Module 0: Introduction

This module begins by providing an overview of what is covered in this course, and then briefly covers the following topics:

• How business intelligence solutions empower decision makers
• Microsoft business intelligence components
• How business intelligence fits into information architecture
• How governance affects delivering business intelligence

Module 1: Excel Services Overview

Before business users can utilize Excel Services, administrators need to understand how it is incorporated in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and used to leverage business intelligence features. This module covers the Excel Services components and how they are used to integrate business data to deliver BI solutions to business users. It covers the following lessons:

• Overview of Excel Services
• Excel Services architecture and its core components
• Using Excel Services with other BI features

Module 2: Configure Excel Services

This module discusses how to configure Excel Services settings so users are able to store and access Excel workbooks from a centralized location. You will also learn:

• Use Excel Services components to integrate business data into trusted file locations
• Create a Trusted Data Connection Library
• Use Excel Calculation Services to perform operations such as opening workbooks, calculations, and returning the information from a requested range

Module 3: Security and Performance

This module reviews security and performance considerations for a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment that includes Excel Services. You will learn:

• Excel Services security overview
• Plan authentication models
• Security threats
• Performance optimization
• Ways to scale up Excel Services
• Load balancing
• Resource requirements

Module 4: Capacity and Deployment Planning

This module discusses supported topologies and capacity planning. We consider topologies such as single-server, multiple servers, and extranet. In addition, we have an opportunity to discuss capacity planning for the Web front-end tier and application-server tier.

Module 5: Working with Excel Services

This module covers the skills necessary to successfully deploy and work with Excel workbooks using Microsoft Office Excel Services. You will learn how to:

• Publish workbooks to the server
• Display data using Excel Web Access (EWA)
• Incorporate business metrics by using KPIs

Module 6: SQL Server Analysis Services

In this module you learn how to use SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) 2005 as a source for data to render as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). SSAS provides a premium data source for BI scenarios for both Excel client and Excel Services. You will also learn:

• The basics of SSAS 2005
• How to leverage the use of SSAS 2005 with Excel Services
• How to bring data together in dashboards

Module 7: Report Center

In this module you learn that Report Center is another BI feature available in SharePoint Server 2007. Report Center includes a document library called Reports Library that is tuned for storing and displaying BI reports such as Excel workbooks and reports built for SQL Reporting Services. You also learn how to:

• Configure Report Server SharePoint Integration
• Create, access, and manage reports
• Create dashboards with KPIs and filters

Module 8: Extend Excel Services

This module introduces extending Excel Services by using Excel Web Services and user-defined functions (UDFs). UDFs offer a great advantage by extending Excel’s capabilities, which include custom library functions and the ability to connect to indigenous data sources. Excel Web Services provides an even greater advantage because it allows a number of options for reusing business models contained in Excel spreadsheets.

Module 9: Business Intelligence Quality Assurance

This module is designed for those who intend to provide quality assurance (QA) services to test and manage an Excel Services deployment, and also build business intelligence solutions using Office SharePoint Server 2007. This module emphasizes the importance of QA and the benefits of validating your Excel Services BI solution. Other topics covered include:

• Overview of QA goals for Excel Services BI solutions
• Test strategies and key elements of validating your Excel Services BI solutions
• Review of test business scenarios, test plans, and test cases