Microsoft Talks Analytics, Introduces New Preview of BI Technology

by STB Blogger

Today at the PASS Business Analytics Conference in Chicago, Microsoft disclosed a public preview of project codename “GeoFlow” for Excel, which is now available for download as an Excel add-in here. Project codename “GeoFlow” is a 3D visualization tool for mapping, exploring and interacting with both geographic and chronological data, providing users with a new way to discover and share insights that might be difficult to identify in traditional 2D tables and charts. Project codename “GeoFlow” integrates with SQL Server Business Intelligence (BI) tools such as Excel and PowerPivot, enabling users of all levels to do self-service BI directly in Excel with a set of familiar tools for data modeling, exploration and visualization of data, all powered by our in-memory analytics engine.

For more information on Microsoft BI and project codename “GeoFlow,” including screenshots and a demo video, check out the following:

• Today’s installment of the “Art of Analytics” blog series on the Data Platform Insider blog
• The Microsoft Research Connections blog, which traces the genesis of project codename “GeoFlow”
• The Bing blog, which explores how Bing Maps is incorporated
• The Microsoft Excel blog, which goes into more technical detail about project codename “GeoFlow”