Accelerator for BI Adds 2 Templates

Microsoft has released two new templates for the SQL Server Accelerator for Business Intelligence (Accelerator for BI), an application-development tool that lets you automate the process of building an analytical application. The two new templates are for Financial Services and Manufacturing. Retail and Sales and Marketing templates have been available since May.

The Financial Services template provides a predefined schema, key performance indicators, and a model for gathering requirements to build analytical applications for the banking industry. The model lets you analyze sales-channel effectiveness, profitability, and companywide finances.

The Manufacturing template provides a model for shop-floor operational analysis. The model lets you evaluate the cause of high labor costs, find opportunities to reduce production costs, and identify when you need to service equipment.

Accelerator for BI, based on SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, provides support, tools, and best practices for building BI applications. The custom analytics builder lets you add your own intellectual property and services to applications. Accelerator for BI and the new templates are free to licensed SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition users and are available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/bi .