Microsoft has unveiled tools for its SQL Server database that
should make it easier for its partners to create data analysis
applications for their customers in the financial services and
manufacturing industries.
Microsoft released two templates for its SQL Server Accelerator for
BI, a rapid application development tool that automates some of the
low-level programming work required to build analytical
applications, often referred to as "business intelligence" (BI)
applications.
The templates add support for financial services and manufacturing
companies and follow similar templates released in May for retail,
sales and marketing.
The idea is to help customers make use of information stored in
their enterprise applications. The templates make it faster and
easier to build applications that analyse such information.
The financial services template provides a predefined schema, key
performance indicators and a model for gathering relevant types of
information. A bank could, for example, build an analytical program
that helps it discern how effective its sales channels are.
The manufacturing template provides a model for analysing shop
floor operations and could help users evaluate the cause of high
labour costs, or find opportunities to reduce production
costs.
The templates can be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/bi/,
although the software maker suggests that customers work with one
of its partners if they do not have experience building business
intelligence applications.
SQL Server Accelerator for Business Intelligence is free to SQL
Server 2000 Enterprise Edition customers. It is available in
English, French and German.