While describing LogiXML’s Logi Info, Brian Cox stated “there is still room for improvement on the development end of things.”  If LogiXML is listening or if my developer peers wish to understand some of the risks, I will describe a few challenges I experienced.

Logi Info Studio is the developers’ tool for creating LogiXML's Logi Info reports.  Since I am working with Logi Info Studio on one project and Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) (i.e., the developers’ tool for creating SQL Server Reporting Services reports) on another project, comparing the two products is natural for me.  Examples and descriptions from each developer interface are included.

Element Name Proofing
Consider this simple query using the SQL Server AdventureWorks2008R2 database.

BI on SharePoint

Getting reports onto SharePoint is an important step in centralizing knowledge and increasing awareness of a company's available Business Intelligence. Unfortunately, people shy away from taking this step because it seems like something that would require a lot of time, effort and expense. This two part series will illustrate the process of putting BI on SharePoint, remove some of the mystery around it and hopefully encourage further investigation.  Part one will cover the setup and part two will illustrate working with SSRS reports within SharePoint.

I was recently tasked with diagnosing a slow performing report in Microsoft’s SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).  The report was intended as a dashboard with multiple charts and tables showing various trending business performance metrics.  Conceptually, the report was sound.  The charts and tables showed exactly what the business users required.  The problem was the dashboard rendered itself slower than the business desired.

My investigation showed the single dashboard viewed by users was actually multiple subreports rendered together as a single SSRS report.

SSRS supports the inclusion of subreports in any SSRS report; a subreport is simply an independent SSRS report embedded into another SSRS report.  In Visual Studio BIDS, you simply drag the Subreport component from the SSRS Toolbox to the Design tab and complete the Subreport Properties.  Using a subreport is easy.

Just one of the reasons I like working with CapTech is our agnostic approach to technologies.  Our Data Management and Business Intelligence Practice Area includes many consultants certified with their favorite technologies.  At our internal meetings, we hear some variation of “my BI technology is better than your BI technology.”  Whether the topic is database platforms, data integration tools or data presentation capabilities, well-informed suggestions are freely shared only to be countered by alternative viewpoints.  That sort of friendly competition keeps us on our toes.

Over the years, I personally have had the good fortune to work with many database, ETL, and presentation tools.  Each of those tools impressed me in some fashion and disappointed me in some other way.  No tool was perfect.  Most importantly, each tool was at the mercy of the design attempting to leverage the tool.

Lately I have focused on Microsoft's Busines