SQL Server Pro - May 2013

it easier to remember the rollup order of columns and to configure drillable charts by letting you drop in several columns at a time.

• Pie charts. Why pie charts weren’t included in the original release of Power View is a bit of a mystery, but they’re now present. Pie charts are drillable and can be filtered based on slicers, filters, and other chart selections.

• Backgrounds, themes, and font resizing. SP1 introduces the ability to add background colors and images to a view. Additional themes have been added for control over the color schemes. You can also adjust the font style and size to increase readability for the entire view or for just one table or chart.

For a complete list of the new capabilities, see “What’s new in Power View in Excel 2013 and in SharePoint Server.”

Power View Built Into Excel 2013

Power View is built into Excel 2013, which means users can create Power View reports without having to start in SharePoint. (PowerPivot is also a built-in component in Excel 2013.) A Power View report can be sourced from an Excel data range or table, an embedded PowerPivot model, or a tabular instance of SSAS.

Note that Power View is still a Silverlight-based technology, so users will be prompted to download Silverlight if necessary. Also note that although PowerPivot in Excel 2013 exposes an API for extensibility purposes, Power View does not.

One caveat to watch out for with respect to Excel 2013 and Power View is the upgrade path. You need to make sure that you upgrade the server-side components ahead of time. See the sidebar “Plan Your Upgrade Strategy Carefully” for more information.