Availability, Pricing, Requirements, and Resources

PerformancePoint Server 2007 became generally available in Dec. 2007.

Microsoft has adopted a server plus Client Access License (CAL) model for PerformancePoint Server, the same model used for BSM 2005 and ProClarity. The server license for PerformancePoint Server 2007 costs US$20,000 and CALs weigh in at US$195. (BSM 2005 server licenses formerly cost US$5,000 and CALs were US$175.) In addition, PerformancePoint Server 2007 offers a US$30,000 External Connector license that allows organizations to give an unlimited number of nonemployees access to PerformancePoint. For example, a large manufacturer could use an External Connector to allow its suppliers and distributors to input data to aid PerformancePoint budgeting and forecasting, without the manufacturer having to purchase CALs for those suppliers and distributors.

PerformancePoint Server also requires a host of other Microsoft products that will increase the complexity and overall cost of deployment. Minimally, PerformancePoint Server Planning and Monitoring require Windows Server 2003 running SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition for general data storage. (ProClarity Analytics Server can run on Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 and requires SQL Server 2000 or SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition.) The Monitoring component also minimally requires Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to give users access to KPIs, scorecards, and dashboards, and the Planning component requires SQL Server 2005 Enterprise (likely running on a dedicated server) for cube and model storage. Furthermore, building KPIs from data stored in Excel Services will require deployment of (or at least access to) SharePoint Server 2007 and purchase of its Standard and Enterprise CALs.