Microsoft Office 12 to have BI capabilities

Microsoft.Corp has stated that it will enhance its Office software by adding data culling capabilities to it. This capability, which comes within the scope of Business Intelligence, is mainly used by analyst firms and enterprises wishing to obtain actionable information from the data in their databases. Microsoft is of the opinion that the scope of this application is increasing and employees are using it more frequently for activities like budget allocations and monitoring customer satisfaction.

Microsoft intends to incorporate BI capabilities to its Office versions meant for business users. The next version is expected to come out by the end of 2006. The enhanced Office suite will be able to cull data from systems that use SAP and Oracle applications. According to the Burton Group, this move by Microsoft could put pressure on BI companies such as Cognos Inc. and Business Objects SA, which may have to offer more sophisticated analysis tools and even more specialized applications in order to compete with Office 12.