january 23, 2023
Microsoft Business Intelligence: features and benefits

Modern business leaders have a significant advantage over their predecessors when it comes to using Business Intelligence (BI) tools for analysis, identifying trends, and presenting data. A well-designed BI strategy, supported by robust BI technologies, enables organisations to optimise business processes while simultaneously increasing productivity and profitability.
Powerful analysis and reporting tools in SQL Server 2005 (2008) provide a master data management infrastructure, while Microsoft Office applications, especially Microsoft Office Excel, offer information workers flexible capabilities to interact with centralised and reliable data sources.
Microsoft BI solutions enable effective company management. The affordability of this system in the software market for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB sector), along with the widespread use of Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Office databases, are key factors in choosing this solution.

The core of a BI System: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (2008)
The basic configuration of a BI system already includes all the database server services and tools from the Microsoft Office System family:
1. Data integration from various sources: SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
A comprehensive platform for Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) operations that enables populating the data warehouse and synchronising it with data from disparate sources used by all business applications within an organisation.
2. Data storage: SQL Server Database Engine (SSDE)
A scalable, high-performance storage engine for extremely large datasets. SQL Server is ideal for consolidating all enterprise business data into a central repository for analysis and reporting.
3. Static and interactive web reporting system: SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
A powerful reporting solution that simplifies the creation, publication, and distribution of business reports across the enterprise and beyond.
4. Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) and Data Mining: SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)
- OLAP Technology: facilitates working with data optimised for navigation, analysis, and self-service reporting by employees. Microsoft’s industry-leading OLAP engine not only aggregates data for easy analysis but also centralises business logic and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Data Mining Technology: uses built-in algorithms and statistical analysis to identify patterns or relationships in the data (e.g., customer profiling, lifecycle analysis, trend analysis). Algorithms can be applied directly to streaming data during integration to quickly sort information, filter out irrelevant data, flag anomalies, or identify areas needing immediate attention. Based on the findings, additional OLAP dimensions can be created to explore discovered categories and trends. Reports can be directly generated from the output of data mining models, such as highlighting valuable customers or KPIs indicating urgent action.
5. User tools: Microsoft Office System 2003 (2007)
Information workers interact through the following components of Microsoft Office System:
Microsoft Office Excel
A powerful spreadsheet application that serves as an interface for OLAP analysis, data mining, and report visualisation. Integration with SQL Server 2005 (2008) and Excel 2007 offers the following:
- View the content of multidimensional OLAP cubes from Analysis Services in Excel 2007 and create dynamic views for slicing and dicing data.
- Simplify user interaction with Analysis Services through features like translations, KPIs, calculated members, named sets, and server actions, turning Excel into a full-fledged client for SSAS.
- Enable predictive analytics for non-specialists by allowing them to use complex algorithms from Analysis Services in the familiar Office environment through Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007.
- Automate data analysis and conditional formatting, such as highlighting exceptions, predicting values based on trends, or identifying scenarios needed to achieve goals.
- Generate reports in user-friendly formats with enhanced visualisation features in SSRS that allow reports to be delivered directly in Excel.
Microsoft Office Word
A word processor for report formatting. New visualisation tools for Word in SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services allow reports to be presented directly in Word format, meeting high demand.
Microsoft Office Visio
A diagramming and technical graphics application used to annotate, refine, and visualise data analysis results. Integration with SSAS and Visio 2007 allows:
- Visualising decision trees, regressions, cluster diagrams, and dependency networks.
- Saving data analysis models as Visio documents embedded in other Office documents or web pages.
6. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0)
A comprehensive solution for collaboration, information publishing, and dashboard creation. It serves as a key component for centralised access to enterprise BI data and tools, enabling all employees to view and work with up-to-date analysis results, reports, and KPIs. Integration with SSRS further allows:
- Using a unified interface for report viewing and management
- Tracking report versions and preparation processes saved in Office SharePoint Server 2007 document libraries
- Applying a single security model for reports provided by the SharePoint document library
- Effortlessly creating report display sites using the Report Center template included with Office SharePoint Server 2007
Extended configuration with comprehensive BI Solution
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 is a complete, integrated Corporate Performance Management (CPM) application. It provides a robust infrastructure for communication and collaboration, supporting planning processes, performance monitoring, and results analysis across all decision-making levels in a company.
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 includes:
- Planning and Budgeting System: PerformancePoint Server 2007 Planning
- Portal Solution and Monitoring System: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) Enterprise Edition and PerformancePoint Server 2007 Monitoring
- Data Analysis System: ProClarity Analytics – a professional system for working with multidimensional data from Analysis Services, including both server and client components (ProClarity Analytics Server 6.3, ProClarity Dashboard, ProClarity Desktop Professional, and ProClarity Web Professional (Standard))
Advantages of Microsoft Business Intelligence
- Accessibility: affordable pricing and various architecture options for BI systems
- Widespread use of Microsoft SQL Server Databases
- Flexibility and adaptability: tailored to meet the needs of the business
- Familiar Microsoft Office System programs: intuitive and flexible tools for users
- High performance, scalability, reliability, and security
Microsoft has been active in the field of business intelligence for over 10 years. After building a powerful BI platform, we focused on developing tools and applications for enterprise performance management. Our primary goal is to transform the traditional practice of business intelligence, ensuring that every employee in a company can access the data needed for informed decision-making, using the right tools and in the optimal format.
While BI tools have existed for a long time, experts and our clients believe their potential remains underutilised. That’s why we offer a comprehensive, full-featured Microsoft BI solution.
Our BI solution integrates into the existing environment and leverages current assets. It is accessible to more users, both within and beyond the organisation. Furthermore, it is significantly more cost-effective than traditional systems and covers the entire value creation chain.