Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Power View in Excel 2013 uses as the basis of a report either an internal data model
or an external data model such as another workbook or a
SQL Server Analysis
Services
(
SSAS
) tabular model. Note that Power View in Excel 2013 does not
support a multidimensional model. The internal data model can use many different
data sources such as SQL Server, SQL Azure, text file, and Microsoft Access.
However, Power View is not a replacement for SSRS as both tools have their place:
Reporting Services is an ideal solution for corporate reporting, and Power View is
better suited for self-service reporting with established data models. Power View
was developed by the Microsoft Reporting Services product team who saw it as
part of the total SSRS offering.
Power View should be the tool of choice for self-service reporting for the
following reasons:
• Power View is easier to use than Report Builder 3.0, which is Microsoft's
other self-service tool. While Power View does not have all the features of
Report Builder as yet, it is much quicker and simpler to use. On the other
hand, there are a lot of features in Power View that are not in Report Builder.
• Because it is an Excel add-in, it allows for an easy transition from pulling in
and modifying data in an Excel-hosted PowerPivot model to generating a
report of that data in Power View.
• A Power View report can be embedded in PowerPoint (SharePoint 2010 or
2013 and Enterprise edition only). It's as simple as saving your Power View
report as a PowerPoint presentation. You can even filter, slice, and explore
your Power View report within PowerPoint if you have an active connection
to the SharePoint server.
• It is very interactive with no design or preview mode, which you would
otherwise have to switch between. The only mode it has is
What You See
Is What You Get
(
WYSIWYG
). It is very easy to add fields, filters, and
aggregations. Everything is done instantly thanks to the use of Silverlight.
Power View limitations
While you will have some SSRS reports that can be replaced with Power View
reports, be aware of its limitations that can prevent the replacement of other
reports. The limitations are as follows:
• Power View does not have nearly as many customization options as SSRS.
With SSRS, you can change just about every property of a report item, but
Power View is very limited in terms of the properties you can change.
