Free ebook: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 includes 10 chapters: PART I DATABASE ADMINISTRATION (by Ross Mistry) 1. SQL Server 2012 Editions and Engine Enhancements 2. High-Availability and Disaster-Recovery Enhancements 3. Performance and Scalability 4. Security...

  This technical white paper features the Microsoft CBI (Consolidated Business Intelligence) portal as the context to discuss how Microsoft IT uses Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Microsoft business intelligence products to help business units within Microsoft to make better and faster decisions...

I've been in several meetings with retailers where business users and IT have been at odds with each other over business intelligence and reporting. At many of the retailers, I have noticed that business groups tend to own a large part of the Business Intelligence Applications and IT has very little...

This is an excellent whitepaper for understanding the challenges and solution for Supply Chain Collaboration as implemented by the Entertainment and Devices (EDD) division in Microsoft. EDD leverages a complex supply chain of over 300 partners, suppliers, and distributors. Supporting the EDD business...

Wenatex New Information Management Solution Awakens Business Insight at Sleep System Retailer Potbelly Sandwich Works Restaurant Boosts Revenues 2.5 Percent by Giving Performance Data to Managers Danske Danish Supermarket Group Manages 10 Terabytes of Business Intelligence with SQL Server 2005 Acosta...

Impulse buying can account for a significant percentage of all supermarket purchases (I've seen different research reports peg it between 20% to 60%. One of the latest reports puts it closer to 20% See article ). Market Basket Analysis enables retailers to discover which items tend to be bought together...

    The NRF Convention and Expo begins on Sunday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. I have been working this week in getting the material and demos ready for the expo. I worked with Avanade and Profitbase to build out a Data Warehouse for reporting Sales and Performance...

In the current economic downturn, retailers have been hit particularly hard. Retailers that continue to innovate and explore new opportunities in pricing, sourcing, inventory management and assortment management will position themselves to compete even more strongly as the economy recovers. Retailers...

Retailers have begun to feel the effect of the weakening economy, as consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending. Most retailers acknowledge the strategic importance of pricing and its impact on the bottom line, but many lack the processes and tools to effectively manage price optimization....

The Convention is open January 11-14 and the EXPO Hall Floor and DESiGN STUDiO January 12-13. Registration is open at : LINK Now Reading : Competing on Analytics (Excellent book on understanding the power of analytics in business)