"What you need in Business is more information than the other guy. Not more smarts. Not more intuition. Just more information".
Welcome to my blog! Enjoy it and leave your mark commenting it!
Microsoft is organizing a conference only about BI here in Portugal… I have no doubts that will be an amazing conference! It's a big surprise a Microsoft conference focused only in BI…
There are 3 tracks… Track 01 – IT Decision makers Track 02 – Deep Dive em Microsoft BI Track 03 – Microsoft BI Ramp-Up
If you are in Portugal you cannot miss this conference next 25 March!! It’s a free conference! Registration can be done here
Today I received the notice that Donald Farmer, one of the main business intelligence (BI) minds left Microsoft. Even yesterday I was writing about him on the predixion post and I had no idea what happened today… And imagine to where? To QlickTech…
I do not understand how Microsoft let their main BI reference Donald Farmer goes to the main concurrent of PowerPivot: Qlickview. Last year, Donald Farmer was defending his perspective of PowerPivot product agains Qlickview… now his in that side… what a great loss!
What can we think right now? Some question that we can do: Will Microsoft BI strategy follow Data mining Strategy? (Silenced) Why Donald Farmer left Microsoft? Exactly because there is a change on BI strategic? It’s the end of the line in Microsoft BI?
Read the entire Donald Farmer perspective through his blog in first person here. Just some paragraphs here:
“When I joined Microsoft in 2001, the Analysis Services team was then about 50 people, and was the largest organization I had ever worked in. Along with Reporting Services, and later Integration Services, the BI org was an exceptional team including some of the smartest, most driven, and most amiable people I know. (Some were all three!) … So, where am I going? I am joining QlikTech, creating a role as the Product Advocate for QlikView. In my next post, early next week, I’ll write more, from QlikTech HQ. I look forward to telling you more about this role and what promises to be a thrilling new direction for me with the most exciting company I have seen in years"
Some Donald Farmer references in this blog during last years:
If you are curious to know more about Data Mining and you use Excel as one of your favorite tools, I truly suggest you to assist at the Predixion Webminar that will take place next 11th January. Microsoft changed the strategy concerning to the Data Mining, and it was perceptible not only by the new position of Donald Farmer at PowerPivot team, but also after the main Microsoft team elements abandoned Microsoft Data Mining team on 2009. These elements created a new and amazing company named Predixion. I truly believe on determination and capabilities of the main founders of this company since the first time (like Jamie MacLennan an Simon) and it’s an honor to be a Beta tester of their fantastic Data Mining Product since the beginning.
- The amazing design - The easy and flexibility to manage the models done with Predixion - The huge performance (mainly because their cloud plataform) - No cost-prohibitive software license fees - The possibility to use PowerPivot dataset as source that support the process of millions of rows in seconds - Connectivity with SAS and SPSS (world leaders) through PMML language - (…)
Even Microsoft recognizes today the importance of Prexition in the Data Mining field and also as a Microsoft partner. Donald Farmer (He was the Microsoft Data Mining team responsible and now he’s the Microsoft PowerPivot responsible) assume that with this opinion:
"Many businesses have ambitions to use predictive analytics to improve their practices and intelligence. Until now, such projects have often been shelved because current tools were either too difficult or limited to the desktop. Now, we see an alternative – Predixion Software.
Predixion Insight’s deep integration with SQL Server Data Mining brings analytic power; the integration with Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel brings flexibility for end users to prepare almost limitless data for analysis, and their business model makes experimentation and incremental deployments practical and attractive. The result is a truly agile, yet potent, solution for predictive analytics.” Donald Farmer, Microsoft Corporation
Take a look into Predixion Corporate video on the YouTube:
Predictive analytics and data mining are now available to business intelligence experts everywhere with Predixion's cloud-based predictive analytics software. Predixion brings affordable, sophisticated predictive analytics to Microsoft Excel and PowerPivot. Do not miss the Predixion Webminar!
You will learn on this webminar: - What exactly is Predictive Analytics & who needs it. - Where & how Predictive Analytics is being used. - What Predictive Analytics can do for your bottom line. - How to get started using Predixion insight
I’m preparing a post to show you into deep detail, how it's easy to create a Data Mining model through Excel using Predixion tool. If you want know more about Data Mining and the session I presented last year at Microsoft TechDays 2010, follow this link
Last Friday, I invited the "Microstrategy" to present a session based on their BI tools, to students from two different master degrees classes and also some BI passionate friends. I confess that I didn’t have a very a good opinion about Microstrategy. But since some months ago, I surrendered to their products quality not for my own experience with the tools, but mainly by the market opinion and for the amazing staff that Microstrategy Portugal currently has. Related to market opinion, Microstrategy is for Gartner, one of the world BI leaders. Mainly after this session, I truly believe on it, but BI is more than that… there is a huge work that BI should do to became a successful system. And because we are talking about tools... an ETL tool to extract, transform and load operational data into BI system is a critical step where almost projects in average spend 70% of the time. A BI system has a huge pillar on technology, but is required to be aligned with strategy, with business processes and with the people which almost the times resist to the change. Related to the Microstrategy Portuguese staff, they are very kindly and always available to be in touch with the master degrees that I collaborate as assistant teacher. They are amazing and I’m sure that they make the difference in an increasingly competitive BI world.
The session was very interesting and concerning to the Microstrategy tools I highlight the big flexibility to create a dashboard, and also the huge performance that seemed to have! Also the dashboard showed directly in IPAD was wonderful!
The feedback from the audience was very positive... I highlight the following:
Take a look at this video to better imagine what was included on this seminar
Thanks again to Daniel and Carla from Microstrategy Portugal!
During the PASS Summit, Microsoft announced the launch of the community technology preview (CTP) of SQL Server 11, codename “Denali”. Unfortunately, this version doesn’t have yet almost BI functionalities promised by Microsoft. Only at the end of 2011 these functionalities will be available to try!
