In addition Microsoft SQL Server 2012 provides scalable database solutions with optimal performance that will
give any of it's competitors a run for their money.

Such a migration could also see a far happier and more empowered end user, due to a seamless integration with the familiar Microsoft Office toolset, easier self-service for dashboards, reporting and analytics and faster delivery times for new developments.

Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing specialist Whistlebrook have been successfully delivering global BI solutions to blue chip clientele since 1997. With an impressive track record of developing strategic Cognos solutions from early on to the present day, more recent years have seen them switch their own product development to the Microsoft BI Technology.

As a preferred Microsoft Gold Partner for BI and with their solid reputation for Cognos bespoke development, Whistlebrook are uniquely placed to provide guidance and consultancy for any organisation currently considering a migration from Cognos to MSBI.

On the 23rd May 2012, Whistlebrook are hosting a webinar targeted at executive level decision makers who are looking for ways to cut the cost of the existing BI deployments whilst maintaining high levels of service and delivering functionality rich analytics to the business community.

This webinar will cover:


* Reasons to consider a migration

* Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) comparisons

* A migration roadmap

* Expected benefits of migrating to MSBI



Time is running out for registration of this webinar so if you are interested to learn more, then register today here.

Alternatively call Mark, Jef or Andy at Whistlebrook on 01480 309550 for a friendly and informative discussion on what advantages a migration to MSBI might hold for you and your organisation.

Whistlebrook is delighted to announce that we are currently working on a COREP solution with a charter client and the prototype version of the software is nearly complete.

We are very aware of the tight timescales for COREP so we have developed the core functionality (e.g. security, data collection, workflow) of the product now.  As the COREP requirements are published and confirmed we are in an excellent position to deliver them within the product.

If you would like a demonstration of our solution please do not hesitate to contact our sales team and they will be happy to arrange a meeting with you to discuss what we are offering and you can take a look at the solution that we have developed.

These  incentives include very attractive deals on pricing, a number of free professional services consultancy days to use for the creation of custom built dashboards, and finally key influence into the product features and design for the future phases of SAMI. 

These incentives are on offer only to the next three organisations to sign up for SAMI before the end of July 2012.

If you would like a demonstration of the SAMI solution, either on-line or at your premises, or you would like to know more about the early adopter incentives, then call Andy,  Mark or Jef on 01480 309550. 

Alternatively email sales@whistlebrook.co.uk for more information.

Well, have we got good news for you!  Whistlebrook's Cognos to MSBI Webinar, scheduled for 3pm GMT on the 23^rd May 2012, will feature how to calculate the TCO gains such a BI platform migration could yield for your organisation.  We are confident that you will be pleasantly surprised, especially if you have a substantial enterprise deployment.  During the Webinar we will also cover reasons why companies should consider a migration, a high level process map to follow and the benefits and constraints you will need to consider.

The webinar will take just 30 minutes of your time and is well worth considering if you currently have any concerns about your current BI strategy or platform.  All attendees of the Webinar will automatically receive a copy of our Cognos to MSBI Transformation white paper.

Click on the following link to register for the webinar and we will send you a reminder and the Webinar joining details closer to the date.  Alternatively check out our website for more information  http://www.whistlebrook.co.uk/cognos-msbi-transformation or call Mark Seymour on 01480 309550.

SQL Server Deployment Planning Services (SSDPS) is a fantastic way of updating your databases from legacy versions up to the latest offerings.  This service is only provided by approved Microsoft Gold Partners such as ourselves.  SSDPS offers potential savings to organisations of up to £15,000.  This is a risk free, no cost service and is available to organisations with Software Assurance to help them release the benefits and feature rich functionality of the later versions of SQL server.

The service provides in-depth assessment and planning for deploying, upgrading or migrating content to the  latest versions of SQL Server.  Three separate engagements of varying lengths can help you review architectural considerations and create a detailed migration plan to help you take advantage of improved  availability, scalability, security, management, reporting and data analysis, or gain access to accurate, up-to-date information for better, more relevant decision making.

How it works

You get a set number of Planning Services days depending on the type and number of licenses you have with Software Assurance.  These days can be used for your SQL Server Planning Services engagement, which range from 1 to 15 days in length. Obtain your voucher from Microsoft and use it to pay Whistlebrook for our upgrade services.

