Applied Microsoft Business Intelligence

Chapter 6Discovering and Analyzing Data with Power Pivot

In this chapter another Excel add-in, Power Pivot, is introduced. Power Pivot is an in-memory analytical engine that transforms excel into a true business intelligence modeling tool. By leveraging this add-in, users can import hundreds of millions of rows into Excel because Power Pivot elegantly compresses the data down to a fraction of its original size. In addition, Power Pivot allows users to add key performance indicators (KPIs), hierarchies, calculated columns, measures, and other analytical items, which are all discussed throughout this chapter.

As stated in Chapter 5, Power Pivot models are perfect for individual or departmental business intelligence. Because most data analysts or people that work with data are typically familiar with Microsoft Excel, using Power Pivot is a good starting point. With a few exceptions, most of the knowledge that has been acquired through years of Excel use can easily be transformed and transferred directly to Power Pivot skills. The interface is similar to workbooks and tabs used in Excel today. The expression language is the same, with major additions that provide enhancements specific to Business Intelligence. Given the previous statements, and the fact that Excel is one of the most-used data analytical tools, makes Power Pivot an optimal choice.

With that said, remember that the data is contained within an Excel workbook or document, meaning the data is only as secure as the document ...