But for now, I’m very excited to see codenamed Project “Crescent” (entirely developed on Silverlight) available to try and test! Microsoft already have cool BI front-end tools, although it’s required a tool that gathers all the functionalities dispersed by these several tools in only one. Right now, we can explore information inside a Data Warehouse or OLAP Database, through very good tools like: Excel, Visio, Report Builder, Reporting Services, Power Pivot (Excel Add-in)… but Project Crescent is a hope that an amazing visualizing world is coming soon… I hope not be disappointed, but on 2011 we all see and prove!
If you want to download the SQL Server Denali CTP, follow this link
Dear friends, Today I have the honor to publish some feedback about SAP and ORACLE realized last month in Portugal and submitted by Maria João Gama to the blog.
SAP Conference Day The SAP Conference Day - Business Intelligence held at the Museu do Oriente (Lisbon) on 23rd September 2010, and it was probably the biggest Business Intelligence event this year in Portugal, with the presence of about 400 guests. The whole event was very oriented to the pressing need to "mobile" BI solutions.
With a very interesting agenda, the event began with an excellent presentation of Timo Elliott (No. 8 of official Business Objects), entitled "The Clear Future Intelligence." This presentation, which I strongly recommend, is available on YouTube:
The following agenda items were completed by case studies presentations based on SAP Business Objects platform. These presentations were all realized in partnership between the customer and the provider of the BI solution (SAP partner)
Highlight the presentation of Ricardo Guerra Volkswagen AutoEuropa, for being the only one that showed benefits with financial translation, quantifiable and measurable on implementing a BI solution - Business Objects Dashboard. This project, implemented by Novabase, the main goal was to monitor the daily operations of the various IT systems. The success of this project has brought Volkswagen adopt this solution as standard within the Group
The event ended on a high note with a presentation provided by an economist and university Professor, João César das Neves
Oracle Conference 15 September 2011, at Sana Lisboa Park Hotel, Oracle held an event where they made the official release of Oracle Business Intelligence 11g.
This event was very diversified, because although it has focused on the slope of the end user, exploring the platform provided by Oracle Business Intelligence, also covered technical solutions for integrating real-time data for BI and Data Warehousing and Extreme Performance Data Warehousing
The first presentation was entitled, Integrated Solutions for Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing, where it has been a demonstration of Business Intelligence platform - Oracle Business Intelligence 11g, which is positioned as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms, Gartner
It was then addressed the integration of real-time data for BI and Data Warehousing, through Oracle Golden Gate that provides a data integration in real time without affecting system performance
The event ended with a brilliant presentation of Extreme Performance Data Warehousing with Oracle Exadata Database Machine, which promises to increase the performance of Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) Databases and Data Warehousing (DW) in more than 10 times. Impressive!!!
It was also scheduled a presentation from Oracle Essbase, which was cancelled due to delays
Bio: Maria João Gama is a project manager at EDP and more details can be found at her LinkedIn profile.
This event is mainly interesting for developers. Although I think that could be also interesting for those in several other areas like BI that have some free time. I suggest you to view the key note and sessions live streaming, to be inside the latest technologies. Those taking computer classes on web development will benefit from the new ideas that will be presented in this event
"Since 1991, the PDC has been the epicenter of Microsoft’s biggest platform announcements. This year will be no exception. Leading-edge developers and architects will gather in Redmond this October to hear firsthand from Microsoft’s leaders about the next generation of Microsoft developer technologies. Those taking computer classes on web development will benefit from the new ideas that will be presented in this event
The PDC isn’t just about content and sessions – it’s an opportunity for you to get hands-on access to the latest technologies, have your questions answered by the people who conceived and built the technologies and plan the features and architecture to support your business goals. If you’re a developer, architect or technology leader involved in making strategic technology decisions for your company or organization, you can’t afford to miss the PDC
This year’s groundbreaking PDC event will include live streaming of the keynotes, as well as concurrent live streaming of sessions. If you can’t join the live stream, you can still watch the video on-demand, or download all the content within 24 hours of live recording. The online event is free; no registration is required to join the live or on-demand stream"
Well… I come again with a post related to BI Events… Mainly because the entire world is open the eyes and the focus to BI world is growing a lot… I would not be fair if I don’t enclose Microstrategy in the more important events about BI realized in Portugal. Microstrategy is one of the top companies in BI on the entire world. After SAP and Oracle events you cannot miss Microstrategy event next 9th November 2010… Personally, I want to thank to Carla Bastos, Rodolfo Vale and Nuno Esculcas (Microstrategy Portugal) for all the support and availability to make this BI world better!
Business Intelligence (BI) is the present and the future. Independently on which BI tools are used, the well succeeded companies don’t live without BI. Naturally BI is not only technology, but we all agree that they are the most important driver on BI. If you are a decision maker, an employee, a student, a teacher, or a simple person that are thinking to enter on this world, could be interesting see another perspective of BI. Oracle (15 September) and SAP (23 September) will hold this month their BI events with the latest news about their BI platform.
The SharePoint Portuguese User Group is holding what they describe as a mega-event on September 29 2010 – the SharePointPt Day! I don’t have any doubt about their success! Huge professionals like João Bilhim, Andre Lage and Rodrigo Pinto are speaking and organizing it. You’ll also have the opportunity to see SharePoint gurus Joel Oleson and Mark Miller speaking! You cannot miss it!
I think Sharepoint 2010 is very expensive for Portuguese market, although, I truly believe that has huge capabilities and functionalities to make a Business Intelligence system perfect (BI is my area of interest, but Sharepoint provides you a lot of other interesting subjects). This week I’ll buy a 64-bits laptop to put the "hands" on it!
