Could this really be true? Is it possible for Microsoft and Linux to actually get along? I don't mean "get along" as in willing to quietly ignore each other, "this sandbox is big enough for both of us", but get along as in cooperation and trust!
On monday, Microsoft and Red Hat announced that they would indeed be cooperating going forward, working together to ensure that their virtual environments would be cross-supportive. That is, Microsoft would test AND CERTIFY Linux clients on Microsoft's virtual environments, and that Linux would test AND CERTIFY Microsoft client's on a Linux server.
The cooperation is really an official recognition of the fact that many data centers are operating both Windows and Linux servers, a so-called mixed operating environment. Couple this reality with a very strong movement towards virtualization, and the Microsoft / Linux hook-up makes complete sense. Going forward, this should remove one of the current obstacles to a rapid adoption of virtualization, the assumed requirement that you must be solely focused on a single OS standard to effectively deploy virtual servers.
Microsoft and LInux will coordinate technical support for the products, and there will be no licensing of any Intellectual property between the companies.
So, who feels the impact of this announcement? Primarily, that would be VMWare. Microsoft has been making inroads against VMWare's market position in the world of virtualization, but with the announcement from Microsoft / Linux, I would expect that VMWare's dominant position will continue to erode, possibly at a faster pace. At this point, VMWare will continue to go forward as a stand-alone company, but with a large and very visible target on their back.
Microsoft wants to be the big player in the virtual world, witness their introduction of Windows Server 2008, which supports a fully virtual environment, and now with coperation of Linux, will be able to increase their adoption rates.
For more on this subject, please see:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=12951&tag=nl.e539
For the Microsoft announcement, please see:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090216/20090216005482.html
Microsoft Announcement on BI Offerings
1. What is the Microsoft Business Intelligence announcement?
Microsoft is consolidating Monitoring and Analyzing capabilities from Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 (PPS) into SharePoint Server Enterprise where these capabilities will now be called PerformancePoint Services. The planning component included in PPS SP3 will be released in the summer of 2009, after which time development on the planning component will cease and the PPS brand will no longer exist. As part of this change in BI strategy the Dynamics team will be assuming roadmap responsibility for FRx, Forecaster and Management Reporter.
Future State
FRx
Forecaster
Performance Point Server
Sharepoint Server Enterprise (Analysis and Monitoring only)
Planning (release date: summer ’09) No further development after release
Management Reporter
Enterprise Reporting *
*Death sentence has been lifted, sales and support to resume in February 2009, no announcements concerning future development of ER.
2. What is the future of Microsoft FRx?
FRx will continue to be an important asset for Dynamics BI. Microsoft will also continue to evaluate how we can improve customer satisfaction with this product and enhance and maintain FRx for new and existing customers. A detailed product roadmap will be communicated at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe that will offer more details on future releases and service packs. Microsoft FRx is a financial reporting product that is an important foundation of Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft FRx 6.7 will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
3. What is the future of Microsoft Forecaster?
We are committed to maintaining our Forecaster product line to ensure that we can accommodate existing and new vertical markets. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Microsoft Forecaster is a budgeting and planning product that is an important piece of Microsoft Dynamics. The current version, Microsoft Forecaster 7.0, was released in March, 2007. Microsoft Forecaster will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
4. What is the future of Management Reporter?
Management Reporter is an important asset for Dynamics now and in the future, and we will continue to add features and functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Management Reporter is a new financial report writer that is based on functional concepts of Microsoft FRx. Management Reporter helps corporations improve their business performance through an enhanced financial reporting process. Management Reporter allows business users are to create, generate and share financial reports easily, efficiently and accurately.
5. Does Management Reporter have all of the same functionality as Microsoft FRx?
Management Reporter represents the next generation of financial reporting functionality and currently does not have the same functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
UPDATE: 02/17/2009
...spotted an article in Network Computing that states in part:
Microsoft made a surprise announcement that presents good news and bad news for customers and partners who were developing on the PerformancePoint Server product. The good news is that the dashboarding, scorecarding and analytic capabilities of PerformancePoint are now being made available as free services to customers with an enterprise license of SharePoint Server. The bad news is that PerformancePoint and its planning functionality will no longer be offered as a separate product, though there will be a final “Service Pack3″ upgrade to the planning functionality released this summer. Translation? Microsoft’s BI team is backing away from deep financial and operational performance management, ceding those opportunities to the Microsoft Dynamics unit and stranding some customers and partners in the process.
