A combination of an implementation of SQL Server Reporting Services for SharePoint, successful creation of external content type; and, finally, building a set of useful tags for SharePoint’s Managed Metadata Service (MMS), can deliver substantial returns for communities of SharePoint users subscribing to SharePoint Online, Office 365.
We offer specialized training sets on each of the components of this solution:
- for a broad overview of SharePoint Business Intelligence (BI) features, SharePoint 2013: Business Intelligence DVD
- Reporting Services for SharePoint 2010 (Almost entirely applicable to SharePoint 2013), SharePoint 2010: Reporting Services DVD
- Broad Overview of Content Management options presented by SharePoint 2013, and MMS, SharePoint 2013: Managed Metadata and Content Management
A set of processes built with the techniques and SharePoint components, just noted, can be used to add credible business intelligence about the performance of LoBs to reports built to support management’s need to manage successful enterprise-wide business performance.
In this scenario, LoB data remains in discrete Silos (within SQL Server databases, although, with the ODATA connector, non SQL Server databases, including MYSQL, can be queried to produce entirely comparable results), but external content type values are seamlessly updated by these procedures.
The benefits of implementing systems like the above will vary, from organization to organization. But the cost of delivering comparable functionality without SharePoint can be easily established as substantially higher. Regardless of the competitive methods, average costs are substantially more expensive. In most cases communities of users should plan on spending double, or more on either custom solutions from consulting firms, or implementations of “off the shelf” software (for example Cognos, or Neudesic).
For businesses without the computing infrastructure already in place, SharePoint Online, Office 365 E3 subscription plans, and above, are the least expensive method of obtaining the platform for these BI systems. Windows Azure SQL Databases can be purchased from Azure. SMBs without on premises server architecture can combine both of these subscription services to rapidly implement solutions. Please contact us for further information.
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