Business Intelligence Products

For business intelligence (BI) efforts to be successful, you need to use the tools and processes that your employees are familiar with, and those tools must make it easy to distribute data across your organization in a timely manner.

Microsoft Office Excel is the most commonly used tool to access, analyze, and share information. And the 2007 release of the Microsoft Office system offers huge improvements in ease of use, security, and access to centrally managed, trusted data stores. Changes include:

• Tight integration between Office Excel 2007 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services so you can use the familiar Excel spreadsheet environment for exploratory data analysis.
• Powerful data mining features and rich data visualization schemes to help you discover and illustrate important trends and exceptions in your data.
• A completely revised user interface.
• Increased data capacity.
• Significant improvements for data sharing and security.
• The fastest Office spreadsheet calculation to date.

• White paper: Spreadsheet Compliance in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
  Discover how to successfully establish spreadsheet control policies that can help you meet your regulatory requirements and business needs.
• Webcast: Data Mining Add-Ins for the 2007 Office System
  Learn how SQL Server 2005 brings the power of predictive analysis to every user with intuitive tools and clear visualizations available at the desktop.
• Web site: Office Excel 2007
  Learn more about how Office Excel 2007 can help your organization analyze complex information with ease.
• Web site: Microsoft SQL Server Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007
  First, watch video tutorials to learn how to start using the add-ins. Then, download the add-ins.
• Web site: Excel Services Overview
  Learn how you can use this new server technology and shared service to load, calculate, and display Excel workbooks on Office SharePoint Server 2007.
• Web site: Office Excel 2007 Frequently Asked Questions
  Find answers to frequently asked questions about Office Excel 2007.
• Demo: Office Excel 2007
  See Office Excel 2007 in action.
• Demo: Create Charts in Office Excel 2007
  See how Office Excel 2007 can help you quickly and easily transform raw numbers into a powerful visual aid.
• Download: Product guide: Office Excel 2007
  Read about all the new and improved features in Office Excel 2007.
• Technical article: Improving Performance in Office Excel 2007
  Review techniques you can use to design and create worksheets that can help improve calculation performance.
• Virtual lab: Test-Drive SQL Server 2005 Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007
  Access this online virtual lab to follow a full data mining cycle in Excel. Prepare your data; build, explore and evaluate a data mining model; and then apply the model to a new set of data to seek target customers for a marketing campaign.

• South East Water Limited
  Utilities company increases efficiency and reporting accuracy and improves compliance with 2007 Microsoft Office system technologies.
• London Stock Exchange
  Major stock exchange streamlines primary account managers' work and improves customer service with Web-based dashboard.