Business Intelligence with SharePoint 2007 provides an infrastructure that makes it easy for decision-makers to access information anytime, anywhere. People can get up-to-date information where they work, collaborate, and make decisions, whether it's on the desktop or over the Web.
The following table outlines and compares the business intelligence features included in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise (Source: Microsoft)
KEY :
= Feature Included
= Improved in 2007
= New in Office SharePoint Server 2007
Features
SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL
Integrated, flexible spreadsheet publishing
Office Excel 2007 provides an integrated publishing experience that lets information workers easily choose what they want to share with others and determine how others can interact with published spreadsheets.
Share, manage, and control spreadsheets
Share business data broadly while maintaining control and helping to protect sensitive information. Provides access to spreadsheet data and analysis through server-calculated, interactive Office Excel spreadsheets from a Web browser. Use these spreadsheets to maintain and efficiently share one centralized version of the truth while helping to protect any sensitive or proprietary information embedded in documents, such as financial models, by limiting access to portions of the spreadsheet and auditing their usage.
Web-based business intelligence using Excel Services
Excel Services empowers spreadsheet authors to easily and broadly share spreadsheets that use the new business intelligence functionality through the browser. Fully interactive, data-bound spreadsheets including charts, tables, and PivotTable views can be created as part of a portal, dashboard, or business scorecard, without requiring any development.
Data Connection Libraries
Data Connection Libraries are centralized SharePoint document libraries that store Office Data Connections (ODC); ODCs describe connections to external data. Centralizing Office Data Connections makes it easier to share, manage, and discover data connections that can be used by any Microsoft Office program.
Business Data Catalog
The Business Data Catalog (BDC) tightly integrates external data into the Office SharePoint Server 2007 user experience, providing access to external data residing within back end line-of-business applications, and enabling the display of and interaction with external data through a set of Business Data Web Parts.
Business Data Web Parts
Use SharePoint Business Data Web Parts for viewing lists, entities, and related information retrieved through the Business Data Catalog.
Business data actions
With no custom coding, easily create actions that open Web pages, display the user interfaces of line-of-business applications, launch InfoPath forms, and perform other common tasks. Use the convenient links that appear beside business objects returned from the Business Data Catalog.
Integrated business intelligence dashboards
Create rich, interactive business intelligence dashboards that assemble and display business information from disparate sources by using built-in Web parts such as dynamic KPIs, Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports, or a collection of business data connectivity Web Parts that can visualize information residing in back end line-of-business applications.
Report Center
An out-of-the-box site optimized for report access and management, including a report library, data connection library, and a dashboard template. These sites, hosted by the new Report Center, provide consistent management of reports, spreadsheets, and data connections.
Key performance indicators
KPIs communicate goals and status to drive results. Using the KPI Web Part, a user can create a KPI list within a Web Part page, without writing code. The KPI Web Part can display KPIs from Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Excel spreadsheets, SharePoint lists, or manually entered data.
Filter Web Parts
Filters enable dashboards to be personalized by communicating shared parameters among Web Parts on a dashboard. The parameters passed can be automatically applied based on user profiles, SharePoint lists, the BDC, manually entered information, and so forth.
Salient Features
A robust application that lets you manage your content and
documentation processes effectively.
Set up sites and collaborative work spaces to create and share
documents.
Offer enterprise-class management tools to manage and secure work spaces.
Restricted access to critical
documents that protects data integrity.
Store and retrieve documents and go paperless and reduce your printing and shipping costs.