New SQL on Call Show Posted
[Watch Now] Your Questions – the show today is all about answering viewer questions about SQL Server! Interview questions, what are the top 10 SQL Server tasks, working with management and more.
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Free SQL Server Tools
Have you visited the SQL Server Free Tool directory here on SSWUG yet? Check it out – you can download some great utilities that you can put to use immediately on your systems. We’re constantly looking for great new tools too – if you have a favorite, please let me know.
BI Tool Consolidation… I’m Hoping Not
Trace wrote in with some feedback on the BI marketplace: "I think we have seen some of the giants of BI consolidating. But there are a lot of smaller companies trying to play in the market. Unfortunately a lot of the smaller companies are still stuck with presentations in Excel.
Why are they consolidating is the question we need to ask. Is it because they are hitting a wall with their capabilities? The majors have a lot of limitations regarding capabilities, what we imagine we want to see, they can’t deliver (I humbly speak from experience having worked with most of the BI tools). But the minors haven’t given much better.
I agree with you that the ‘users’ of data are now inundated with more data than they have ever had to work with. I still see a majority of companies in ‘data daze’ – and they don’t know how or what they can measure. Most users have to have data presented to them upon a request and then they learn what they can have.
But I have also witnessed with the giants of BI tools trying to one up each other which agrees with your theory of, “well they have it, we must need it too.” Instead of listening to their user population in regards to fixing and/or enhancing the tool set they have. I don’t think most have reached their maturity.
So what is the answer – I think we need to ask pointed questions of the BI tool giants. Integrating into a SQL engine might be some good enhancements, but really, are we ready – we haven’t figured out what we have yet."
I think they’re consolidating because it’s such a tough nut to crack. Innovative functionality, new tools – they’re all very difficult to build and apply to BI-type situations. If that’s the case, perhaps it’s easier to buy what’s "out there" now than to build it. I do get that. BUT, I’m concerned that the BI market has SO much work to do to get moving forward and providing for the tools that we really need to address the information glut. I hope that things get and stay very competitive very soon – and stay that way for a good while to come.
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