Microsoft BI: Gemini Lands at Kilimanjaro
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News Analysis. Today, Microsoft kicked off its Business Intelligence Conference with three new forthcoming product announcements. |
Code-name projects "Gemini" and "Madison" are extensions to Microsoft's business intelligence strategy—self-service analytics based on Excel and data warehousing functionality from DATAllegro, respectively. Microsoft announced its acquisition of DATAllegro in July. Gemini features will be incorporated into the next version of SQL Server, code-named "Kilimanjaro."
Today, Microsoft demoed both projects during its Business Intelligence Conference 2008 keynote. This is Microsoft's second BI conference. The first one was May 2007. The company said that during 2007, sales of its BI tools grew 15.6 percent to $555 million.
In what I would call a shocking development. Microsoft said that a Kilimanjaro CTP, or Community Technology Preview, would be available within 12 months and that the new server software would ship in first half 2010. That's an ambitious schedule, considering that SQL Server 2008 only released to manufacturing in August.
Last week, I asked Tom Casey, Microsoft's Business Intelligence general manager for the Data and Storage Platform division, about the timing of the announcement. "We committed to our customers to be on a 24-30 cycle for releases," he said. "We want to give them a pretty good idea what's coming when."
More importantly, during today's Business Intelligence Conference, Ted Kummert, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Data and Storage Platform division, emphasized that Kilimanjaro is not the next major release of SQL Server. Kilimanjaro is specifically focused on extending business intelligence capabilities. The approach would be consistent with Microsoft's plan of minor releases every two years and major releases every four years.
That may be true, but I discern something else. Microsoft has long pre-announced products to competitive end, particularly in markets where it is the newcomer or even trailing solutions providers. Why else begin talking about Kilimanjaro, soon after SQL Server 2008's release and so far away from its interim successor's availability? Microsoft has just dangled promise of CTPs for all three products within 12 months. Some enterprises may choose to wait and see before adopting a competing BI solution.
But there's more going on here. SQL Server anchors Microsoft's business intelligence strategy. If the company is truly serious about advancing innovation and extending business intelligence, the company should adopt an aggressive release cycle.
Integration, Democratization and BI
More importantly, the company is aggressively increasing the amount of cross-feature integration, particularly among desktop and server products. During its 2003 release cycle, Microsoft embarked on the "integrated innovation" strategy, which dramatically increased cross-integration of features among its products. The integration has been most pronounced between Office and server software. Microsoft no longer uses the "integrated innovation" term, but the strategy continues.
During his keynote address today, Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's Business division, emphasized that Microsoft seeks the "democratization of business intelligence...democratization across the enterprise." How? Increased integration.
Microsoft's integration strategy stacks vertically from the desktop to the server and horizontally among products and platforms. As a general but not absolute rule, Microsoft provides customers with pervasive capabilities, such as business intelligence and collaboration incorporated, into platforms, such as Office System and Server System. While providing legitimate customer benefits, the strategy creates sales pull between Dynamics and Office desktop products and server software, such as SharePoint or SQL Server.
I call it the "buy more" strategy, because that's what many customers must do to achieve the full benefits Microsoft promises. Microsoft's business intelligence solutions require Office 2007, PerformancePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Portal Server 2007, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 as a baseline. Oh, I shouldn't leave out BizTalk Server and Dynamics products such as CRM. Microsoft offers no one-product strategy, but many products for one solution.
Following a demonstration about current BI capabilities, Steven described it as "business intelligence through a single integrated environment." He emphasized the importance of Office as front end, saying that the BI information was delivered via a user interface "all very familiar to end users." The point: Extent of integration.
Related, integration also pulls upgrade sales to the desktop from the server. Office's dominance has created a situation where Microsoft competes with its older products, and not always with great success. Integration creates server dependencies that often require newer versions of Office and other desktop products.
But it would be unfair to claim the BI integration strategy is only about selling more products or driving upgrades. Enterprise information spreads out among many different applications or storage depositories. Conceptually, Microsoft's BI integration approach could make more information available in more meaningful ways. Problem: Enterprises are generating more and more unstructured data, which isn't Microsoft software's best area of data mining and analysis.
Gemini and Madison Sneak Peaks
Microsoft plans to deliver both projects Gemini and Madison during first half 2010, along with Kilimanjaro, and CTPs within 12 months. Project Madison essentially is DataAllegro data warehouse technologies integrated on top of SQL Server and Windows Server. "We're on a path to support data warehouses of all sizes," Ted Kummert asserted during today's BI Conference keynote.
Ted described Microsoft's approach to Gemini as "BI that works for everyone in the corporation," or what he called "pervasive insight." Focus will be end-user generated analysis and reporting. As example of use, he said that Gemini makes possible "grab-and-go models for building reports."
