Silverlight 4 Business Intelligence Software, 2nd Edition

Business intelligence (BI) software allows you to view different components of a business using a single visual platform, which makes comprehending mountains of data easier. BI is everywhere. Applications that include reports, analytics, statistics, and historical and predictive modeling are all examples of business intelligence. Currently, we are in the second generation of business intelligence software—called BI 2.0—which is focused on writing business intelligence software that is predictive, adaptive, simple, and interactive.

As computers and software have evolved, more data can be presented to end users with increasingly visually rich techniques. Rich Internet application (RIA) technologies such as Microsoft Silverlight can be used to transform traditional user-interfaces filled with boring data into fully interactive analytical applications that quickly deliver insight from large data sets. Furthermore, RIAs now include 3D spatial-design capabilities that move beyond a simple list or grid and allow for interesting layouts of aggregated data. BI 2.0 implemented via an RIA technology can truly bring out the power of business intelligence and deliver it to an average user on the Web.

Silverlight 4 Business Intelligence Software provides developers, designers, and architects with a solid foundation in business intelligence design and architecture concepts for Microsoft Silverlight. This book covers key business intelligence design concepts and how they can be applied without an existing BI infrastructure. Author Bart Czernicki provides you with examples of how to build small BI applications that are interactive, highly visual, statistical, predictive—and most importantly—intuitive to the end-user.

Business intelligence isn’t just for the executive branch of a Fortune 500 company—it is for the masses. Let Silverlight 4 Business Intelligence Software show you how to unlock the rich intelligence you already have.

What you’ll learn

• Design rich business intelilgence solutions for the masses
• Discover tips for using engaging business intelligence designs for application presentation
• Consume business intelligence data as a service
• Understand and create SaaS models in business intelligence
• Craft business intelligence solutions using the most advanced Silverlight 4.0 technology through C# 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010

Who this book is for

There are four core audiences for this book:

• Business intelligence professionals/developers: Cube designers, report writers, SharePoint administrators, and others in this group are looking for a resource to gain additional wisdom on cutting-edge BI concepts. These readers will gain ideas that go beyond the capabilities of the traditional BI tools they are used to.
• Senior developers or architects: Developers who are familiar with writing traditional software applications and want to broaden their understanding of concepts in order to include BI fall into this category. Some may have never written any BI applications in their careers but are interested in what BI has to offer. These readers will understand the core BI concepts and how to apply them using application techniques.
• CTOs/BI directors: These are senior managers who make strategic decisions with BI. The technical examples will probably be overly technical for these readers. However, the numerous visual aids within this book will help these strategic managers make better decisions after seeing next-generation BI concepts implemented.
• BI consultants: These readers may be any combination of the preceding three categories. The BI consultant can use this book as a resource for ideas and examples of next-generation BI designs.

Table of Contents

1. Business Intelligence 2.0 Defined
2. Advantages of Applying Business Intelligence 2.0 Using Microsoft Silverlight
3. Silverlight as a Business Intelligence Client
4. Adding Interactivity to Business Intelligence Data
5. Introduction to Data Visualizations
6. Creating Data Visualizations for Analysis
7. Enhancing Visual Intelligence in Silverlight
8. Applying Collective Intelligence
9. Predictive Analytics (What-If Modeling)
10. Improving Performance with Concurrent Programming
11. Integrating with Business Intelligence Systems
12. Mobile Intelligence
13. Surfacing Silverlight Business Intelligence in SharePoint
14. Using the Silverlight PivotViewer
15. Prototyping Applications with Dynamic Data
16. Creating a Bullet Graph User Control