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Pro SQL Server 2008 Analytics: Delivering Sales and Marketing Dashboards

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Pro SQL Server 2008 Analytics provides everything you need to know to develop sophisticated and visually appealing sales and marketing dashboards using SQL Server 2008 and to integrate those dashboards with SharePoint, PerformancePoint, and other key Microsoft technologies.

The book begins by addressing the many misconceptions that surround the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and giving a brief overview of the business intelligence (BI) and reporting tools that can be combined on the Microsoft platform to help you generate the results that you need.

The focus of the book is to help you implement a successful business intelligence project of your own. The text discusses many of the required project planning components, provides overviews and examples associated with Microsoft’s BI tools, and gives detailed examples of successful dashboard implementations.

What you’ll learn

  • The key functional and technical components of a successful report/dashboard implementation
  • What Microsoft tools are provided both within and without SQL Server 2008 to help you achieve an integrated solution
  • How to determine whether your performance indicators are correct for your business and how to roll them out to your organization in an effective way

Who is this book for

This book is for entrepreneurs, technologists, and developers who want to bring clear–cut, reliable reporting into their organization. No prior experience of building analytics and reporting dashboards is required, but basic familiarity with SQL Server 2008 is assumed.

About the Apress Pro Series

The Apress Pro series books are practical, professional tutorials to keep you on and moving up the professional ladder.

You have gotten the job, now you need to hone your skills in these tough competitive times. The Apress Pro series expands your skills and expertise in exactly the areas you need. Master the content of a Pro book, and you will always be able to get the job done in a professional development project. Written by experts in their field, Pro series books from Apress give you the hard–won solutions to problems you will face in your professional programming career.

Author(s): Brian Paulen, Jeff Finken
Edition: 1
Publisher: apress
Year: 2009

Language: English
Pages: 282

Prelims
......Page 1
Contents at a Glance......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Foreword......Page 11
About the Authors......Page 13
About the Technical Reviewer......Page 15
Acknowledgments......Page 17
Understanding Analytics......Page 19
Why Analytics Implementations Fail......Page 20
Environment Preparations......Page 22
Summary......Page 40
Key 1: Developing Executive Sponsorship......Page 41
Key 2: Identifying Organizational Key Performance Indicators......Page 42
Assessing Existing Technology Investments......Page 43
Assessing Power User and I.T. Skill Sets......Page 44
Reviewing the Appropriate Microsoft BI Tools for Various User Roles......Page 45
Identifying and Prioritizing Final Phase-One Solution Components......Page 48
Key 4: Ensuring Data Availability......Page 50
Key 6: Adjusting Core System Business Rules......Page 51
Key 7: Delivering Organization-wide Performance Management......Page 52
Summary......Page 53
Keeping KPIs Forward Looking......Page 55
Using Specific Metrics......Page 57
Limiting the Quantity of KPIs for a Given Scorecard......Page 58
Developing a KPI Step By Step......Page 59
Categorizing Potential Metrics......Page 60
Prioritizing Draft Metrics......Page 61
Performing a Final Filter on Metrics......Page 64
Setting Targets for Selected Metrics......Page 67
Summary......Page 69
Understanding the Analytics Pyramid......Page 71
Creating Basic Analytics......Page 72
Step 1: Mapping KPIs to Source Systems......Page 73
Step 2: Identifying Specific Analytics Stakeholders......Page 76
Step 3: Prioritizing Scorecards and Reports......Page 77
Step 4: Developing Initial Reports and Dashboards......Page 79
Moving into Intermediate Analytics......Page 98
Step 1: Developing a Basic Analysis Services Cube......Page 99
Step 3: Developing Your Data Mart and SSAS Cube......Page 113
Considering Advanced Analytics......Page 114
Summary......Page 115
Components of SQL Server 2008......Page 117
Developing a Sales Manager Dashboard......Page 118
Developing the Marketing Campaign Dashboard......Page 139
Summary......Page 159
SQL Server Analysis Services......Page 161
Understanding Sales Trends......Page 162
Identifying the Sales Trend Dimensions......Page 163
Tracking Search Engine Marketing......Page 175
Identifying the SEM Dimensions......Page 176
Summary......Page 188
Defining fiPerformance Management......Page 189
Creating the Dashboard Display......Page 191
Drilling into the KPI Details......Page 197
Managing Marketing Performance......Page 203
Summary......Page 211
Understanding the Project Management Phases......Page 213
Beginning with the Envisioning Phase......Page 214
Calculating the ROI......Page 215
Prioritizing Scope Items......Page 216
Planning the Project......Page 217
Identifying Critical Team Skills......Page 219
Sponsoring the Project......Page 220
Designing the Schema......Page 221
Designing the User Interface......Page 222
Developing Use Cases......Page 223
Moving into the Test Phase......Page 224
Releasing the Solution During the Deployment Phase......Page 226
Releasing the Solution......Page 227
Maintaining the System......Page 230
Performing Core Maintenance......Page 231
Moving Past the Initial Implementation......Page 232
Categorizing Project Management Tasks......Page 235
Managing Budgets......Page 236
Reporting on the Project’s Status......Page 237
Using SharePoint As a Project Management Tool......Page 238
Summary......Page 239
Identifying the Customer’s Challenges......Page 241
Exploring the Solution......Page 242
Seeing the Results......Page 252
Case Study 2: Implementing Embedded Analytics......Page 253
Exploring the Solution......Page 254
Seeing the Results......Page 261
Case Study 3: Adding Web Analytics......Page 262
Identifying the Customer’s Challenges......Page 263
Exploring the Solution......Page 264
Seeing the Results......Page 265
Summary......Page 267
Index......Page 269