Future Directions and Considerations

SQL Server 2005 delivered new data processing and analysis capabilities and a new development environment based on Visual Studio, all of which could help developers more efficiently create sophisticated BI applications with less custom or third-party code. Microsoft followed these updates to its BI platform with the release of new versions of SharePoint Server and Excel, and the Sept. 2007 release of PerformancePoint Server.

The next major milestone in the company’s BI roadmap is the release of SQL Server 2008 in mid-2008, which is likely to incorporate new technology acquired with master data management vendor Stratature in 2007. (See the illustration “Business Intelligence Product Roadmap“.) Furthermore, Microsoft continues to increase adoption of the SQL Server BI platform for use in its own applications. (See the sidebar “BI in Microsoft Applications“.)

In the meantime, however, customers and systems integrators evaluating Microsoft’s BI strategy need to look at the technical challenges posed by the latest version of the platform, while BI software vendors need to evaluate the competitive challenges posed by the platform and applications.