SharePoint Training - Course Syllabus
Course:
BI Revolutions: The MOSS Business
Intelligence Toolset (Level 200 - Intermediate)

Introduction
The goal of this 3-day,
instructor-led training course is to provide
students with the knowledge and skills
necessary to build and deploy Business
Intelligence Solutions using SQL Server
Reporting Services, Excel Services, the new
Microsoft Office 2007 Excel Client, the
Business Data Catalog, and Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server 2007.
The course will deliver training in
four distinct disciplines all of
which will be deployed to a MOSS 2007
Business Intelligence Reporting Center site.
First, students will work
extensively with the new Excel 2007
client and Excel Services, configuring,
developing, and deploying Excel Services
Reports by working with Office Data
Connection files and the new MOSS Data
Connection Library. In the final Excel
module, working with the new Excel OLAP
Cube Functions, the student will build a
robust, dynamic report that will use MOSS
filters to interact with the report which is
delivered via the Excel Web Access Web
Part as part of a custom Dashboard page
solution complete with Related Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Next, the student will work with
SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and
the Business Intelligence Development
Studio (BIDS) to develop and deploy a
Data Warehouse cube. The dashboard page for
this module will include two types of
interaction with the new cube. First, the
student will create an Excel Services Report
to be displayed in the Excel Web Access Web
Part from the cube data. Then, the student
will be using the Data View Web Part
to provide data to the source tables for the
view. The student will enter data into the
Data View Web part, process the cube, and
verify the Excel Report updates with the new
data.
The next area of focus will be on
using the Business Data Catalog (BDC).
The student will examine and upload an
Application Definition File and complete
the configuration of the BDC, by setting the
security policies and by creating an action
to be consumed on the dashboard page. Once
the configuration is complete, each student
will complete a robust dashboard page
utilizing the Business Data Item,
Business Data List, and Business Data
Related List Web Parts created for the
Business Data Catalog.
In the last section of the course,
students will work with MS SQL Server
Reporting Services (SSRS) to integrate
the new SQL Server 2005 SP2
functionality with MOSS. (This
functionality is also available in WSS
3.0.) The student will deploy a series of
reports developed in BIDS to the new
integrated Report Center Report Library.
A selection of these reports will be used to
create a dynamic dashboard page that will
display the SSRS report via the Reporting
Services Report Viewer Web Part and a
selection of SSAS KPIs and use SSAS filters
to limit the KPIs to match the SSRS reports.
Lastly, the student will deploy a
report model using BIDS to be used with
MS Report Builder and develop a
dashboard report with Report Builder.
Throughout the fast-paced three days
of training, student learning will be
facilitated through a combination of
instructor presentations, live demos, and
hands-on lab exercises. A sample company
will be used in the labs to facilitate real
world scenarios and bring the training home
to each student as they learn in their own
fully functioning environment.
Audience
This course is intended for:
·
Business Intelligence Developers
·
Power Users who have significant experience developing reports and
Excel spreadsheets
·
OLAP Report Developers
·
Enterprise Portal Designers, Planners and
Teams
·
IT Pros who are interested in advanced functionality and features
The typical environments that these professionals work in are
medium to large organizations that have
multiple locations, significant Business
Intelligence requirements, and the need to
deliver this information through one common
location.
At Course
Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
·
Plan, build, and roll out an Enterprise
Report Center site that features Excel
Services documents, MS SQL Reporting
Services reports, Business Intelligence
Dashboards, and KPIs.
·
Configure
Excel Services Trusted locations and create
Office Data Connection Libraries, develop
Excel Services Business Intelligence enabled
Dashboards and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
·
Understand
the basic concepts and terminology related
to data warehouse design and cube
development. Create reports from Excel
Services that use data from a SSAS Cube and
update data in a database table using the
Data View Web Part.
·
Understand
the basics of the application definition
file used for configuring the Business Data
Catalog. Configure and develop Business
Data Catalog solutions. Use BDC data to
enhance any MOSS site.
·
Understand the
concepts and terminologies that are unique
to the integration of MOSS 2007 Enterprise
and MS SQL Server Reporting Services 2005.
·
Deploy a
Microsoft Reporting Services Solution that
has been developed to meet the Business
Intelligence needs of the sample company.
·
Be
able to, fully understand and configure the
new SQL Server SP2 functionality as it is
related to the integration of MS SQL
Reporting Services with MOSS 2007
Enterprise.
Prerequisites
A student should have attended the
“Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Core
Features” course,
or possess comparable knowledge and
experience.
Students must have a basic knowledge of
MOSS 2007 Enterprise, including the ability to create
sites, web parts, and lists, in addition to
being comfortable working in Central
Administration 3.0.
