Self Service BI in SharePoint 2010: Part 3 Visio Services

This is part 3 of the 4 part blog series based on session by Peter Myers in TechEd 2011 . You can find the slides here. I have taken the key learning from the presentation for my future reference. For Part 1 or Part 2 go here or here

Visio Services

With SharePoint 2010 Visio Services, you can now render Visio diagrams within a Browser. Visio diagrams can be based on data sources and can be made interactive. Data Sources can be SQL Server, SharePoint List Data, Excel Services and OLE DB/ODBC sources. Use the Visio Web Parts to embed diagrams in SharePoint.

Note the Visio file with showing Servers of Contoso:

The visio diagram will get its data from a SharePoint List:

Visio Shapes can have data assigned to them:

Data tab contains the Link Data to Shape:

Select Microsoft SharePoint Foundation List:

Choose the list:

Data is imported into the diagram:

Data can be automatically linked to Shapes:

Use the dialog to map the data column to the shape field:

Next bring the diagram to life with the help of Data Graphics which is a collection of items:

Create a New Graphic Item to Display the Server:

Now Select the Shapes where you want to apply the new graphic item. Note that the header picks up the data from the SharePoint List we had imported:

Create a new graphic item for the status of the servers: online or offline

All the servers show green because the status is green:

Publish to SharePoint:

Choose Web Drawing:

Upload the Visio diagram:

Visio services open the document in the browser:

If you change the status of the server, visio services picks it up:

Server is offline:

Self Service BI with SharePoint 2010

Another great session from the TechEd 2011 by Peter Myers. You can find the slides here. I have taken the key learning from the presentation for my future reference.

SharePoint has become pervasive within an organization. How can we leverage the SharePoint BI application support and offload the task of publishing workbooks, diagrams and analytics to end users? SharePoint 2010 Business Intelligence Center makes it possible because it is no longer just a document repository but has rightfully designed to be the BI Portal for the organization. The best part I like about the Self Service BI with SharePoint 2010 is that end users can use their creativity and do web development without writing a single line of code or relying on IT!

Business Intelligence Center:

Create Web Parts easily:

Note all the categories of web parts that can be added to SharePoint 2010:

Connect the web part to a data source:

Add Filters to the Web Parts:

Provide the filter values that the end users could choose from:

Connect the filter to the Chart:

Since one web part feed to another, you must connect them and the end points will be made available as shown:

Filter is prompted to the end user as shown:

Chart Web Part:

SharePoint 2010 introduced Status List Web Parts for reporting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The data for the KPIs can be retrieved from SharePoint Lists, Excel Services, Analysis Services or just Fixed Values.

Excel Services supports the server-side calculations and browser based rendering of workbooks. This is extremely useful when users want to share the contents of the workbook with others in the organization in a more presentable, interactive format compared to plain attachments of files in a SharePoint or via Email. You can configure security within the workbook such that parts of the workbook are NOT visible to a group of users. Excel Services Promotes development of analytical solutions.Excel Web Access web part supports embedding workbook reports into Web Part Pages.

Data Connection Library: Data Connections need to be created or approved by the SharePoint 2010 Administrator.

Refer to the data connection library within Excel: end users don’t need to know where the cube resides or where the data comes from.

In Excel 2010 you can insert slicers within a workbook:

Slicers:

Formatting to see the Distribution of Values:

Filters in Excel can be embedded into a Web Part Page as a Filter Web Part:

Publish to SharePoint:

Set the Parameters before you Publish:

Publish it to the Excel Report Library:

The Excel Reports Library is rendered in Silverlight, also known as Silverlight Gallery:

Excel is opened within the browser and is fully interactive:

We can create Excel Web Access Web Part:

Select the workbook:

Select Excel Reports:

This will embed the report in a web part page:

You can add a date filter to the above web part:

Reference the ODC file to connect to Analysis Services:

Connect the Web Part Filter to the Parameter of the Excel Web Part:

Connecting the filter to the Time Dimension of an Analysis Services Cube cubes shows the hierarchy when you select the filter:

Result:

I will write about Performance Point Services in Part 2 of this blog post.