Microsoft says it is bundling high-demand PerformancePoint functionality like dashboarding, scorecarding and advanced analytics with SharePoint to better fulfill its longstanding goal of spreading business intelligence to the broadest possible base of users.
“By putting this functionality into SharePoint, it makes it available to exponentially more users,” said Kristina Kerr, Lead Product Manager, Microsoft Business Intelligence, in an interview with Intelligent Enterprise. Share “As for the financial budgeting and planning piece, we found that it involves very different buying behaviors, different people and different deployment scenarios, so we’re very deliberately splitting those two areas.”
A final upgrade of PerformancePoint may buy planning-focused customers and partners some time, but nobody wants to make long-range plans around a product without a road map. Thus, one of two paths forward Microsoft points to exploits what Kerr describes as “broad planning capabilities” it can offer with the combination of SQL Server, SharePoint Server and Excel.
“For example, we have an Excel add-in that exposes the analytic capabilities of SQL Server Analysis Services,” Kerr explained. “Analysis Services offers a function called Forecast, which is really predictive analytics based on historical trends. [That's the kind of functionality] that’s suitable for scenarios that aren’t specific to the office of finance but that call for broad planning and forecasting capabilities.”
A second path forward for partners and customers interesting in planning is to work with the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and applications unit, which will continue to develop its Forecaster and FRX products for forecasting, budgeting and financial reporting.
Microsoft is consolidating Monitoring and Analyzing capabilities from Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 (PPS) into SharePoint Server Enterprise where these capabilities will now be called PerformancePoint Services. The planning component included in PPS SP3 will be released in the summer of 2009, after which time development on the planning component will cease and the PPS brand will no longer exist. As part of this change in BI strategy the Dynamics team will be assuming roadmap responsibility for FRx, Forecaster and Management Reporter.
Future State
FRx
Forecaster
Performance Point Server
Sharepoint Server Enterprise (Analysis and Monitoring only)
Planning (release date: summer ’09) No further development after release
Management Reporter
Enterprise Reporting *
*Death sentence has been lifted, sales and support to resume in February 2009, no announcements concerning future development of ER.
2. What is the future of Microsoft FRx?
FRx will continue to be an important asset for Dynamics BI. Microsoft will also continue to evaluate how we can improve customer satisfaction with this product and enhance and maintain FRx for new and existing customers. A detailed product roadmap will be communicated at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe that will offer more details on future releases and service packs. Microsoft FRx is a financial reporting product that is an important foundation of Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft FRx 6.7 will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
3. What is the future of Microsoft Forecaster?
We are committed to maintaining our Forecaster product line to ensure that we can accommodate existing and new vertical markets. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Microsoft Forecaster is a budgeting and planning product that is an important piece of Microsoft Dynamics. The current version, Microsoft Forecaster 7.0, was released in March, 2007. Microsoft Forecaster will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
4. What is the future of Management Reporter?
Management Reporter is an important asset for Dynamics now and in the future, and we will continue to add features and functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Management Reporter is a new financial report writer that is based on functional concepts of Microsoft FRx. Management Reporter helps corporations improve their business performance through an enhanced financial reporting process. Management Reporter allows business users are to create, generate and share financial reports easily, efficiently and accurately.
5. Does Management Reporter have all of the same functionality as Microsoft FRx?
Management Reporter represents the next generation of financial reporting functionality and currently does not have the same functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
UPDATE: 02/17/2009
...spotted an article in Network Computing that states in part:
Microsoft made a surprise announcement that presents good news and bad news for customers and partners who were developing on the PerformancePoint Server product. The good news is that the dashboarding, scorecarding and analytic capabilities of PerformancePoint are now being made available as free services to customers with an enterprise license of SharePoint Server. The bad news is that PerformancePoint and its planning functionality will no longer be offered as a separate product, though there will be a final “Service Pack3″ upgrade to the planning functionality released this summer. Translation? Microsoft’s BI team is backing away from deep financial and operational performance management, ceding those opportunities to the Microsoft Dynamics unit and stranding some customers and partners in the process.
