Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 1
Business intelligence in SharePoint
This chapter introduces the definition of business intelligence (BI) and explains why it is important
to you, your team, and your organization. It also discusses the platforms and tools used to deliver
pervasive BI for a wide variety of users. At the end of the chapter, we provide a peek at what you can
do with BI in SharePoint.
This topic is a collaborative effort to show how Microsoft and Microsoft SharePoint BI offerings
can help businesses and technical personnel solve common business problems.
BI in SharePoint is less about a specific technology or product tailored to the needs of a small
percentage of users, and more about a “buffet” of offerings that can aid customers who are trying to
solve a specific problem. One common customer complaint is that much of the published documen-
tation and content is too product-specific, which makes it difficult to get the big picture. Providing
that big picture while also providing quick how-to instructions for getting started is one rationale for
this topic.
Even more important, customers need to know which Microsoft offerings they should choose from
the buffet to address which problem. Perhaps one day, the handful of tools that offer a method for
creating key performance indicators (KPIs) will merge into a single product, but for now, customers
are confused and need guidance as to when they should use Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
in SharePoint 2013 rather than PerformancePoint Services, or why they would use PowerPivot for
Excel 2013 instead of Microsoft Excel or Excel Services. Chapter 2, “Planning for business intelligence
adoption,” offers this guidance, looking at the tools from several angles, including a BI maturity model.
Leading up to BI
So, exactly what does “business intelligence” mean? We could provide a simple, tool-centric definition,
but we have decided to give you the context that can help you make the most sense of what BI is,
why it's important, and what forces are propelling its integration into nearly all aspects of companies.
It's fitting to introduce BI with an observation made by Steven R. Covey in his book
The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People
(2004, Free Press). He observed that an airplane that travels from
Boston to Los Angeles is off-course for 90 percent of the journey, but the airplane successfully reaches
its destination because the pilot makes continuous course corrections based on instruments that
monitor the flight and provide feedback.
