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Learn about the different components of the Microsoft BI Stack, including Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and SharePoint BI features.
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An introduction to the Microsoft BI Stack Dr. John Tunnicliffe Business Intelligence Consultant john@bovi.co.ukwww.bovi.co.uk
Why are you here?I am here because... • I am a geek too • I live next door & just popped in • My wife wanted me out of the house today • I heard the sheep in Wales were good looking • I am looking for a new job • I want to get paid more • I want to add value to my organisation • I want to deliver the right information at the right time to the right people so they can act
Agenda • Introduction • Analysis Services and Excel 2007 • Demo – building and browsing a cube • SSRS & Report Builder 2.0 • Demo – building a report with RB2 • SharePoint 2007 BI Features • PerformancePoint Services • Essential BI Books
What is BI? “An interactive process for exploring and analysing structured, domain-specific information ... to discern business trends or patterns, thereby deriving insight and drawing conclusions.” Gartner
Analysis Services OLAPHow it work? • Cube has to be ‘processed’ before any data appears • Processing reads data from relational data source • Takes a copy of the data and stored in proprietary format • Creates aggregations • Cube only gets new data when re-processed • Processing can be done at several levels / ways • Full OLAP database • Individual Dimension or Partition
Typical Analysis Services ImplementationsData Warehouse Architecture
Typical Analysis Services ImplementationsOperational System Architecture • Cube built on operational system • e.g. Finance / HR / CRM • Two processing models • Passive • Proactive caching • Hints and tips • Build a data-mart • Don’t build a historical cube • Heavy load?
Analysis Services OLAPKey Concepts • Dimensions • Criteria by which user’s wish to sliced and dice the data • Measures / Facts • Numerical data • User-hierarchies • Provide drill-down paths • Member properties • Provide metadata about data • Drill-through • See underlying data Let’s just see it in action...
Analysis ServicesHints and Tips • Get your facts right! • Don’t simply make your OLTP data into a fact • Focus facts on specific business problems • Get your data clean! • Start simple and build from there • Build cube on views • Create one schema per cube • Follow best practice hints • VS2008 shows hints while building cube • For SQL 2005 use Microsoft Best Practice Analyser 2.0
Creating a Headcount FactModel 2 Let’s BUILD it...
Reporting Services • Supports T-SQL & MDX data sources • Reports developed with Visual Studio (BIDS) • VS2005 for SQL Server 2005 • VS2008 for SQL Server 2008 • Ensure you have the latest service pack ! • Visual Studio & SQL Server (even on client) • Develop MDX in SSMS first!
Report Builder 2.0 • Plug-in for SSRS 2008 • Did not ship with RTM • Requires separate download & installation on server • Change URL in Report Manager Site Settings • For user • ClickOnce deployment from Report Manager • Office 2007 Interface • Provides Ad-Hoc Reporting • Easy to use, especially with cubes Let’s SEE it...
What is a dashboard? “Visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives which fits entirely within a single computer screen so it can be monitored at a glance” Stephen Few, Information Dashboard Design
SharePoint BI ComponentsSSRS in Integrated Mode • Reports published to document library • User clicks ‘document’ and it runs report • Developer publishes to document library • Provides version control !! • Integrated security • Report Manager becomes redundant • “My Reports” feature not available • Report Viewer web part allows reports to be placed on any web page • Manage subscriptions • Subscriptions can be published to a SharePoint document library
SharePoint BI ComponentsExcel Services • Excel 2007 only • Office Open XML (OOXML) file format • Publish menu option • Excel Calculation Servers (ECS) • Loads workbooks • Refreshes external data • Recalculates with ‘full fidelity’ • Excel Web Access (EWA) • DHTML web part for viewing Excel spreadsheets • Display named areas / objects • Excel Web Services (EWS) • Develop custom applications based on Excel workbooks
SharePoint BI ComponentsData Connections Library • Publish ‘trusted’ connections • Central store for database connections • OLAP or relational connections • Fundamental to Excel Services • Must utilise ‘trusted’ connections in order for the ECS to refresh data
SharePoint BI ComponentsKPI Web Part • Data sources • Manually entered data • SharePoint lists • Excel workbooks • KPIs published in OLAP Cube
SharePoint BI ComponentsUseful non-BI features • Business Data Catalog (BDC) • Publish relational data • Document Library • Version control • Web Page web part • Links web part • Wiki
PerformancePoint Server 2007A short history • PerformancePoint Server 2007 • PPS Monitoring = Business Scorecard Manager 2005 • PPS Analytics = ProClarity • PPS Planning = new product • Product withdrawal announced Jan 2009 • Support for PPS Planning withdrawn April 2009 • Functionality of PPS Monitoring and Analytics to be rolled into SharePoint 2010 PerformancePoint Planning Nov 2007 – April 2009
PerformancePoint Services • PerformancePoint Services = PPS Monitoring • Rebranded after product withdrawal in Jan 2009 • Get it now... • Free with SharePoint Enterprise Edition • Install PerformancePoint Monitoring • SP2 supports SQL Server 2008 / WS2008 • However, tricky installation • Get it in 2010... • Monitoring & Analytics functionality rolled into SharePoint 2010
PerformancePoint ServicesDashboard Designer • Data Sources • Indicators • KPIs • Reports • Scorecards • Kaplan et.al. • Dashboards
Essential BI Books • General BI • Information Dashboard Design, Stephen Few • Building a Data Warehouse, Vincent Rainardi • PerformancePoint • PerformancePoint Monitoring, Nick Barclay • Analysis Services • Applied Microsoft Analysis Servers 2005 , Teo Lachev • SQL Server 2008 MDX Step by Step, Smith/Clay • Expert Cube Development, Chris Webbet. al. • Reporting Services • Applied Microsoft Reporting Services 2008, Teo Lachev • Integration Services • Microsoft Integration Services, Ken Hasleden