During our conversation last week, Tom Casey described Gemini as "a breakthrough in self-serve analytics. We have this vision that BI should be for everyone." He said most users do their analytics in Excel, which capabilities Gemini will extend.
Today, Ted told a "fairy tale" about a fictitious company's BI problems. The moral: Because IT cannot solve all problems, employees will find solutions using tools that they use everyday. The important tool: Excel.
From one perspective, Microsoft seeks to solve real-world data problems from software where many end users already interact with data. Microsoft has been seeking to transform Office into a front end—or what the company sometimes refers to as a "smart client"—to back-end data. During today's Gemini demonstration, data produced in Excel was published to SharePoint Server and accessed via the Web browser. Maybe, but Excel and SharePoint were required to get the data ready for consumption from the thinner client.
Integration along the vertical server stack extends Excel's capabilities. Microsoft deals with real world data problems but decidedly focuses on one of its desktop products and in a way that pulls information relevancy to desktop software and requires upgrades and additional software purchases to achieve the full capabilities. It's a smart approach, given Excel's popularity.
No question, particularly with ongoing commoditization of word processing functionality into e-mail, IM, other clients and Web services, Microsoft Word's importance diminishes. Something else: Microsoft data solutions are better suited to structured data, which Excel produces and Word doesn't. Microsoft plays to its strengths here.
[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com.]
Comments (16)
Has Microsoft lost it?
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/has-microsoft-lost-it--470879
Quote from the link; "Despite massive spending on search, Microsoft's market share is dwarfed by Google. It's outflanked in entertainment and mobile computing by Apple, it's losing browser market share to Firefox, and Silverlight is barely scratching Adobe's Flash.
The 'Wow' marketing campaign for Vista has been replaced with the more desperate 'if you try it, you might not hate it' Mojave campaign, and mini-PCs – one of the few PC sectors that hasn't stagnated – are sticking with Windows XP. Even Office, Microsoft's cash cow, is under attack from free and open source rivals."
Posted by chips b malroy | October 6, 2008 2:59 PM
Maine To Skip Vista, Go Directly To Windows 7
http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210605582
Quote from the link; "In a troubling sign for Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s key Windows franchise, businesses and government agencies continue to snub the latest version of the operating system, Vista, despite the fact that it's been on the market for almost two years and has been significantly upgraded via a full service pack meant to solve a range of performance issues.
The ongoing shunning of Vista is even more surprising given that its predecessor -- Windows XP -- is, for the most part, no longer even on the market.
The latest organization likely to forgo Vista? The state of Maine."
Posted by chips b malroy | October 6, 2008 3:02 PM
The top five reasons why Windows Vista failed
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=10303
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Lots of reasons why for the lack of respect for Vista. So Joe, are you still using Vista as your only OS, or you still sometimes using Mac?
Posted by chips b malroy | October 6, 2008 3:08 PM
The article is about BI and Chips is barking about Vista. WTF? Just stay on the topic. All Open Source is going to dry up in depression. Nobody has time to work for free.
Posted by TJ | October 6, 2008 3:13 PM
I think this is meant to be an attack on the Enterprise ERP vendors. SAP bought Business Objects for BI. Oracle bought Hyperion. IBM bought Cognos (although they don't really do ERP). I think they are just announcing lots of FUD to freeze the market until they can actually purchase or develop something to compete, ie don't just rule out Dynamics entirely because it doesn't have its own BI. Not sure if this sort of tactic still works?
Posted by smist08 | October 6, 2008 3:26 PM
Microsoft extends XP downgrade rights date by six months
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1619
Mary Jo Foley is confirming a story by the Reg...
"The Register reported on October 2 that Microsoft was going to extend again the date until which PC makers would be allowed to continue to offer Windows users “downgrade rights,” enabling them to switch from Vista to XP on new machines. The Reg said Microsoft had moved the downgrade cut-off date from January 31, 2009 to July 31, 2009.".....
If Vista is so great, then why is XP basically being extended again?
Posted by The Hand | October 6, 2008 3:32 PM
Windows 7 to finally go public in late October
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080929-windows-7-to-finally-go-public-in-late-october.html
"Attendees at Microsoft's Professional Developer Conference next month are in for a treat: everyone going will get a 160GB hard disk with a copy of all the software on show, including Windows 7. "Software + Services" is the company's big idea at this PDC, and, as previously announced, Microsoft will be showing off—and giving out—a new cloud computing framework."
Posted by samuel L Bronowitz (know as sam) | October 6, 2008 3:51 PM
The Hand :wrote
"Microsoft extends XP downgrade rights date by six months If Vista is so great, then why is XP basically being extended again?"
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1. There is still a strong demand for XP.
2. To keep people from using Linux on older computers.
3. Some lower priced computers will not run Vista properly.
4. Some niche business software programs cannot run on Vista.
5. XP is still very popular.
A smart business decision from Microsoft. I just wish one doesn't have to jump through hoops to get it as a downgarde option or low priced computers. Better than nothing at all, better than Vista.
