On the Rational Guide to Planning with PerformancePoint Server 2007

The Rational Press team have informed us that The Rational Guide to Planning with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 is now published and available. As mentioned in a previous post, this book is designed to help you get started with the Planning feature set in PerformancePoint Server 2007.

For those among you who have asked, here's a breakdown of the chapter content:

Print Chapters
1. Performance Management and Planning
2. Introducing PerformancePoint Server 2007 Planning
3. Installing PerformancePoint Server 2007 Planning Tools
4. Working with the Planning Administration Console
5. Getting Started with Planning Business Modeler
6. Designing Dimensions and Member Sets
7. Building Business Models
8. Securing Business Models
9. Integrating Business Data
10. Defining Business Rules
11. Using the PerformancePoint Add-in for Excel

Bonus Chapters
A. Implementing Process Management
B. Consolidating Data through Associations
C. Operational and Management Reporting
D. Closing the Performance Management Loop

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Tony Mann, Jeff Edman, and the rest of the Rational Press team. Many thanks to Corey Hulen, Peter Bull, Bruno Aziza, Bill Baker and the many amazing people at Microsoft for their time and input. Thanks are certainly due to my friend & co-author Nick Barclay for his time and energy. It certainly has been a fantastic team effort in putting both books together and spreading the word about them.

Special thanks to my wife Mary and daughter Christine for putting up with my evening disappearances, as well as the global Microsoft BI community for their support and positive feedback.

Update (31 - Jan - 2008)

In the downloadable material for Chapter 2, the AWC Modify Script.sql file is not the correct version-- please keep an eye on the Rational Press web-site for the most up to date version, which should appear very soon. The correct version of this script can be easily re-executed against your AdventureWorksDW database (since it only drops and recreates views); running the correct script will be essential for subsequent exercises, particularly in Chapter 9.

Also, there is a missing file for Chapter 4 in the downloadable material for this Rational Guide (Thanks to Mike H for pointing this out). While we are certain Rational Press will fix this as well, I have posted the instructions below to save you from potential delays.

We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused.

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A. Prior to completing the exercises in this chapter, you will need to set up a number of users on your evaluation server or in your domain.

1. From the Windows desktop navigate --> Start --> Administrative Tools and select Computer Management.

2. Inside the left-hand pane of the Computer Management console, open the System Tools --> Local Users and Groups --> Users. Right-click the Users folder and select New User from the context menu.

3. The New User dialog box appears. Enter the following information for the new account:

User name: PPSAdmin
Password: pass@word1

4. Check the Password never expires option, uncheck the User must change password at next logon option, and uncheck the Account is disabled option if necessary.

5. Click Create, and then click Close.

Repeat Steps 1-5 for the following users:

PPSContributor
pass@word1

PPSApprover
pass@word1

PPSModeler
pass@word1

B. Set up a the following folders in your prefered directory, as follows

PATHNAME\Forms
PATHNAME\Reports
PATHNAME\AssignmentForms
PATHNAME\AssignmentMasterForms

replacing PATHNAME with the path to your prefered directory.

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Update (01 - Feb - 2008)

Rational Press has informed us that the files for Chapters 2 and 4 are now up to date.

- Adrian Downes