Microsoft Releases 'Maestro,' Outlines BI Plans for Office 12

by Alex Woodie

Microsoft this week announced the formal name, availability, and pricing for its new business intelligence scorecard application, formerly known by its codename "Maestro." The new software, which will be available on November 1 as Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005, combines elements of Microsoft's SQL Server database and Office productivity apps, and will provide users with access to key performance indicators, or KPIs, through a dashboard-like user interface. The company also discussed ways its building business intelligence into the next release of Office.

Microsoft started talking about Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005 earlier this year, when it disclosed that beta tests had begun for a new business intelligence product) codenamed Maestro. The software, which Microsoft on Sunday formally named Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005, builds on a previous product called the Office Business Scorecard Accelerator that Microsoft has been giving away since 2004, and adds hooks into Microsoft Office, SharePoint Portal Server, and SQL Server.

When it becomes available for purchase next week, Business Scorecard Manager will enable users to create, view, and manage scorecards and KPIs, which are gaining popularity as a way to quickly digest business intelligence data.

Microsoft gives an example of how a company could use a scorecard and KPI application to track something that every company worries about--customer satisfaction. This particular scorecard is divided into various areas related to customer satisfaction, with different employees responsible for the various elements related to customer satisfaction, such as product quality. Within the sub-category of product quality, there could be a KPI, called "returns," that is mapped to the area of the database that tracks product returns. That particular piece of dynamic data is then graphically depicted in the scorecard as the returns KPI.

Individual employees can monitor a KPI that connects to a high-level objective with the scorecard approach to business intelligence Microsoft says. "In this way, companies can ensure that their actions align with their strategy."

Business Scorecard Manager becomes available next Tuesday. The software will require Windows Server 2003 with the latest release of SQL Server 2000 or SQL Server 2005 (which becomes available at the end of next week), SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint Services, and Microsoft Office Web Components. The server component of the product will cost $5,000, while client access licenses will cost $175 per user. That is substantially less than competing scorecard and KPI products.C

Microsoft will also be adding business intelligence capabilities in the next version of the Office productivity suite, called Office 12, which is expected to ship in the second half of 2006, in the Windows Vista timeframe.

Basically, Microsoft will be turning its ubiquitous Excel spreadsheet software into a client for powerful SQL Server-based data warehousing and ERP applications. The company will do this by building "complete support" for SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (the OLAP component) into Office 12 version of Excel. This release of Excel will also feature "greatly expanded spreadsheet capacity," improved sorting and filtering capabilities, rich data visualization schemes, and enhanced PivotTables and PivotCharts, the company says.

The integration doesn't stop with SQL Server and Excel. Microsoft also has plans to turn the SharePoint family of products into a "comprehensive portal" for all of the business intelligence and end-user capabilities in the Office 12 suite and in SQL Server Reporting Services (the database edition for generating reports and documents). A new offering called Excel Services will help manage Excel spreadsheets from the SharePoint portal server and distribute them to Web browsers. The Office 12 release of the SharePoint family will also make it easier for users to find reports, KPIs, and spreadsheets.

These new capabilities were heralded by Dan Vesset, an analyst with IDC, who participated with Microsoft's business intelligence announcement this Sunday. While Excel has been "the most widely used end-user tool" for business intelligence over the past 10 years, "it has lacked the control needed for supporting enterprise-class decision-making and compliance processes." However, by integrating analysis capabilities into Office and integrating it with SQL Server, Microsoft has the potential to broaden the use of business intelligence by businesses and provide IT staff with greater control, he says.