Fundamental Options for Business Intelligence Style Reporting within Microsoft SharePoint
by Jeffrey Sward
 
Background

The need for business intelligence style reporting in a Microsoft SharePoint environment is common. Some features of business intelligence reporting tools include:

  • Reporting of numerical data is tabular format
  • Graphs, charts, and trees
  • Drill downs
  • Pivot tables
  • Cross Tabs
  • Custom calculations
  • Analytical features such as ranking, filtering, sorting, group by etc…
  • Dashboards
  • Exporting in different formats (PDF, XLS, TXT, HTML etc.)

Below are some fundamental choices for business intelligence style reporting in a Microsoft SharePoint environment.

Microsoft-Centric Solutions
 
Listed in descending order by cost effectiveness (most cost effective first). All Microsoft-centric solutions are less costly while also less versatile compared to third-party solutions.
 
Item Advantages Disadvantages
Performance Point
  • Most like third party business intelligence reporting tools
  • Versatile
  • Drill downs, dashboards, etc. built in
  • Created primarily for business intelligence style reporting
  • Learning curve
  • Must create multiple Performance Point objects in order to render one report
  • Additional major SharePoint component will require support
Sql Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
  • Relatively easy to create reports with SQL Server skill set
  • Built-in filtering
  • Requires hosting SSRS either within SharePoint or stand alone SSRS server
  • Labor intensive to expand basic functionality
  • Requires SQL Server skill set
  • Drill downs, etc. very labor intensive
Excel services
  • Leverages Excel expertise
  • Excel has rich functionally for business intelligence style reporting (pivot, graphs, etc.)
  • Using Excel as a reporting tool is stretching Excel beyond its native capabilities
  • Additional major SharePoint component (Excel services) will require support
  • End users may clone or inadvertently change existing reporting, potentially creating anarchy or incorrect results
Encapsulated SharePoint or .Net c# application
  • Most versatile of all options
  • Full functionality of .Net Applications
  • Generic .Net applications are not particularly suited for business intelligence style reporting
  • Requires extensive developer effort to create or change
  • Each report essentially a new development effort
  • Drill downs, etc. very labor intensive
InfoPath
  • Microsoft Word type creation tool is relatively simple
  • InfoPath is not particularly suited for business intelligence style reporting
  • End users can easily clone or inadvertently change existing reporting, potentially creating anarchy or incorrect results
  • Drill downs, etc. very labor intensive
     
 
Third Party Solutions
 
Listed in descending order by cost effectiveness (most cost effective first)
 
Item Advantages Disadvantages
Microstrategy
  • Versatile
  • Drill downs, dashboards, etc. built in
  • Created primarily for business intelligence style reporting
  • Microstrategy still an independent company dedicated to business intelligence reporting as their main business
  • Most robust of third party solutions
  • Expensive
  • Requires separate infrastructure
  • Generally requires dedicated administrator
  • First time set up very labor intensive
  • Dependence on third party product

 

Cognos (acquired by IBM)
  • Versatile
  • Drill downs, dashboards, etc. built in
  • Created primarily for business intelligence style reporting
  • Expensive
  • Requires separate infrastructure
  • Generally requires dedicated administrator
  • First time set up very labor intensive
  • Cognos a minor product in IBM suite
  • Dependence on third party product
Business Objects (acquired by SAP)
  • Versatile
  • Drill downs, dashboards, etc. built in
  • Created primarily for business intelligence style reporting
  • Expensive
  • Requires separate infrastructure
  • Generally requires dedicated administrator
  • First time set up very labor intensive
  • Business Objects a minor product in SAP suite
  • Generally requires third party consulting firm for initial setup
  • SAP will not support smaller enterprises directly
  • Dependence on third party product
Application generator such as Iron Speed
  • Initial application generation relatively easy
  • Versatile
  • Full functionality of .Net Applications
  • Application generators support limited functionality
  • Generic .Net applications are not particularly suited for business intelligence style reporting
  • May requires extensive developer effort to change
  • Each report essentially a new development effort
  • Drill downs, etc. very labor intensive
  • Dependence on third party product
     
 
 

All written content of this web site is solely the editorial opinion of Jeffrey Sward. All images, graphics, and written content of this web site, including the html files, are creative products covered by copyright law. All content copyright Jeffrey Sward 1975-2019. All rights reserved. No portion of this web site or its constituent elements may be reproduced in any form, by any means, without prior written permission. So there.