Microsoft says it is bundling high-demand PerformancePoint functionality like dashboarding, scorecarding and advanced analytics with SharePoint to better fulfill its longstanding goal of spreading business intelligence to the broadest possible base of users.
“By putting this functionality into SharePoint, it makes it available to exponentially more users,” said Kristina Kerr, Lead Product Manager, Microsoft Business Intelligence, in an interview with Intelligent Enterprise. Share “As for the financial budgeting and planning piece, we found that it involves very different buying behaviors, different people and different deployment scenarios, so we’re very deliberately splitting those two areas.”
A final upgrade of PerformancePoint may buy planning-focused customers and partners some time, but nobody wants to make long-range plans around a product without a road map. Thus, one of two paths forward Microsoft points to exploits what Kerr describes as “broad planning capabilities” it can offer with the combination of SQL Server, SharePoint Server and Excel.
“For example, we have an Excel add-in that exposes the analytic capabilities of SQL Server Analysis Services,” Kerr explained. “Analysis Services offers a function called Forecast, which is really predictive analytics based on historical trends. [That's the kind of functionality] that’s suitable for scenarios that aren’t specific to the office of finance but that call for broad planning and forecasting capabilities.”
A second path forward for partners and customers interesting in planning is to work with the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and applications unit, which will continue to develop its Forecaster and FRX products for forecasting, budgeting and financial reporting.
Using FRx to create a Cash Flow Statement
This article describes how to create a Statement of Cash Flows in FRx so the beginning period and end of period cash amount calculates correctly.
MORE INFORMATION
Column layout:
1. Create Column A as the description column.
2. Column B is the GL CUR column.
3. Column C is a GL YTD/BB column.
4. Column D is a GL YTD column.
5. Column E is a CALC column. The formula for the CALC column should be D-C.
6. Make columns C and D non printing.
Row format:
1. Cash at Beginning of period is in row 1300. Make it a non printing row.
2. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/BB.
3. In row 1330, create a CAL row, B=@1300, C=0, D=@1300.
4. Either column C or Column D must equal zero or nothing will print in the CALC Column E.
5. Cash at End of period is in Row 1510. Make it non-printing.
6. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/Y.
7. In row 1540, create a CAL row, B=@1510, C=0, D=@1510.
Catalog:
1. In the Catalog of Reports, under Report Options | Advanced tab, make sure that the option to Calculate Rows first under Calculation Priority is marked.
REFERENCES
For a sample report, download and unzip the correct Cash Flow statement for the FW company at the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/TK20347_cash_flow.zip
MORE INFORMATION
Column layout:
1. Create Column A as the description column.
2. Column B is the GL CUR column.
3. Column C is a GL YTD/BB column.
4. Column D is a GL YTD column.
5. Column E is a CALC column. The formula for the CALC column should be D-C.
6. Make columns C and D non printing.
Row format:
1. Cash at Beginning of period is in row 1300. Make it a non printing row.
2. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/BB.
3. In row 1330, create a CAL row, B=@1300, C=0, D=@1300.
4. Either column C or Column D must equal zero or nothing will print in the CALC Column E.
5. Cash at End of period is in Row 1510. Make it non-printing.
6. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/Y.
7. In row 1540, create a CAL row, B=@1510, C=0, D=@1510.
Catalog:
1. In the Catalog of Reports, under Report Options | Advanced tab, make sure that the option to Calculate Rows first under Calculation Priority is marked.
REFERENCES
For a sample report, download and unzip the correct Cash Flow statement for the FW company at the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/TK20347_cash_flow.zip
Realize the benefits of CustomerSource
Get access to CustomerSource — a one-stop resource for quick and easy access to valuable information to maximize the benefits of your Microsoft Dynamics GP business management solution.
As part of the many benefits included in the Business Ready Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance for Microsoft Dynamics, CustomerSource is an award-winning, site that provides access to timely and relevant information on your Microsoft Dynamics and related products and services.
CustomerSource can help you boost productivity and reduce support costs by providing unlimited access to:
News and events
Stay up-to-date on the latest corporate and product-specific news, as well as upcoming events.
• Events
Attend an event such as a conference or online seminar to learn more about how your business benefits from Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
• Insights
Customers who access the global, Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand sites can subscribe to Insights (currently offered in English only) to receive the latest product news and announcements, support alerts, and general information that keep you up to date.
