We invited Paul Turley on the show to chat with us about some of the new features in SQL Server reporting services, but were pleasantly surprised to have the conversation take a different direction.  Paul talks about some of the new training available for those interested in visualizations and why this community can be hard to define–and connect with.  There are so many visualization options and even within Microsoft we have many products that overlap in functionality.  In addition to talking about the pick list items of new features, Paul gives some guidance and why you should choose certain products and what makes good use case scenarios for some of the new features.

With the new analytics features now available in SQL Server 2016 via SP1, I think there is going to be additional requirements for data professionals to provide better analytics features and this episode is a good starter for how to frame those conversations.

 Episode Quote

[There is] “this challenge where the industry is very fragmented. It’s moving in different directions because businesses are adapting technology in different ways.  The reason there are different tools because there are different needs and disciplines. ”

Listen to Learn

• Why it can be hard to connect with others in the visualization community
• Some of the new features in SQL Server 2016
• Why choosing a visualization tool can be difficult
• The initial architecture of reporting services
• Good candidates for mobile reports
• High level architecture for mobile reports
• The new architecture of reporting services and support for multiple browsers

edX course on data visualizations
Paul’s book on Reporting Services in 2016
PASS Analytics Day

About Paul Turley

Paul Turley is the owner of Intelligent Business, LLC a consultancy with dedicated Business Intelligence practitioners, visualization designers, mentors, instructors, project managers and solution architects.  He is one of the leaders of the Portland SQL Server users group.  Is both a Microsoft MVP and a Dun and Bradstreet MVP.