Directing Business Scorecards

A new business intelligence server product called Business Scorecard Manager was released in Oct. 2005. Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005 (formerly code-named Maestro) enables analysis of business data using “business scorecards” or key performance indicators (KPIs), in which a business unit evaluates itself over time against a consistent set of business-specific metrics (e.g., average revenue per user, subscriber churn, employee retention rates). Microsoft itself uses scorecards extensively.

Users define, view, and analyze business scorecards in chart or tabular form in a browser using the SharePoint Portal Server and (optionally) the Office Web Component browser plug-ins. Business Scorecard Manager can access many different data sources, not just Microsoft’s SQL Server. However, Business Scorecard Manager will often access data indirectly through an analysis database or “cube” in SQL Server Analysis Services. Business Scorecard Manager can run on SQL Server 2000, but will be able to take advantage of SQL Server 2005 features such as its KPI engine.