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parameter values, which can in turn be input values for a calculation. This feature makes it possible for
the user to dynamically change workbook content by using a simple interface.
Another benefit of Excel Services is the reusability of information contained in workbooks for the
team and personal BI communities. Users can reference cell values in an Excel workbook published
to SharePoint to create status indicators, which are a very simple type of key performance indicator
(KPI), having only three possible levels. Also, more advanced users can use workbooks in whole or in
part in dashboards by using Excel Web Access Web Parts. Parameters in the workbook can be con-
nected to Filter Web Parts. This means that users can change content for multiple Web Parts on the
same dashboard page with a single filter. In addition, an Excel workbook can provide source data for
a Chart Web Part.
BI developers can take advantage of Excel workbooks in several ways. Data in a workbook can be
a data source for various content types in PerformancePoint Services, whereas a workbook itself can
display in a PerformancePoint Services dashboard. For custom web-based analytical applications,
application developers can use the Excel Services REST API or the ECMAScript object model to display
and interact with workbooks, as described in Chapter 4, “Using PowerPivot in Excel 2013.”
PerformancePoint Services
Companies with a clearly defined performance management strategy
use PerformancePoint Services to communicate progress toward established goals. The basic dash-
board capabilities in SharePoint Server 2013 might be the first step that some companies take as they
develop corporate performance analytics, but PerformancePoint Services is preferred for its advanced
dashboard functionality. It also includes components such as scorecards, analytical reports, strategy
maps, and filters that BI developers and power analysts can use with either PerformancePoint or
SharePoint dashboards.
The best data source for PerformancePoint Services components is an Analysis Services cube or
tabular model, which delivers the best performance for viewing and interacting with content. With
respect to the analytical grid, analytical charts, and decomposition tree, Analysis Services is the only
type of data source that these reports can use. The analytical reports are the best way to support
drilling and pivoting in a web browser environment. BI developers can structure dashboards to sim-
plify the use of analytical reports for casual users who might feel overwhelmed by the functionality
that these reports provide, but the decomposition tree cannot be built in advance. Power analysts
who fully understand the data source and the tool's capabilities will appreciate the support for ad hoc
analysis in these report types.
Apart from the analytical components in PerformancePoint Services, dashboards and scorecards
are simple enough for the casual user to explore. A benefit of using PerformancePoint content types
to build dashboards and scorecards is the ability for the BI developer to integrate multiple data
sources together so that business users can see related content in one location. For example, rather
than opening an Excel workbook to see the established organizational goals and then opening a
Reporting Services report to see the current status from an operations data source, the user can
instead see the goals and the status side by side in one report, no matter where the source data is
actually stored.
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