Microsoft Business Intelligence Tools for Excel Analysts

Bridge the big data gap with Microsoft Business Intelligence Tools for Excel Analysts

The distinction between departmental reporting done by business analysts with Excel and the enterprise reporting done by IT departments with SQL Server and SharePoint tools is more blurry now than ever before. With the introduction of robust new features like PowerPivot and Power View, it is essential for business analysts to get up to speed with big data tools that in the past have been reserved for IT professionals. Written by a team of Business Intelligence experts, Microsoft Business Intelligence Tools for Excel Analysts introduces business analysts to the rich toolset and reporting capabilities that can be leveraged to more effectively source and incorporate large datasets in their analytics while saving them time and simplifying the reporting process.

• Walks you step-by-step through important BI tools like PowerPivot, SQL Server, and SharePoint and shows you how to move data back and forth between these tools and Excel
• Shows you how to leverage relational databases, slice data into various views to gain different visibility perspectives, create eye-catching visualizations and dashboards, automate SQL Server data retrieval and integration, and publish dashboards and reports to the web
• Details how you can use SQL Server’s built-in functions to analyze large amounts of data, Excel pivot tables to access and report OLAP data, and PowerPivot to create powerful reporting mechanisms

You’ll get on top of the Microsoft BI stack and all it can do to enhance Excel data analysis with this one-of-a-kind guide written for Excel analysts just like you.

Michael Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and author of several books on advanced business analysis with Microsoft Access and Excel.

Jared Decker is the co-founder of StatSlice Systems and a certified BI developer with more than 14 years’ experience training and developing enterprise reporting solutions.

Bernard Wehbe a is a veteran BI consultant and co-founder of StatSlice Systems where he helps organizations implement business analytics and data visualization solutions.

John Walkenbach is arguably the foremost authority on Excel. He has written more than 30 books and maintains the popular Spreadsheet Page at www.j-walk.com/ss.

Introduction 1

Part I: Leveraging Excel for Business Intelligence

Chapter 1: Important Database Concepts 7

Chapter 2: PivotTable Fundamentals 19

Chapter 3: Introduction to Power Pivot 47

Chapter 4: Loading External Data into Power Pivot 69

Chapter 5: Creating Dashboards with Power View 93

Chapter 6: Adding Location Intelligence with Power Map 107

Chapter 7: Using the Power Query Add-In 129

Part II: Leveraging SQL for Business Intelligence

Chapter 8: Essential SQL Server Concepts 157

Chapter 9: Introduction to SQL 181

Chapter 10: Creating and Managing SQL Scripts 195

Chapter 11: Calling Views and Stored Procedures from Excel 215

Chapter 12: Understanding Reporting Services 231

Chapter 13: Browsing Analysis Services OLAP Cubes with Excel 249

Chapter 14: Using the Data Mining Add-In for Microsoft Office 269

Part III: Delivering Business Intelligence with SharePoint and Excel Services

Chapter 15: Publishing Your BI Tools to SharePoint 293

Chapter 16: Leveraging PerformancePoint Services 307

Part IV: Appendixes

Appendix A: Understanding the Big Data Toolset 331

Appendix B: Considerations for Delivering Mobile BI 341

Index 347

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The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.