Google ups BI stakes against Microsoft

Search giant Google has announced an alliance with Panorama Software, in a move adding new functionality to its web-based applications. Will this tie up be another closing of the gap between Google and Microsoft?

By Stuart Lauchlan, news and analysis editor

Google has added analytics and reporting to its free web-based applications through an alliance with Panorama Software.

The two firms have launched Panorama Analytics for Google Docs, which integrates software as a service (SaaS) into Google Docs' spreadsheets, offering business intelligence (BI) functionality such as reporting and data visualisation, using pivot table and charting table functionality.

According to Panorama - the firm that gave Microsoft the original OLAP technology that's now included in the SQL Server database - the tool will let individual users manage their personal expenses, bank statements and other records. "The debut of pivot table functionality is great news for Google Docs users, whether they are business people or consumers," said Oudi Antebi, vice president of marketing and strategy for Panorama Software.

The alliance will have high expectations riding on it, said Ovum analyst Madan Sheina. “Google will be hoping that this BI tie-up will not just drive greater use of its Spreadsheet application in more consumer BI applications, for example, to analyse personal expenses,” said Sheina. “It also believes it will also be a boon to small and medium sized businesses that use Google Apps and want more enterprise-friendly capabilities. Finally ISVs will also see this integration as a new opportunity to write custom report templates, analytics and dashboards to help with corporate decision making and planning.”

Smarter spreadsheets

This is not the first such effort by Google to make make its spreadsheets smarter. “This latest collaboration goes a lot deeper,” added Sheina. “In line with Google's cloud applications computing model Panorama has now made its lightweight, yet powerful NovaView OLAP engine as a SaaS offering. Panorama is also looking to develop SaaS NovaView integrations with Google's web analytics and internet advertising SaaS offerings as well. It is also encouraging ISVs to follow the lead of its Pivot Table integration within Google and tap into NovaView's APIS to develop customised SaaS BI applications as well.

“This could perhaps signal the start of a much deeper level of integration that mirrors Panorama's relationship with Google-rival Microsoft. Apart from rebranding Panorama's OLAP platform as SQL Server Analysis Services, Microsoft has allowed NovaView's BI capabilities to leak into its Office 2007 suite, including products like Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint.”

So will this tie up be another closing of the gap between Google and Microsoft? “Google still has some way to go to before it can match Microsoft's BI capabilities in Excel,” argues Sheina. “But this integration is a good start. It will also benefit Panorama, which is a small but rapidly rising star in the BI space, to increase its market visibility further not to mention put an early stake in Google's cloud computing environment and some leverage against bigger BI rivals like Microsoft and IBM that have an itchy relationship with Google.

"The Panorama-Google offering could prompt Excel users to re-evaluate the per-set licensing they have invested in Excel as they consider the shifting dynamics of delivering BI from desktop to online (cloud) environments.”

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