22-25 April 2026 
Business Intelligence Reporting Tools in SQL Server 2012
2013TL; DR
Using the new SQL Server 2012 Tabular Model and PowerPivot as data sources, this course will aim to teach about the new self-service Business Intelligence and reporting features in SQL Server 2012 whilst focusing on data visualisation.
Session Details
9:00 Welcome and What is data visualisation? What it is not, and why is it important? What products make up the suite of SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence stack?
09:30 Tabular Model - what is it? When is it best used? What distinguishes it from multidimensional cubes?
10:00 PowerPivot - what is it? When is it best used? What distinguishes it from multidimensional cubes? What are the new features in SQL Server 2012?
11:00 Break
11:15 Finding patterns in the data. You will learn about the process involved in finding patterns in the data, looking at some of the more well-known data visualisation examples. We will learn about: Power View, using PowerPivot and the Tabular model as a basis. We will also look at tips and tricks in optimising Tabular Models so that they can render Power View effectively.We will look at other helpful visualisations such as sparklines, bullet charts and marimekko charts.
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Further Data Visualisations. In this section, you will learn about visualisations and how they are best used. This includes bullet charts, and other visualisations based on Tufte's "small multiples" such as sparklines. We will learn:
- We will look at PerformancePoint, and how we can use PowerPivot as a basis and 'gotchas' in using PowerPivot as a basis for PerformancePoint - We will look at Excel Services, and how we can provision self-service using the Tabular Model and PowerPivot as the basis for Excel and Excel Services
15:00 Multivariate statistical data. In this section, we will cover the complexities of displaying multivariate data since is potentially more complex. Here, we look at ways of displaying multivariate data such as table lenses and crosstab arrangements of Tufte's 'small multiples'. We will use Reporting Services as a technology to surface multi-dimensional data.
15:15 Break
16:15 Dashboards - Putting it all together. We will look at different ways of implementing Dashboards, KPIs and other visualisations. This will involve a range of technologies, from KPIs in PowerPivot, to the new features in Power View.
17:30 Close
09:30 Tabular Model - what is it? When is it best used? What distinguishes it from multidimensional cubes?
10:00 PowerPivot - what is it? When is it best used? What distinguishes it from multidimensional cubes? What are the new features in SQL Server 2012?
11:00 Break
11:15 Finding patterns in the data. You will learn about the process involved in finding patterns in the data, looking at some of the more well-known data visualisation examples. We will learn about: Power View, using PowerPivot and the Tabular model as a basis. We will also look at tips and tricks in optimising Tabular Models so that they can render Power View effectively.We will look at other helpful visualisations such as sparklines, bullet charts and marimekko charts.
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Further Data Visualisations. In this section, you will learn about visualisations and how they are best used. This includes bullet charts, and other visualisations based on Tufte's "small multiples" such as sparklines. We will learn:
- We will look at PerformancePoint, and how we can use PowerPivot as a basis and 'gotchas' in using PowerPivot as a basis for PerformancePoint - We will look at Excel Services, and how we can provision self-service using the Tabular Model and PowerPivot as the basis for Excel and Excel Services
15:00 Multivariate statistical data. In this section, we will cover the complexities of displaying multivariate data since is potentially more complex. Here, we look at ways of displaying multivariate data such as table lenses and crosstab arrangements of Tufte's 'small multiples'. We will use Reporting Services as a technology to surface multi-dimensional data.
15:15 Break
16:15 Dashboards - Putting it all together. We will look at different ways of implementing Dashboards, KPIs and other visualisations. This will involve a range of technologies, from KPIs in PowerPivot, to the new features in Power View.
17:30 Close
3 things you'll get out of this session
Speakers
Jennifer Stirrup's previous sessions
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