• News
Read the latest news, information, and product and press releases related to your Microsoft Dynamics product, including articles about business issues written by industry experts.
Support
The Support section in CustomerSource provides convenient access to many technical resources, including both self-help and assisted support services. If you're enrolled in a Microsoft Dynamics service plan, your electronic support requests have the same guaranteed response time as your telephone support incidents.
Online technical support features include:
• Support information: Find information related to support hours, who to contact, tips for using online support features, and more.
• Microsoft Knowledge Base: Access the same database our award-winning technical support team uses. Microsoft Knowledge Base contains thousands of technical tips, solutions to common problems, usability recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Assisted support: Initiate support requests directly to our online support team for responses to your technical support questions. Some examples include:
Automated Solutions
Hot Topics
Support Requests
Downloads and updates
Stay current by updating your system with the latest Service Pack, product releases, tax updates, and hotfixes. These updates, along with resources to submit product suggestions and modify reports, help make you more self-sufficient.
Technical content
Gain deeper understanding of benefits and capabilities of your software investment by accessing "how to" tips and steps, installation and setup guides, product white papers, and more. With some content types, customers can easily refine their searches with drop-down field selection options.
Product information
All Microsoft Dynamics products offer a solid accounting and finance core for e-business. All are backed by ongoing service and around-the-clock support. Each integrated product family offers a range of features for specific business needs. The product information on the CustomerSource site provides you with the features and benefits each solution provides.
Training and certification
Maximize your investment and understand your solution's features, functionality, and potential by participating in the many training opportunities available to you. Learn how to take advantage of e-learning, classroom training, and training materials by reviewing the Training area of CustomerSource today.
and more - any time ,from anywhere.
For details and instrictions on how to access your CustomerSource account, please contact me at jhoyt@tmc-la.com or call Pat Quimby at 310.599.3982 x 784
As part of the many benefits included in the Business Ready Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance for Microsoft Dynamics, CustomerSource is an award-winning, site that provides access to timely and relevant information on your Microsoft Dynamics and related products and services.
CustomerSource can help you boost productivity and reduce support costs by providing unlimited access to:
News and events
Stay up-to-date on the latest corporate and product-specific news, as well as upcoming events.
• Events
Attend an event such as a conference or online seminar to learn more about how your business benefits from Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
• Insights
Customers who access the global, Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand sites can subscribe to Insights (currently offered in English only) to receive the latest product news and announcements, support alerts, and general information that keep you up to date.
• News
Read the latest news, information, and product and press releases related to your Microsoft Dynamics product, including articles about business issues written by industry experts.
Support
The Support section in CustomerSource provides convenient access to many technical resources, including both self-help and assisted support services. If you're enrolled in a Microsoft Dynamics service plan, your electronic support requests have the same guaranteed response time as your telephone support incidents.
Online technical support features include:
• Support information: Find information related to support hours, who to contact, tips for using online support features, and more.
• Microsoft Knowledge Base: Access the same database our award-winning technical support team uses. Microsoft Knowledge Base contains thousands of technical tips, solutions to common problems, usability recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Assisted support: Initiate support requests directly to our online support team for responses to your technical support questions. Some examples include:
Automated Solutions
Hot Topics
Support Requests
Downloads and updates
Stay current by updating your system with the latest Service Pack, product releases, tax updates, and hotfixes. These updates, along with resources to submit product suggestions and modify reports, help make you more self-sufficient.
Technical content
Gain deeper understanding of benefits and capabilities of your software investment by accessing "how to" tips and steps, installation and setup guides, product white papers, and more. With some content types, customers can easily refine their searches with drop-down field selection options.
Product information
All Microsoft Dynamics products offer a solid accounting and finance core for e-business. All are backed by ongoing service and around-the-clock support. Each integrated product family offers a range of features for specific business needs. The product information on the CustomerSource site provides you with the features and benefits each solution provides.
Training and certification
Maximize your investment and understand your solution's features, functionality, and potential by participating in the many training opportunities available to you. Learn how to take advantage of e-learning, classroom training, and training materials by reviewing the Training area of CustomerSource today.
and more - any time ,from anywhere.
For details and instrictions on how to access your CustomerSource account, please contact me at jhoyt@tmc-la.com or call Pat Quimby at 310.599.3982 x 784
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