A Glimpse at Project Crescent

It has been a great day - just in case you missed it, we are super excited to tell you about Project “Crescent”! Your data has a story to tell, and we can’t wait to help you tell it.

Today at PASS Summit 2010, the single largest gathering of Microsoft SQL Server professionals in the world, an exclusive audience of 3500+ PASS attendees were introduced to Project “Crescent”, a stunning new data visualization experience coming in the SQL “Denali”. Amir Netz demonstrated some of the new and exciting user experiences that Project “Crescent” will enable. At the heart of this capability is enabling users to have fun with data, exploring and discovering new insights, and presenting this information in new and exciting ways, letting the data tell a story about your business.

Click on the Crescent logo below to play the Project "Crescent" teaser video and experience Project “Crescent” from the Microsoft Company meeting where we originally showed over 70’000 people for the first time this unique ability to bring data to life:

See the complete keynote at PASS Summit 2010 here: https://www.sqlpass.org/summit/na2010/

We have been busy since the release of SQL Server 2008R2 working to bring this capability to you in our next release. As part of the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform, these exciting new capabilities will transform the way you use Business Intelligence. As Ted Kummert mentioned in his keynote…”Data is where the business lives.” Your data definitely has a story to tell about your business. Microsoft Business Intelligence capabilities – including SQL Server, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPivot, and soon Project “Crescent” will help you bring life to that story.

Here are a just few comments that we captured on Twitter during and after the keynote:

“Project Crescent is the coolest BI tool EVER! It is truly amazing. Can I have it today instead of 2011-2012. Please?”

“The next big step in experiencing your data!”

“Let the data tell you the story of the business!”

“Wat een applaus voor Amir!!!”

 

Project “Crescent” Commonly Asked Questions

Q: I missed the keynote demonstration at PASS. Will it be made available to view online?

A: Yes. You can access the recording of the keynote demo on the PASS website.

Q: What is Project “Crescent”?

A: Project “Crescent” expands on the Self-Service BI capabilities delivered with PowerPivot for Excel by enabling customers to visualize and interact with the modeled data in a fun and meaningful way using highly interactive visualizations, animations and smart querying and present and share insights with others in the organization through rich storyboard presentation capabilities.

Q: What are some of the key scenarios that Project “Crescent” will enable?

A: Project “Crescent” will provide a fun, visual, and powerful drag-and-drop ad hoc reporting experience. Transformation of the “shape” of data in a single click is a key design tenet as is rich interactivity and the unique ability to tell and share a story with the data.

Q: When is it available?

A: Project “Crescent” will be included in the release of SQL Server Code-named “Denali”.

Q: Is Project “Crescent” included in the Denali CTP1 that was released today?

A: No.

Q: What’s in the Denali CTP1?

A: The first Community Technology Preview (CTP) for SQL Server Code-named “Denali” will include:
· Select capabilities of SQL Server AlwaysOn, a new integrated high availability solution including availability groups for faster application-centric failover, active secondary for offloading read workloads and multi-site clustering
· Flexible server roles to allow administrators to create custom roles to enhance separation of duties
· Simplified development and standardized deployment, configuration and management for SQL Server Integration Services

You can download SQL Server code-named “Denali” CTP1 here today!

Q: When can we expect a CTP for Project Crescent?

A: The first public CTP for Project “Crescent” is currently planned for the first half of calendar year 2011.

Q: When will SQL Server code-named Denali ship?

A: We have not disclosed a public timeframe for the release of “Denali.” Microsoft remains committed to delivering major releases of SQL Server every 24-36 months.

Q: Where can I get more information on Project “Crescent”?
A: We will disclose more information on Project “Crescent” as we get closer to the first public CTP. In the meantime, you can contact your Microsoft sales rep to arrange for a deeper NDA discussion on Project Crescent.