Data Connections Defined

The first thing to design and plan out when building dashboards in PerformancePoint is which data connections to use. The data connections are links to any externally generated and maintained set of data on which the dashboard components will be based. Data can come from any of the following types of sources:

• SQL Server Analysis Services

• Excel components from either Excel Services or Excel Workbooks

• SharePoint Lists

• SQL Server tables

Recall that Business Intelligence in SharePoint is not about creating data or determining how to organize it. SharePoint’s focal point is about surfacing the data, making it available, presentable, and consumable for those who need to make key business decisions. Therefore, a key prerequisite to doing anything with PerformancePoint Services is to have the right data repositories already in place.

In Dashboard Designer, you can create all new components from either of two places. The Create Ribbon contains a series of icons for the various components. Additionally, from the Workspace Browser, you can right-click on the Data Connections grouping and select the appropriate option.