Or any other Business intelligence tool for that matter?
I was reading this post from Rob Collie (A well know PowerPivot Trainer and Consultant)
http://www.powerpivotpro.com/2014/09/i-know-sql-queries-so-why-do-i-need-power-pivot/#more-10819
Many of us know how to write SQL to get that one "eyedropper" of truth out of the database when the Sr. Leader from our organization comes to us with that question that can not be answered by any Report or T-Stats or the RMA. This is good for our organizations and careers.
However, when the followup question comes... And we all know that it will come. The ones where we are asked to aggregate across various data sets like tickets sales and membership, and compare this year levels vs last year.
We end up going back and do it again, and again. Until we give up and create that complicated custom report. Or those 5 pages of instruction on how to pull this data with a List run against that report exported to this excel spreadsheet.... Then that gets used some more, until the crisis of the quarter or the year has passed. And then that report or manual procedure is no longer very useful because it grew out of a specific set of issues.
However, because it was useful in the past every one want to continue to have it around and they may even use it.
Then we get to the upgrade and it breaks.... And we have to fix it.... And the cycle goes on and on.
I think one of the real values of the new In Memory Analysis engines (Like Power Pivot, Tableau, Qlickvies, R and others) is that is that they ask us to solve these information query problems into two parts.
First, by making that useful data available. (Like SSAS (T-Stats) however T-Stats is not the only way to provide such data). Database sources like database views can be used. REST Services can be used directly, Internet Sources, Other Spreadsheets, SSRS reports, Census data, Third Party data, and the list goes On and On.
Then second, in a different very easily reconfigurable way put the Aggregation, Calculation, and visualization on the computers of and in the hands of business people. This is done with powerful tools that they may already know like MS Excel or Tools optimized for this type of manipulation like Tableau or an of the other tools in this category.
This separation of resources, should scales well. Not just from a Server and IT resources side. But, on the workstation and analyzers side as well.
What do you think?
What are you trying to get out of your BI initiatives (weather they are self service or not)?
Where are you on this road?
Reply or Comment below and keep the conversation going. :-)