Posted by Ralph | October 6, 2008 4:38 PM
Joe: Thanks for the piece on MSFT BI. I work in an enterprise environment and have worked with BO, Hyperion, Cognos and SAS. The last mentioned, SAS, is the gold standard for BI and analytics as far as I'm concerned. It already features an Excel add-in that allows the "desktop" analysts to access datawarehouse level info. MSFT is smart to want to use Excel as the front-end. Everyone who does corporate work (e.g., finance folks) love Excel. The big improvements to Excel 2007 from these users is that the row and column limits were expanded. (That's scary--so much work at risk on the desktop, just a file corruption away from disaster.) Access is also used, but not to the extent of Excel. I'm trialing SQL Srv 2007 Enterprise (because that version has all the analytic bells and whistles) and from my standpoint, it's a very challenging implementation which is has far more features than are required for BI. These implementation challenges create a huge barrier to adoption for BI. What it comes down to, is that those of us on the business side don't have the budget (or the patience) to fund and shepherd an IT project through a SQL srv implementation. What MSFT may not understand is that many of us know how to use Access and are looking for the next step up--something that would be administratively easy to use but also have significant analytic power. We are no longer allowed to build and develop Access DBs and applications. IT governance points to SQL srv as the approved alternative to using Access. We have already raised our technical skills to install and admin other BI apps on servers. (SAS applications are a good example.) MSFT should narrow the gap between Access and an analytic version of SQL srv that's is a much simpler, BI focused implementation. There's just not enough IT resources in the Enterprise to drive the grand plan that MSFT has as its BI strategy. One additional comment about all the off-topic posts on Vista adoption--XP is being retained largely because there are many legacy applications in critical environments that haven't been tested for Vista compatibility. Many of those applications are on the IT "Hit List", as apps to be replaced and to receive no further development beyond how they function in XP. Those apps will go to the grave with XP.
Posted by DGrisman | October 6, 2008 7:40 PM
Word still has a roll to play, for technical documents and professional reports that need to be authored and distributed in various forms, it has a vital roll to make the information generated from SQL, Access and Excel presentable. Word is a word processor and the millions of documents that are typed everyday show that it is necessity for many users, the Enterprise is a category and important one at that where Word still is important to the end user. But looking at the big picture where technical or one page documents are still essential, Word is up there is Office productivity tools.
Chips, there are so many inaccuracies in the BTL article that I am really not surprised you failed to see them.
Posted by Andre Da Costa | October 6, 2008 8:11 PM
Joe says: "Code-name projects "Gemini" and "Madison" are extensions to Microsoft's business intelligence strategy—self-service analytics based on Excel"
Well, the future of MS Office (Excel) may not be so rosey as the competition gains:
OpenOffice.org Breaks Records Everywhere
http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?RSS&entryid=1369
"All around the world, it seems, people just can't get enough of this amazing free office suite, which is now turning in serious market shares in some countries. For, example, according to this report, there are now 12 million users in Brazil, representing fully 25% of the entire office market there. Meanwhile, plucky little Italy has notched up 4 million downloads in the last 12 months (that's downloads, not users, but still impressive)."
Posted by The Hand | October 7, 2008 1:34 AM
@Andre:
there isn't anything typed on MS Word (or in Excel) that can't equally be done in OpenOffice for 99.9% of the office workers.
that's the fact, & you can bet the clods in Redmond are well aware of it.
Posted by Al | October 7, 2008 6:52 AM
Software + Services" is the company's big idea at this PDC, and, as previously announced, Microsoft will be showing off—and giving out—a new cloud computing framework."
Posted by sikiş | October 7, 2008 11:21 AM
"Microsoft said that during 2007, sales of its BI tools grew 15.6 percent to $555 million."
Hi Joe, can you clarify how they came up with this number, given that their BI tools largely come in the box with SQL Server and Office?
Posted by Tony Bain | October 7, 2008 6:05 PM
@DGrisman:
You really should take a look at TIBCO Spotfire (spotfire.tibco.com).
"something that is administratively easy to use but also has significant analytic power"
Posted by Pelle | October 11, 2008 5:02 AM
they key message here is:
The moral: Because IT cannot solve all problems, employees will find solutions using tools that they use everyday. The important tool: Excel.
Microsoft, still, has not solved the desktop-enterprise integration equation correctly. You need to drive a collaborative database from Excel- and it needs to retain the flexibility to change the data model on the fly (like in Excel). This is what our patented technology enables-- shared Excel (tabular) data managed through a single database schema which uses Excel as the data definition environment. Changes are shared between desktops and backend servers with intelligently which means there's a complete audit trail since all changes are versioned. Microsoft claims this is a "feature" for Excel, but it's really the technology approach which can make their solution work..
Posted by jbkuppe | November 20, 2008 12:43 PM