The Future of Microsoft BI: Project 'Gemini'

So these past few weeks we have had a chance to take a dive into BI. What BI is from SQL Server, and how that is used as a based for the BI - SSRS, OLAP Cubes, KPI, etc. - inside Dynamics AX.

-What is SQL Server BI anyway?
-What is SQL Server BI anyway? - Part II

Now that we have a sense for what BI is in these terms, let take a step forward in the not to distant future, and look at what Microsoft has been, and still is calling, project 'Gemini'.

Project Gemini is the next step for the Microsoft BI solution, as is meant to be a real step forward into the theme of 'BI for the masses' (Dynamics BI: BI for the masses)

This BI for the masses theme, is Microsoft focus in making use of technologies companies already invest in, in order to offer up a true BI solution with. These technologies are: SQL Server, SharePoint & Office.

Project Gemini will allow information workers, to take and select from the millions of lines of data, from a datawarehouse, and use that to create reports, publish them on SharePoint, and use SharePoint to collaborate on them.

These reports can be created in Excel, driven by Excel, and super users making use of the latest Office technology will have the ability to create the reports they need, and have Excel Services update the reports as designed, and for delivery through SharePoint.

Also IT dept. will still have control over the data, and will be able to use the security and roles inside Excel Services, SharePoint and the SQL level to control access data. So this will not be a free for all, 70 versions of the truth problem. But an actual solution.

The Key points to project Gemini are:

- To ship First half of 2010

- Brand new technology, that will enable management of millions of lines of data called: ‘In Memory Business Intellegence Engine’

- This IMBIE (m-bye as I now call it) will reside with the excel environment. (based on current Microsoft information about it.)

- Excel services are then use to refresh the data, once published, and also used to delivery the data via SharePoint to other end users. Also Excel services can be used by IT pro’s to limit and control the access of data.

So this IMBIE technology, which is brand new, will be the key for allowing access and processing of massive amounts of data. This is the enabling technology, and look for more coverage on this, here on, in the future.

Also, TechEd, which is happening next week from May 11th - 15th will have a full demo of project Gemini from end to end, being driven by the Microsoft BI team. If your going, I highly recommend you check this out and the other BI sessions that will be going on there.

One last resource is a link to a nice presenatation that gives some insight into the bigger Microsoft BI picture, including working with data in the cloud.

BI Presentation from Microsoft

Well that's all for now. Check back soon, as more great post are coming out, and we will continue some BI as well, as we dive into actual, real world, Dynamics AX BI reports, technologies, and use with today's releases of technologies.

See you then!




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