Microsoft BI emerges

Microsoft has made available a preview version of its forthcoming PerformancePoint Server 2007

Microsoft has made available a preview version of its forthcoming PerformancePoint Server 2007. Due to ship next summer, the tool is designed to open up access to business intelligence (BI) functions for a wider cross-section of the enterprise workforce.

The first Community Technology Preview (CTP) of PerformancePoint Server 2007 combines planning, budgeting, fore- casting and financial consolidation capabilities. A second preview version, due early in 2007, will incorporate analytics and visualisation functions from ProClarity, a BI developer Microsoft acquired earlier this year.

The release will offer a complete performance management app to help firms plan and manage their business effectively, said Microsoft’s Office Business Applications product manager, Renaud Besnard.

“Our ambition is to enable performance management across the enterprise, from the chief finance officer down to financial analysts and other employees, from mid-market companies to the largest enterprise customers,” Besnard said.

While PerformancePoint will have a traditional server-and-client licence model, an Excel plug-in from Microsoft will make the spreadsheet the preferred client.

“Some people said that Excel is not a very good analytics tool, but it is the front end of choice for chief executives to junior staff,” Besnard argued. He added that although the Excel front end will be available for Office 2003 users, the newer Excel 2007 is required to take advantage of the full set of capabilities.

Microsoft said that PerformancePoint Server 2007 will have attractive licensing to encourage broad adoption across enterprises.