For further details please contact Mark Seymour or Jef Cawdell on 01480 309550 or see our website: https://www.whistlebrook.co.uk/software-services/microsoft-sql-server-upgrades

This webinar is targeted at executive level decision makers who are looking for ways to cut the cost of the  xisting BI deployments whilst maintaining high levels of service and delivering functionality rich analytics to the business community. 

Topics covered in this initial webinar will be:

Register for the Webinar here http://whistlebrookcognostransformation.eventbrite.co.uk/

Whistlebrook is a preferred Microsoft Gold Partner for BI and one of a very select few approved by Microsoft to provide consultancy services for a migration from Cognos to MSBI. 

This webinar is targeted at executive level decision makers who are looking for ways to cut the cost of the existing BI deployments whilst maintaining high levels of service and delivering functionality rich analytics to the business community. 

Topics covered in this initial webinar will be:

·        Reasons to consider a migration

·        Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) comparisons

·        High level process map for such a migration

·        Benefits andconstraints of a Cognos to MSBI migration

If you are interested in attending this webinar please keep an eye out for the registration details which will be issued soon.  Once you have registered your contact details and we will send you a reminder along with details for joining the webinar closer to the date.  All attendees of the webinar will also receive a copy of the white paper we have created which provides in depth detail of the steps required to make such a transformation.

Whistlebrook is a preferred Microsoft Gold Partner for BI and one of a very select few approved by Microsoft to provide consultancy services for a migration from Cognos to MSBI. 

Robert Bowyer, UK Sales Director for the Venn Group, attended the launch and delivered a glowing reference for the work Whistlebrook had completed for Venn to date.   Whistlebrook and Venn had worked together to produce the core SAMI product, with Venn providing the industry expertise and Whistlebrook the technical and business intelligence skills.  Robert explained how Whistlebrook had delivered to their requirements, on time and to budget, whilst at the same time being flexible and attentive to the particular requirements of their
organisation and processes.

Already Venn have received significant benefit from the implementation of SAMI.  Whilst Robert was careful not to divulge any company sensitive information, he was willing to share how SAMI has yielded efficiencies in the consultant appraisal process.  Previous to the SAMI rollout, preparation for consultant appraisals could take many hours a week to collate and prepare.  SAMI has reduced this preparation time from hours to just 15 seconds, leaving the front office more valuable time for sales.

When questioned on the rollout experience, Venn replied that it had been a very, very easy and painless process with very few issues raised and nothing that couldn't be very quickly resolved. 

SAMI provides a seamless point of integration for all back, front and mid office source systems and stores all information in a custom designed data warehouse with standard and customised reporting and analytics. 

The SAMI Business Intelligence solution is built entirely on Microsoft technology providing an affordable entry level platform for BI with scalability for growth to enterprise level.   End user tools are familiar and easy to use and simple to integrate into Microsoft Office.  SoftwareOne, a leading partner and reseller of Microsoft software was at hand throughout the day to provide clarity and guidance through the Microsoft Licence   implications.     

For those attendees that attended the afternoon session of the launch, there were one to one workshops to provide an in-depth demonstration of the SAMI system, step by step guides in how to create your own SAMI dashboard, as well as consultations into how SAMI would fit into their organisations.   

All in all the day was considered a great success both by attendees and by Whistlebrook too who came away feeling justifiably proud of the day and what had been achieved.

If you would like to learn more about SAMI or have an informal chat to see if SAMI could be a good fit for your organisation, call Whistlebrook on 01480 309550 and ask for Mark, Jef or Andy.  

Ask yourself the following questions:        
Are you facing a time consuming and expensive upgrade to Cognos 10?  

• Do you need to significantly reduce your on-going development and maintenance costs?
• Are your business users frustrated with the elapsed time needed to deliver new service requests?
• Are your consumers extracting data from Cognos straight in to Excel and Pivot Tables for the majority of Analytics?
• Do you find it increasingly difficult to find good quality Cognos consultants at a reasonable rate?
• Do your consumers request more familiar end user tools that easily integrate into MS Office?

If you have answered YES to one or more of the above questions then at the very least it would be worth your
while digging a little further to understand fully the benefits you could gain from a migration to Microsoft BI. 

