Microsoft Business Intelligence For Dummies

The book that beats the buzzwords! At last, understand BI and what it can do for your businessBuzzwords, 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(r) 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 boardOpen 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 successfulLearn 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