Last week I posted about a demo Microsoft did at the BI conference that used their surface table to deliver a BI demo.

Well nismith got backstage for this demo and got a sneak peak.

UPDATE – looks like the video has been pulled – dont know why but I have emailed to ask for it back

A very cool demo – reality, no (unless Microsoft want to loan me a Surface Table, Hint Hint),  but a good thought provoking idea.

EDIT

I have come up with a nice scenario that could merge BI and the Surface platform:

We shop at our local Sainsburys’ which has a loyalty card scheme called Nectar. It also has a Starbucks in store.

My idea is that in the Starbucks they could have Surface tables. if you put your Nectar card on the table it could read the unique barcode on the card and then display the BI data about the spending I have done over time at the supermarket.

I could then look at my spending patterns whilst sipping my latte and the supermarket could also be serving up contextual adverts.

I win by seeing where my budget goes and the supermarket wins with access to an engaged audience.

No doubt one day!

Chris Webb has a final round up of some views on this new project that was announced at the BI conference. I particularly like this quote:

"Where is the single version of the truth in this architecture? I’ve just spent 4 years of my life trying to convince users to stop using Excel as a data store and here are Microsoft positively encouraging it. Hell will freeze over before this capability is used responsibly in most organisations".

I have little to add but I do think it is highlighting a view that I came across frequently when working in the Microsoft BI space namely that the development of BI at Microsoft is becoming more and more detached from real world deployment.

This view first came to my attention in the fiasco that was the SQL 2005 SP1 to SP2 transition. At first I dismissed this but the more I wrestled with the quirks the more I wondered.

I now wonder if this is another example of the left hand not getting what the right hand is doing, much like the gaps between the work the Excel team do and the SQL team do.