Microsoft BI – Coming Soon to SQL Server 2016

After attending the Pass Summit 2016 a couple of weeks ago, I attended a number of sessions that provided an insight into the direction Microsoft are heading with BI.  I thought I’d share this with the community.

Looking back to October 2015, the official Reporting Roadmap blog from Microsoft stated their intent in dramatically improving the visualisations, integration and harmonisation of both on-prem (SSRS) and cloud based services (Power BI).  Whilst reporting appeared to be a renewed focus, they are constantly driving other areas of BI – such as analysis services and database/data warehousing development in the cloud.

Now, for the interesting bit.  Here is what we can expect in the SQL Server 20916 BI Stack in the near future:

–          SQL Server 2018 CTP (to be released within the next month).

o   This seems very early, considering 2016 has only just been released!  Let’s wait for an official Microsoft announcement.

–          Azure DW

o   Auto Create Statistics

§  Currently statistics have to be generated and updated on the fly.

o   Replicated Distributed Table

§  One that will excite any cloud based SQL Server developer.

§  This will reduce data transfer between distributions/nodes and consequently improve performance.

–          Azure Data Lake

o   General Availability (GA) is imminent.

o   Future Features:

§  Polybase, so that you can connect the two big MMP platforms (ADL and DW).

§  SSIS connectors (released with GA) for Store.

§  Python and R in U-SQL.

–          SSIS

o   Lots of new connectors, including:

§  ADLS.

§  CRM.

–          SSAS

o   Migrating Power BI Models into Tabular.

§  This is coming very soon apparently, but will be developed in Azure SSAS first.

o   Object Level Security in Tabular

§  We currently have row level, but there are talk to secure a physical object, not just a row.

§  Even better news – Microsoft want to integrate the two together, which will make security awesome in Tabular.

–          SSRS

o   Supporting (not pinning) Excel reports in RS report.

§  This will come, but Power BI is the focus right now and we may have to wait a while.

–          Power BI

o   Additional and better Pivot Table functionality.

o   Integrating Active Directory dynamically.

o   Potential to use Direct Query and Imported modes together – as a hybrid.

§  Functionality is possible, but performance needs to be weighed up by Microsoft before anything will emerge.

o   Quick Calcs.

§  Only ‘Percent of Current Total’ currently available.

§  Potential is to offer lots more – such as YTD, MAT, Current Year vs. Previous Year, etc.

§  This is for the users who aren’t familiar with DAX.

o   Template organisational Content Packs.

§  The ability to give the user the ability to personalise colours, fonts, etc. within a structured (organisational) content pack.

–          Power BI Embed

o   Application developer will be able to limit user sessions and therefore, reduce the charge per 1 hour costs that come with it.

There are some features/issues Microsoft do not plan to change.  Although, the good thing about Microsoft is that they are community driven, so if you feel strongly about anything (and get support from your peers), they may change their minds.

–          SSRS

o   Q&A, Query Editor (Power Query), R integration, etc. not being developed.

§  Pretty obvious really.  Whilst they are going to introduce almost everything from Power BI, some elements of functionality are just not needed for on pre purposes.

§  R Scripts may come one day, but not a focus right now.

–          Power BI

o   Source Control

§  No immediate plans to integrate with TFS or modularise the pbix files (for a more developer based solution)

§  Not surprising as this is a self-service tool, not a development team.

§  Work around is to upload pbix files into OneDrive and use the versioning as an element of Source Control or add a file into Visual Studio.

§  Keep Voting on PowerBI.com if you want this! (Currently 278 votes).

·         https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/9677517-source-control

–          Power BI Embed

o   Licence model

§  ‘Speak to Marketing’ is what we were told.

Is everyone excited?  I certainly am.  Microsoft are openly admitting that any new BI related feature will be developed in the cloud first, but this was pretty obvious.  For all you on-prem fanatics (me included), at least the bugs/undocumented features will be ironed out before we get to use them!  My personal favourite has to be the direction SSRS is going.  It was recently labelled a ‘mature’ product, but now RS has suddenly become a cool and current tool to use.  The fact Power BI and SSRS will become almost the same product, tells us all that on-prem is still an important part of the Microsoft licensing strategy.

I am sure there are lots of other features coming into the BI stack over the next 6 months to a year and these were just the ones I had heard about.  Feel free to comment if you have additional ones to share.