Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 5
Using Power View in excel 2013
Introducing Power View
If you've worked with Power View in its initial release as part of Microsoft SQL Server 2012, you
will quickly adapt to the newest version available as part of Microsoft Excel 2013. However, even if
you've never worked with Power View, you will find it easy to learn how to use it. In this section, we
explain the history of Power View and how the functionality of Power View in Excel compares and
contrasts with Power View in SharePoint. We also introduce the improvements added to the product
in this latest release.
A brief history
Power View was introduced in SQL Server 2012 as a new ad hoc reporting tool with an emphasis
on data visualization and ease of use for nontechnical business users. To use this release, you must
install Reporting Services in SharePoint integrated mode as part of a SharePoint Server 2010 farm.
Before you can create a report by using the initial release of Power View, you must publish a Data
Model, either as a workbook published to PowerPivot for SharePoint or a tabular model to an Analysis
Services instance. Another option that is coming soon (but not available as of this writing) is the abil-
ity to use an Analysis Services multidimensional cube as a data source. Unlike traditional reporting
with Reporting Services, which requires you to design the report layout in one view and then run the
report in a separate view, with ad hoc reporting in Power View, you can make changes to the design
in a browser-based Microsoft Silverlight application and see the results instantly in the same view.
However, you cannot make changes to the underlying model.
With the release of Excel 2013, Power View is now also available as an add-in component of Excel.
This add-in version is known as Power View in Excel to distinguish it from Power View in SharePoint.
Like the SharePoint version, Power View in Excel requires you to install Silverlight on the client
computer.
Comparing editions of Power View
Power View in Excel is very similar to Power View in SharePoint. With both products, you can cre-
ate reports to visualize data from a model. However, the reports are not interchangeable. You use
Power View in Excel to create a report that resides only within an Excel workbook. That is, you cannot
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