Whistlebrook, a Microsoft Gold Partner for BI with many years' experience in delivering Cognos solutions at an
enterprise Level, are one of a limited number of partners approved by Microsoft to offer assistance in such a migration.  Whether you are looking for an objective evaluation of migrating to MSBI including help with TCO, a custom built roadmap to take you all the way or assistance in making the transition itself, Whistlebrook are ideally placed to help. 

SAMI integrates both back and front office data into one purpose designed data warehouse.  Management Information and Business Intelligence are delivered via Dashboards and Analytics using familiar Microsoft end user tools that easily integrate with Microsoft Office.

SAMI has already caused quite a stir in the recruitment and staffing services industry, resulting in the need for the organisers to secure additional capacity for the launch event on the 21st March. 

'We are delighted with the fantastic response we've had to date with the run up to the launch of SAMI.  Influencers from the recruitment industry have expressed much interest in how SAMI can help with the management of a recruitment business.   We're confident that the SAMI dashboards and analytics go a long way to provide the information and support senior managers need to make critical business decisions with speed and confidence.' Andy Hudders, Sales and Marketing Director at Whistlebrook.

Due to the increased capacity, registration has been re-opened for this event, however there will still be a limited number of places available so do please register now if you wish to attend.

Register at http://www.whistlebrooksami.eventbrite.co.uk

Follow this link to find out more, or call Andy, Jef or Mark on 01480 309550.

Using familiar Microsoft technology Senior Managers can analyse company data to increase margins, drive up revenue and manage consultant performance against targets.  The SAMI launch event is being held on the 21st March 2012 at the Microsoft offices of Cardinal Place, Victoria, London.  The morning session consists of an executive briefing starting at 10.30am and finishing at 1pm for a buffet lunch.  During the afternoon there will be the opportunity for one-to-one technical workshops where you can get a more in depth demonstration of this new application or even learn to create your own Microsoft BI dashboard!

Register now by following this link, but be quick, as places are limited.  Visit the SAMI page on our website to find out more information or call us on 01480 309550.

The solution provides dashboards and management reporting on all aspects of the staffing business including bookings and placements, timesheets and invoicing, consultant performance and margin management.   

This event is targeted at Senior Business and IT Managers who are looking to improve the quality and accessibility of key management information to help improve performance. 

Call now on 01480 309550 and ask for a member of the Sales team to book your place or register an interest for this event.   

In 2012, Whistlebrook introduces a new product into the market place to address this very challenge, SAMI, a Staffing services Analytics and Management Information product.  Designed and built in conjunction with major players in the staffing services sector, SAMI provides analytical and management information for recruitment specialists.

Visually intuitive and enriched dashboards give the heads up on overall performance with drill down capabilities to allow the management team to dig deep into the detail to find out what's really going down on the shop floor.  Business Insights can then be gained on consultant performance against targets, booking and billing information along with overhead data from the general ledger.  These insights will prove invaluable in assisting to manage the business and increase performance such that targets can then be driven higher.

SAMI makes its debut in the city on the 21^st March in the form of a product launch. 
If you would like to attend the launch, or learn more about SAMI, please call Jef Cawdell, Mark Seymour or Andy Hudders at Whistlebrook on 01480 309550.

This year Jef Cawdell celebrated10 successful years with Whistlebrook, whilst Steve Byfield, Gary Parker, David
Taylor & Chris Wu all reached the 5 year anniversary mark.  Managing Director Steve Viney thanked all for their hard work and loyalty and presented each with a certificate and personal engraved gift.

Jef Cawdell is quoted as saying ' Thank you very much for the terrific pen set you gave me to recognise
my service to WB.  It is good to know that the time I have put into the business is appreciated by the Directors.'

SSDPS provides in-depth assessment and planning for deploying, upgrading or migrating content to SQL Server. Three separate engagements of varying lengths can help you review architectural considerations
and create a detailed migration plan to help you take advantage of higher availability, scalability, security, management, reporting and data analysis, or gain access to accurate, up-to-date information for better, more relevant decision making.

Microsoft Software Assurance customers may be eligible for the service free of charge while other organisations can use Whistlebrook safe in the knowledge that they are using a Microsoft approved partner for their SQL Server (including Denali [SQL Server 2012]) migration / upgrade.

Full details will be on our website soon, however please contact Jef Cawdell or Mark Seymour on 01480 309550 if you would like more information now.