A working knowledge of MS SQL Server 2005
Business Intelligence Development Studio or
Visual Studio 2005 will be helpful, but is
not required.
Special Note: this course does not
teach the details of designing and building
specific reports in SQL Server 2005
Reporting Services. Instead, it
focuses on teaching how to integrate
existing SSRS reports with MOSS 2007 EE.
There are many other training providers
around the world that provide good courses
on the mechanics of using Reporting Services
to design and develop reports and we
encourage students to build their knowledge
of Reporting Services before they take this
course.
Course Materials and Lab Environment
Students will receive a comprehensive course manual, which
will include all presentation materials and
lab exercises. The lab exercises are
step-by-step and fully documented in the
student workbook. To view sample
modules of our courseware
click here.
Each student will be given access to their own
MOSS 2007 Enterprise environment on the classroom
hardware. In essence, students will be
attending a class where a fully functional
SharePoint 2007 environment has been set up
for their use in learning the product.
No pre-installation of SharePoint 2007
software is required for this class.
Each student will need to bring a qualifying
laptop to the class.
Click here to verify that your laptop meets the
minimum requirements.
Course
Outline
(Note: This Course Outline is subject to minor changes and
refinements based on student feedback and
instructor experience.)
Module 1: Introduction to
Enterprise Report Center
This module introduces the Enterprise Report Center site
template. Key topics discussed include:
·
Creating a Reporting Center Site
from the MOSS site template
·
Creating a BI Dashboard Page
·
Modifying
the Report Library with custom columns
·
Creating manual KPIs
and adding them to the Dashboard page
Module 2: Using the Power of Excel to Deliver BI Dashboards
Excel Services brings many new dynamic changes to the on-line
collaboration world. By integrating these
new server-side features, MOSS 2007
Enterprise becomes
a powerful information delivery portal.
This module will provide an introduction to
using Excel Services. Key topics discussed
include:
·
What is Excel Services
·
Setting up a trusted file location
·
Using the Excel Web Access Web Part
·
Interactive Excel Workbooks
·
Creating
graphical Dashboards with Excel Services
Module 3: Excel Services and
the Data Connection Library
The ability of Excel Services to take over the calculation
functions and the heavy processing of shared
spreadsheets make it a powerful tool. But
another cornerstone capability has always
been its ability to connect to external data
sources.
Excel Services expands this functionality by
using the standard data connection, called
the Office Data Connection (ODC), and
storing it in a MOSS Data Connection
Library (DCL) which can then be accessed
by Excel Spreadsheets or directly from MOSS
2007 Enterprise. Key topics discussed in
this module are:
·
Setting
up a trusted Data Connection Library (DCL)
·
Setting
MOSS security for the Data Connection
Library
·
Creating
an ODC spreadsheet in Excel Services
·
Changing
the global access control for the MOSS
environment to allow Excel to refresh data
·
Creating
automatically updating web parts
Module
4:
Creating an OLAP Cube with SQL Server
Analysis Services (SSAS)
One of the most talked about and perhaps
least understood terms in the BI world is
the data warehouse cube. In this module, we
will de-mystify the analysis services cube
and walk the student through creating and
deploying a cube to be used in a dashboard
report. Key topics will include:
-
Understanding
data warehousing terms and definitions
-
Setting
up data sources and data sources views
-
Selecting
the right tables for your cube (working
with dimensions and facts)
-
Selecting
the measures for the cube
-
Processing
and deploying the cube
-
Connecting
to the cube with Excel
Module 5: Finding
the Data View Web Part and Putting it to
Work
Hidden deep in the folds of SharePoint
Designer is one of the most powerful data
tools available to SharePoint Developers.
The Data View Web part allows developers to
connect to a number of data sources and
surface the data directly on a SharePoint
Site. In this module, we will seek out this
hidden jewel and put it to work. Topics
covered include:
·
Connecting
the data view web part to a SQL database
·
Connecting
to an XML file
·
Deploying
the web part
·
Using
the web part to update data
Module 6: Creating
OLAP-based Dashboards with Excel Services
and SQL Server Analysis Services
The new OLAP features of the Excel 2007
client take it from an analysis tool and
place it center stage in the BI revolution.
