U-BLOG5

What do you know I found another article at computerworld.com this time. It discussed the infamous Microsoft talking about Microsoft being ranked fifth among Business Intelligence in 2007, but recently Microsoft has been serious about Business Intelligence. Microsoft had done some work to tie Excel closely to the popular database SQL and other back end business Intelligence tools like PerformancePoint Server or SharePoint Server. With its just-announced Project Gemini, that will greatly accelerate. Microsoft aims to "bring an Excel-based user analytics mash up tool into the core of Microsoft's BI and data warehousing product portfolio. Excel isn't the only client application Microsoft plans to leverage. Users will be able to access BI query results from Microsoft's Dynamics 2009 ERP application, according to Tom Casey, Microsoft's general manager for SQL Server business intelligence. Microsoft will also use Internet Explorer to deliver Microsoft's vision of Business Intelligence.

Through integration of technology from its recent acquisition of DATAllegro Inc., Microsoft is building a BI-focused version of SQL Server 2008 called Project Madison. According to research analyst Kobielus, the DATAllegro-powered version of SQL Server 2008, when it is released in the first half of 2010, should be able to scale out to "hundreds of compute/storage nodes" and store as much as one petabyte of data or more. Microsoft also claims that the worsening economy could prove a boon, as companies look for cheaper, easier-to-roll-out products over traditionally high-priced Business Information tools.

WOW! That dog-on Microsoft lol