, offering considerable performance and functional improvements, but the product also included the first version of Microsoft's OLAP engine and the introduction of the MDX OLAP query language - now a recognized standard supported by a multitude of vendors. The release of SQL Server 2000 expanded Microsoft's capabilities for hosting large data warehouses through a number of functional improvements. The Reporting Services 2000 follow-up added web-based reporting and delivery.
The past year has marked a dramatic 'upping of the ante' by Microsoft in its quest to meet the needs of BI customers. The release of Microsoft's Business Scorecard Manager and subsequent long-awaited SQL server 2005, with its Universal Dimensional Model (UDM) approach, boldly hastened the Business Intelligence march. SQL Server 2005 included the Integration Services, a new version of Reporting Services, and a host of additional new services and capabilities. In April of 2006, Microsoft acquired the Analytics vendor and product ProClarity, providing another powerful end-user tool for data analysis. Full support of ProClarity continues, as proven by the recent release of version 6.2.
Though Microsoft’s BI stack is now complete, the year 2007 promises even more. In June Microsoft announced PerformancePoint Server 2007, a new offering of the Office Server product line that will bring together the capabilities of Business Scorecard Manager, ProClarity and other tools, representing the premier end-user interface for analytics. PerformancePoint is estimated to be available for general release in mid-2007. Combined with the Office SharePoint information portal and other Office products, PerformancePoint 2007 Server and SQL Server 2005 will meet the needs and dreams of all information workers from C-level decision makers to analysts and technical staff.
SCG is proud to have been selected as a member of the Technology Adoption Program for PowerPoint Server 2007. With a proven track-record in BI Architecture, we expect great opportunities to continue driving the BI capabilities of our businesses with PerformancePoint and beyond.
About SCG, Inc.
Solutions Consulting Group (SCG) delivers Risk-free IT designed to give Southern California organizations a competitive advantage. Through custom application development and integration of world-class technologies, SCG implements complex IT solutions, and often rescues failed projects, to deliver a measurable return on investment. Competencies include BI, CRM, ERP, and e-business solutions. SCG's experienced, certified IT professionals, fixed fee process and proprietary project methodologies assure clients that their IT challenges will be resolved on time and on budget. SCG focuses on the data management, business reporting and IT needs of clients in the construction/industrial, consumer electronics, restaurant and hospitality, healthcare/biomedical, insurance/finance, non-profit, software/technology, and discreet manufacturing industries.
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