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Business Intelligence (BI) just became a lot easier! The release of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, used in conjunction with Microsoft SQL Server 2005, delivers numerous benefits in terms of Return on Investment (ROI) for a company, design and implementation for its Information Technology (IT) department, and ease of use for end-users.

According to the research firm IDC, Microsoft’s BI tools are growing at more than twice the rate of the overall market. Microsoft technologies are at the forefront of the BI market and are continuing to grow in breadth and capabilities. This paper discusses the important drivers, reasons, and technology features when integrating SQL Server 2005 and the 2007 Office system. To keep this paper as brief as possible, it references some additional Web sites that you can visit for more information.

This paper is divided into two main sections. The first shows an overview of the three main BI integration points between Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and the 2007 Microsoft Office system:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and Microsoft Office Excel 2007
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007

The second part of the paper breaks down each of the above integration points by showing what software components are needed, features and benefits, how to install and configure the components, and how to use them.

Contents
Overview
Introduction
 The Microsoft Vision for Business Intelligence
 Analyzing Business Data
  The BI Platform
  The End-User Tools
 Reporting Services 2005 and Office SharePoint Server 2007
 Analysis Services 2005 and Office Excel 2007
 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Integration Features and Benefits
 Integration with Report Center
 Selecting the Right Mode
  Native Mode
  SharePoint Integration Mode
 Installation Components and Setup
  Report Server Configuration
  SharePoint Server Configuration
 Creating Reports
  Developers
  End-Users
 Viewing Reports
 Managing Reports
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and Microsoft Office Excel 2007
 Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Integration Features and Benefits
 Installation Components and Setup
 Using Office Excel 2007 with Analysis Services
Analysis Services 2005 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007
 Installation Components
 Using Data Mining Add-ins
  Table Analysis Tools for Excel
  Data Mining Client for Excel
  Data Mining Templates for Visio
Conclusion
Appendix - SQL Server 2005 Editions

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