The new OLAP functions in Excel 2007 allow
the report developer to move beyond pivot
tables and make it possible to retrieve
report data directly from an OLAP cube and
place it in any cell on the workbook. This
module will cover the basics of the new
features and functionality and will walk the
student through creating an Excel Report
based on the OLAP Functions. Topics to be
discussed are:
·
Retrieving
data from a Cube using OLAP Formulas
·
Building
an Excel Report with OLAP functions
·
Creating
Excel based KPI lists
·
Deploying
the new report and KPI to an interactive
dashboard
·
Setting
up filters to drive parameters in an Excel
Report
Module 7: Configuring
and using the Business Data Catalog (BDC)
Perhaps one of the most talked about
features in the MOSS enterprise tool set is
the Business data Catalog. This is a
tool, it seems, every SharePoint user
wants to see more of. The BDC functionality
allows SharePoint users the ability to pull
data directly from a back end line of
business data source and surface it in their
SharePoint site. Points to discuss in this
module include:
·
The
Application Definition File
·
Configuring
the data file
·
Setting
security and creating BDC actions
·
Consuming
the BDC data through the associated web
parts and in lists
·
Searching
your BDC data with the new BDC search
capabilities
Module 8: Integrating
Microsoft SQL Reporting Services with MOSS
2007 Enterprise
Excel Services is a great tool that opens a
whole new world of options for the Business
Intelligence professional. But what happens
to the MOSS 2007 Enterprise delivery portal
when Excel isn’t powerful enough? Microsoft
has developed the Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft
SharePoint Technologies to provide a direct
integration between Reporting Services and
MOSS 2007 Enterprise. In this module, the
student will walk through a step-by-step
process of integrating Reporting Services
and MOSS 2007 Enterprise. Key topics
discussed in this module are:
·
Working
with Reporting Services Configuration
Manager
·
Creating
an integrated database and changing SSRS to
integrated mode
·
Configuring
Central Administration 3.0 for Reporting
Services
·
Deploying
Reports using SQL Server Business
Intelligence Development Studio
Module 9: Delivering
Reporting Services Reports with MOSS 2007
Enterprise
Having completed the integration of
Reporting Services and MOSS 2007 Enterprise,
the student will focus on delivering
data-rich reports in MOSS 2007 Enterprise
and creating SSRS dashboard pages with SSAS
KPIs and SSAS filters. Key topics discussed
in this module are:
·
Accessing
Reporting Services Reports through a MOSS
2007 Enterprise Report Library
·
Incorporating
Reporting Services Reports in Web Parts
·
Connecting
to the SSAS cube via the ODC connection in
MOSS
·
Displaying
SSAS KPIs on a dashboard page
·
Filtering
SSAS KPIs via SSAS filters
Module 10: Creating
and deploying a Report Model for MS Report
Builder
A tool that has received very little press
is MS Report Builder. This is a
small one click application that installs on
demand and allows end users to create SSRS
type reports using a data model that is
designed and deployed for their use. Topics
discussed in this module include:
·
What
makes a good data model
·
Deploying
a data model to be used with MOSS security
·
Report
Builder Features in design mode
·
Deploying
the Report Builder Report in MOSS

| Course Dates and Location |
# of
Days |
Maximum Class Size
|
Status |
Cost
|
|
August 5-7, 2008, Nashville, TN |
3 |
20 |
Seats Available |
$2195 |
Registration Fee Includes
The registration fee includes your
tuition, hotel room, student materials, hot
breakfasts, breaks and lunches. Airfare,
ground transportation, and dinners are not
included in the registration fee. Once you
are registered for the course, a hotel room
will automatically be reserved in your name.
Don't need a hotel room? If you
are a local student and do not need a hotel
room, you will receive $100 per day off the
price of the class. Please note this in the
"Questions / Comments" section of the online
registration form.
Government, Academic and Non-Profit
Discounts
We offer a $400 per person discount to
the following:
·
Employees of government entities at the federal, state and local
level
·
Employees of universities, colleges, secondary schools, primary
schools and school districts
·
Employees of Non-Profit organizations
All discounts are mutually exclusive and
may not be used in combination with any
other discount.
Corporate Group Discounts
An organization registering two or more
students for the same class at the same time
receives a $200 discount per person. The
discount will be applied at time of
registration. (May not be used in
combination with any other discount.)
Returning Student Discount
If you previously attended one of our
other courses, you will receive a $200
discount off the standard price for the
course. The discount will be applied at time
of registration. (May not be used in
combination with any other discount.)
Cancellations
Any
cancellations up to 30 days before the start
of the course will be charged $300.
Cancellations within 30 days of the start of
the course will be charged $700. Refunds
will be sent no later than 30 days after the
scheduled course start date.
Course Location Information
Click here for more information on course
locations.
Please feel free to contact us at
615-515-0210 x2 or email us at
training@sharepointsolutions.com
if we can answer any additional questions.
|