Business Intelligence with SharePoint and Excel

Authors: Ben Curry and Bill English with the Microsoft SharePoint teams

At a Glance

• The Microsoft BI architecture
• Using Excel for analyzing data
• Publishing and updating SharePoint lists
• Working with Excel Services

Contents

• The Microsoft BI Big Picture
• BI Integration with SharePoint Server 2007
• Using Excel for Analyzing Data
• Excel Add-Ins
• Office BI Integration with SharePoint Lists
• Excel Services
• Authentication between Client and Server
• Publishing Excel Workbooks
• Configuring Excel Web Access Web Parts
• Unsupported Features in Excel Services
• Options and Costs

Today's business decision-makers have a distinct advantage over their predecessors when it comes to business intelligence (BI) tools that they can use for analysis, trending, and presentation of data. A good BI strategy, supported by a solid base of BI technologies, can streamline business processes while also boosting productivity and profit.
The overall BI strategy of Microsoft comprises a suite of server and client-side data integration tools. Powerful analytical and reporting tools in SQL Server 2005 provide the backbone data management infrastructure, while Microsoft Office applications, specifically Microsoft Office Excel, provide the flexibility for information workers to remotely interact with centralized and secure data sources.
This article, which is adapted from the Microsoft Press book Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Best Practices, focuses on how you can use Excel and Excel Services to analyze business intelligence data within SharePoint sites. Note that some features discussed here, such as data connection libraries, are offered only with SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise licensing.