PerformancePoint: ‘I’m not dead yet’

By Peter Serzo

October 9, 2012 — (Page 1 of 2)
This week, I was talking to two customers about their business intelligence needs. We spoke about reporting services, Power View, Microsoft SQL 2012, and SharePoint-related components. As the conversation turned to existing dashboards and potential migration to SharePoint 2013, both customers—independently, states apart—reported to me they heard about a demise of PerformancePoint in SharePoint 2013.

I could have titled this article with the famous Mark Twain reference, but instead found it more appropriate to use Monty Python. The reason (besides my sense of humor) is in the perception that PerformancePoint is dead. It may be slimmed down, and the planning component died a few years ago, but Microsoft did not kill this product.

Microsoft has listened to the feedback regarding this product over the last five years and has addressed one of THE biggest pain points in PerformancePoint. Toward the end of my article, I will delve into this.

PerformancePoint lives because it addresses a true business pain. The tool is used in the evaluation of data from your data warehouse and a myriad of disparate data sources. With this tool, you can then mold data via Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and create revealing interactive dashboards.

The biggest obstacle to PerformancePoint is PerformancePoint itself. Installing it and configuring it is not overly complex. The complexity is in the use of the tool. I like to compare it to writing a dissertation: Everyone knows how to take a pen to paper, but the enormity of the task is daunting.

The very first task you must confront is how to get at your data stored in a SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) data warehouse (commonly referred to as a cube). But it’s not just about getting to the data, it’s about pulling only the data you are allowed to see. To add one more requirement, users do not want to have to authenticate (again) when reaching the cube since they already authenticated once by logging into their machines. This is what is commonly referred to as the double-hop problem.

Pages 1 2

Share this link: http://www.sptechweb.com/link/37052

Short Takes: It's Not Easy Not Using 'Green' Our editors muse on the difficulties of headline writing and the temptations in it, on using those old computers for a good new cause and on pairing Silicon Valley programmers with the ladies of San Francisco.

Five quick tips to NOT look like a SharePoint newbie Follow these tips and at the very least you won’t look so bad with your first deployment

Networking: MPLS or the Internet? Not an All or Nothing Deal Both MPLS and wide area networks have practical uses for enterprises. Users should be mindful of both the strengths and weaknesses of MPLS while considering alternatives.

Comments

11/04/2012 06:21:04 PM EST

Love PerformancePoint. But it's only needed for very specific situations, and where Excel Services doesn't do enough. Regarding the double hop, kerberos is the way forward. If it matters enough that people see the data, then it matters enough to set it up.

United KingdomDarren Hemming's

PerformancePoint: ‘I’m not dead yet’

By Peter Serzo

Related Articles

Comments