The BI Platform That They Already Own
So, now that we've seen some of the basic capabilities of Pentaho Analysis Services (aka Mondrian), let's check the other side of the ring where SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) sits. The entire SQL Server BI stack is a very interesting case. Starting with SQL Server 2005, Microsoft began packaging their entire BI suite with a Standard Edition license, and I mean the whole shebang. SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, SSMS, and BIDS...the whole gang to satisfy all data analytic needs. Apparently, this was not emphasized enough in the literature for Microsoft SQL Server, because more often than not, this can be news to IT folks in enterprises. Usually, it's good news, as the company may have already made a sizeable investment in SQL Server, and the icing on the cake is a world-class BI platform.
So, now that we've seen some of the basic capabilities of Pentaho Analysis Services (aka Mondrian), let's check the other side of the ring where SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) sits. The entire SQL Server BI stack is a very interesting case. Starting with SQL Server 2005, Microsoft began packaging their entire BI suite with a Standard Edition license, and I mean the whole shebang. SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, SSMS, and BIDS...the whole gang to satisfy all data analytic needs. Apparently, this was not emphasized enough in the literature for Microsoft SQL Server, because more often than not, this can be news to IT folks in enterprises. Usually, it's good news, as the company may have already made a sizeable investment in SQL Server, and the icing on the cake is a world-class BI platform.
Now, for those companies who haven't already made an investment in SQL Server, the barrier to entry for SQL Server BI may be the price of a license. After all, the bulk of the license fee pays for the RDBMS, one would argue. However, this does not diminish the value of the SQL Server BI stack. This platform has come a long way since Analysis Services was first revealed in SQL Server 2000, and we will take a deep dive into the capabilities of the latest features within SQL Server 2008 R2 Business Intelligence.
