Microsoft Office 2007 Integration

The SQL Server 2008 BI platform reaches information workers through the following 2007 Office System components:

Microsoft Office Excel - A powerful spreadsheet application that you can use as an interface for OLAP analysis, data mining, and report rendering. Through deep integration between SQL Server 2008 and Excel 2007, you can:

• Enhance the end user’s ability to access and analyze data from SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. With Excel 2007, end users can browse data that is stored in multidimensional OLAP cubes in Analysis Services. Excel 2007 enables users to easily build Microsoft PivotTable dynamic views to “slice and dice” data any way they wish through the tools that are already installed on most desktop computers.
• Gain more value from your Excel implementation by using the tight integration between Excel and Analysis Services that enables end users to easily use the Analysis Services features, such as translations, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), calculated members, named sets, and the server actions within Excel that turn Excel into an analytical client.
• Make predictive analysis available to everyone and enable non-technical users to harness the highly sophisticated data mining algorithms of SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services within the familiar environment of Office. Designed with the end users in mind, Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007 empowers end users to perform complex analysis directly in Excel and Microsoft Office Visio.
• Add automatic analysis features, such as highlighting exceptions where data seems to differ from patterns in other areas of the table or data range, forecast future values based on current trends, analyze what if scenarios, and determine what needs to change to meet a specific goal.
• Deliver reports in the format preferred by most end users by using the new and enhanced Reporting Services Excel rendering capabilities, which enable end users to receive reports directly in Excel.

Microsoft Office Word - A word processing application that you can use as a format for reports. Use the new, highly requested report renderer for Microsoft Word, which enables you to render SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services reports in Word format.

Microsoft Office Visio - A drawing and diagramming application that you can use to annotate, enhance, and present your data mining graphical views. With SQL Server 2008 and Visio 2007, you can:

• Render decision trees, regression trees, cluster diagrams, and dependency nets.
• Save data mining models as Visio documents embedded into other Office documents, or saved as a Web page.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - A comprehensive collaboration, publishing, and dashboard solution that you can use as a centerpiece for providing one central location for placing all your enterprise-wide BI content and tools, so that everyone in your organization can view and interact with relevant and timely analytical views, reports and KPIs.  The integration of SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services with Office SharePoint Server 2007, enables you to:

• Use one consistent user interface to manage and view reports.
• Track versions and workflow of reports when they are stored in the Office SharePoint Server 2007 document libraries.
• Manage a single security model for reports through the SharePoint document library.
• Use the Office SharePoint Server 2007 out-of-the-box Report Center template to easily build a site to store reports.

Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server - An integrated performance management application that employees can use to monitor, analyze, and plan business activities based on the analytical data provided by SQL Server 2008

Discover how SQL Server 2008 and its integration with the 2007 Office System can help you to unify business intelligence data storage and access, build and manage sophisticated BI solutions, and extend the reach of those solutions to all of your employees.