 Microsoft has, with Excel 2010, introduced an extremely powerful end-user pivoting tool, the free PowerPivot add-in. The world of self-service data analysis has changed for ever; not only can PowerPivot handle enormous amounts of data but it enables end-users and data analysts alike to build highly complex analytical models at a fraction of their previous cost.
So, if your organisation or your team is missing one or both of the above is PowerPivot not for you? Far from it, PowerPivot is still extremely useful without either. Data that's not in the ideal format can still provide useful analyses, and both Excel and PowerPivot can help cleanse such data. Likewise, just like an ordinary workbook, a PowerPivot workbook can be emailed or placed on a shared drive (all the supporting data is embedded in the .xlsx file). The only problem is, the time and resources associated with this activity can be substantial if you don't have the 'micro ETL' and general Excel VBA skills to help automate it. This is where I can help. I've both the skills and the tools to build a rock-solid Excel-based ETL back-end for your PowerPivot projects. This can be as simple as a "good enough" data shaping automation for a single PowerPivot cube or a sophisticated 'micro-Data Warehouse' which would act as a foundation for a more long-term self-service BI strategy. The only software product you'll need to purchase is Excel, I'll provide the rest. I can also automate the work-flows and non-ETL repetitive tasks associated with such projects. Tasks such as: generating questioners, marshalling and recording the resulting replies, generating non-PowerPivot workbook reports/pivots (remember, unlike previous versions, Excel 2010 can exist side-by-side with older versions of Office, only need to provide it to those who need its full power). As for building PowerPivot cubes, I've a long background in the design & delivery of ROLAP & MOLAP solutions. PowerPivot is essentially a 3rd way of producing OLAP cubes, heavily influenced by the dimensional modelling technique commonly know as the star-schema, but with the presentational simplicity of the Excel's PivotTable and an Excel-like formula language (DAX) bolted on. PowerPivot models built with an understanding of the usefulness of the star-schema approach will allow for richer and simpler data analystics. I can provide that knowledge or help you master it. |
Master Datasmith? Well, I could style myself a data analyst/systems integrator/reporting analyst/DBA/business analyst/programmer but I'd end up all /'d out. I hope the term datasmith conveys the craft nature of my work with data, for it is a craft that I'm particularly good at (hence the master adjective) and also take great pride in. Read more ... Gobán Saor My father who came from a long line of stone masons and master builders, told me many of these stories and also used to take me to a magical island in our local bogland that he called the Gobán Saor’s island. (Now better known as the discovery place of the Derrynaflan Chalice ). Continuing in the tradition of freelance craftsman (data mason rather than stone mason) I’ve used gobansaor as my nom de plume in forums, online apps etc. over the years, partially to keep a tradition alive but to be honest usually because I’m sure nobody else will have taken the name already  |
Excel Based BI |
