BI: Pass the Status Quo

SQL Server's business intelligence (BI) features are part of what sets it apart from its competitors. BI is definitely not just Microsoft hype. The value in BI technologies is how they help businesses obtain more information from their data.

Knowing such things as who yourcustomers are, their habits and tastes, whatthey've bought in the past, and how oftenthey buy can give you a competitive advantage. But if you don't have this kind ofinformation, you don't know what you'remissing. Even though BI support has beenan integral part of SQL Server for almost10 years, the adoption of BI is still far frompervasive. In many cases, organizations anddatabase professionals don't see the value inBI and think they get along fine without it.

Results from SQL Server MagazineInstant Polls and research from WindowsIT Pro's Information Technology CustomerResearch (ITCR) panel show that theadoption of BI technologies is still—atbest—a future goal for many organizations.Only 22.2 percent of our ITCR panelrespondents reported that they were currently using BI technologies. Another 21.6percent reported that they might use BItechnologies in some future project. However, the majority—39.7 percent—reportedthat they haven't used BI and have no plansto. Another 16.6 percent reported that theyhave no need for BI technologies.

An Instant Poll, conducted on the SQL Server Magazine Web site (http://www.sqlmag.com—where you'd assume most visitors are familiar and knowledgeable about SQL Server), showed similar results. Thirty-two percent of the respondents reported that they use BI regularly and another 32 percent reported that they were just beginning to get started with BI. However, 36 percent of respondents either said they didn't know what BI was or they didn't even know where to get started using BI.

Moving to BI is difficult for SQL Serverorganizations steeped in relational technologies. Database professionals are often so busydealing with current projects that they aren'tready or able to tackle new technologies. BIand data-warehousing technologies are quitedifferent from traditional relational databasetechnologies. This doesn't mean that youwon't use the same skills and tools you useas a DBA; you'll definitely build on the skillsyou have. But the database design conceptsused by BI fact and dimension tables are verydifferent from the third normal form thatrelational database designers strive for. TheMDX language used to query cubes is alsoquite different from good, old T-SQL. Thesebasic differences make it difficult for developers and DBAs to jump to BI. It might bethe same database server, but there's a wholenew and different set of skills to master.

Fortunately, there are many resources that are designed to help database professionals get started with BI. One of the best ways to learn about BI is with Microsoft's new BI videos at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/bi/videos.mspx and Webcasts from the Kimball group at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/bi/kimballwebcasts.mspx. In addition, in future issues of SQL Server Magazine, look for upcoming Solutions by Design articles about designing for BI and data warehousing by Michelle A. Poolet. Michelle will cover a variety of BI design topics to help boost you over those initial BI barriers.