A new component in SQL Server 2008 R2 gives users the autonomy to set up business intelligence functionality in Excel without taking control of the process away from IT. PowerPivot is Microsoft's new ...

Spreadsheets, which have long been a disruptive force to enterprise IT, to some extent are the "killer" applications that helped drive the adoption of personal computers (PCs) in the enterprise.

I was once asked what I thought Microsoft's overall product trajectory for SQL Server was, in light of Oracle's rather obvious trajectory of acquiring multiple application vendors who will, in turn, ...

It comes free with Office 2010 and allows all of your Excel power users to dabble in business intelligence. Is it a godsend for IT or a new nightmare to manage? It boosts your business intelligence.

Once data is loaded into Excel, Copilot allows users to ask questions in natural language instead of building new formulas.

PowerPivot is Microsoft's new self-service business intelligence (BI) product that seeks to make peace between IT and Excel users. PowerPivot is a component of SQL Server 2008 R2 that works with Excel ...