Microsoft Package

Author: Nigel Pendse
Released: 2007
Pages: 235
Single User Price: $1495 USD
Multi-user license pricing on application

Now available at a special price, a collection of in-depth product reviews of the Microsoft BI/PM stack including 3rd party developed front-ends, a vendor lowdown and a tool selection case study

The OLAP Report offers a complete and detailed analysis of Microsoft in the BI/PM market

In the seven years from 1998, Microsoft moved from being a surprising entrant into the OLAP market to becoming the market share leader. With the release of a new PM product, PerformancePoint, due in late 2007 and SQL Server 2008 in an advanced stage of development, we are now offering a comprehensive and detailed review and analysis of Microsoft's entire BI/PM product stack.

In this newly-available extended report, Nigel Pendse, lead author of The OLAP Report, casts his critical eye over Microsoft's product suite in his usual irreverent manner. In his no holds-barred evaluations of leading products such as SQL Server and Analysis Services, strengths and weaknesses are outlined in the context of competitive products in today's market.

If your organization is considering investing in Microsoft BI/PM technologies, this is absolute must-have information. As ever, The OLAP Report guarantees vendor impartiality - this report was not commissioned nor sponsored by the vendor, and Microsoft have had no veto over the opinions expressed in any of our reviews.

As a purchaser, you will receive the following:

The Microsoft Effect
A market analysis charting Microsoft's progress from its entry into the OLAP market in 1998 to the present day with an emphasis on the impact Redmond has had, and continues to have, on the competition.

SQL Server Analysis Services Review
A 50-page review of the 2005 releases of Microsoft's market-leading RDBMS and OLAP Server, including a preview of SQL Server 2008 (aka 'Katmai').

ProClarity Review
An in-depth examination of Microsoft's recently acquired front-end platform for Analysis Services. Prior to the acquisition in 2006, ProClarity was one of the most popular third party front-ends on the market. Now its functionality is being incorporated into PerformancePoint.

Panorama Novaview Review
A 37-page critical evaluation of this advanced Windows, Web and Excel client for Microsoft Analysis Services.

Preview of PerformancePoint
A high-end financial analytical application which focuses initially on budgeting, planning and management consolidation, PerformancePoint was announced publicly in June 2006 and is due for release in late 2007. Discover the issues that early implementers are likely to face.

OLAP & Spreadsheets
This major analysis of the use of OLAP & Spreadsheets includes examples from 15 products and mini reviews of four Excel add-ins for Analysis Services: IntelligentApps, MIS Plain, Visual OLAP and XLCubed.

BP Case Study
Find out how one of the world’s largest integrated oil companies replaced a spreadsheet-based implementation with a large-scale, worldwide planning system based on Microsoft technology.

For a full table of contents, click here

A sample of the numerous specially generated screenshots from this review. Click to enlarge.