Microsoft Business Intelligence For Dummies

Buzzwords, begone! This book looks beyond the jargon at real business problems and common-sense solutions. Data is the lifeblood of your business. Microsoft BI tools help you collect that data; sort, store, and analyze it; find it when you need it; and use it to make decisions. You'll understand terms like "OLAP cube" and "data mart" — at last!

• It's all about the right tools — learn which BI technologies can solve specific issues for your business

• Realistic expectations — get a clear understanding of what you expect to achieve with BI

• Meet the parts — see how the SQL Server technologies, presentation technologies, and development/customization technologies work together

• The right edge — support decision-making by using BI to get the right data to the right person at the right time

• Storing this stuff — understand how data warehouses and data marts make it easier to manage and retrieve data

• The tool on your desktop — discover how to use Excel® for data analysis and data mining

• Making it work — create a logical plan for BI implementation, know what you need and what you don't, and get stakeholders on board

Open the book and find:

• BI tools that are already hiding in your software

• How to manage the data life cycle

• Tips for evaluating and choosing technologies

• What you can do with Dashboards and Scorecards

• Nearly a dozen data mining algorithms

• Ways to display and analyze data

• Advice on testing and rolling out your BI strategy

• Keys to making BI successful

Learn to:

• Apply the latest Microsoft technologies and use them together

• Create an effective strategy to solve business problems

• Work with the SQL Server product suite

• Use the new SharePoint Business Intelligence tools