• Specialists in high volume, high performance data warehousing
• Experts in a variety of ETL technologies
• Excellence in database design, administration and optimisation
• Experienced BI development team in both Cognos and Microsoft  – all versions
• Microsoft Gold Partner for MSBI, Silver Partner for data management 

We have a dedicated team of BI and Data Warehouse Specialists to help make this  transformation efficiently and successfully.

Watch this space for our white papers on the process.

Consultancy Ethos
Our approach to all services we offer is that of a pragmatic one, and this approach extends to the emerging methodology of Data Governance.

Data Governance Consultancy Package
With this ethos in mind we have devised a data governance consultancy package which consists of the following:-

• Assess the extent of your need for a Data Governance programme
• Investigate how and if your current technology supports a Data Governance programme
• Evaluate the maturity of your current data governance initiatives
• Recommendation of a pragmatic, yet well considered, set of processes, actions and disciplines which will form the basis of your own custom designed Data Governance programme

Approach
A dedicated specialist in the Data Governance field will initially conduct research to understand as much about your business as possible from existing collateral. This may be a combination of researching your website, industry papers and publications, together with any additional documented information you can provide.

We will then visit your premises and conduct a range of interviews with a cross section of personnel, across all levels of seniority in each business functional area.

Together with our technical specialists we will delve into your IT landscape to assess how well your technology supports the aim of Data Governance and highlight any areas of concern or need for focus.
Scoring Matrix

To ensure we have a consistent approach to the way we evaluate each client, we will use a set of templates which will provide a basis for evaluation of your current need and the maturity of your Data Governance controls. The results of these score matrices will be included in our final report.

Results
Once our investigations are complete, and time has been allowed for digestion of the information acquired, a bespoke report will be created and presented back to you for your review and discussion.

The report will include a summary of the investigation alongside conclusions reached and a set of recommendations to be considered which will form the outline of a Data Governance programme that has been designed to address the specific needs of your business.

Possible Follow on Consultation

Following the issue and presentation of these results, additional consultancy can be provided if required, at competitive rates, to support the implementation of the agreed programme.

More on Data Governance
http://www.whistlebrook.co.uk/data_governance

10 Golden Rules of Data Governance
http://www.whistlebrook.co.uk/pdf/10_Golden_Rules_for_Data_Governance.pdf

Read the case study here.
 

Microsoft SQL Server^® Code Name "Denali" builds on the advances introduced in SQL Server 2008 R2 and is set to deliver numerous and wide-ranging improvements and innovations for relational databases and Business Intelligence solutions.

Project "Apollo" extends the capabilities of the VertiPaq technology leading to "blazing-fast" query performance in the relational databases.

PowerPivot has been given a major overhaul and is all the more powerful for the introduction of support for hierarchies, multiple relationships between tables, a measure grid to easily create, edit and manage measures and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), new DAX functions and importing of binary large objects (BLOB).

Self-service reporting is further enhanced with Project "Crescent" providing highly interactive web-based drag-and-drop data querying and visualisations.  Rapid data discovery provides deeper insights and this is complimented with additional data mash-up capabilities including connectivity to cloud-based data.

Microsoft's Vision for Analysis Services is surpassed by an all-encompassing Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) which draws together traditional and new data models.

Improvements in Developer and Administrator tools maximize productivity across both on-premises and cloud environments whilst SQL Server AlwaysOn delivers levels of availability, resilience and protection to rival any comparative platforms.

A more extensive overview of "Denali" can be found in the pdf document using the following link:  SQL_Server_Code_Name_Denali_Overview_7_11.pdf

The Microsoft SQL Server "Denali" Community Technology Preview 3 can be download here:  SQL Server "Denali" CTP3

This webinar is targeted at executive level decision makers who are looking for ways to cut the cost of the existing BI deployments whilst maintaining high levels of service and delivering functionality rich analytics to the business community. 

Topics covered in this initial webinar will be:

• Reasons why you should consider a migration
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) comparisons
• High level process map for making the migration

All attendees of the webinar will receive a copy of our white paper, providing details of the steps required to make such a transformation.

Register for the Webinar here http://whistlebrookcognostransformation.eventbrite.co.uk/?ref=eweb

Whistlebrook is a preferred Microsoft Gold Partner for BI and one of a very select few approved by Microsoft to provide consultancy services for a migration from Cognos to MSBI.