Microsoft has announced on their blog that:
"In mid 2009, we will release PerformancePoint Server 2007 “Service Pack 3” … Thereafter, our customers and partners should not expect further investment in standalone versions of PerformancePoint Server."
In a video announcement Guy Weismantel, Director of Microsoft BI announced that:
"Based on customer feedback, we are consolidating the scorecard, dashboard, and analytic functionality from Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server into Office SharePoint Server Enterprise…"
"…through our Dynamix Business Unit, we will continue to invest in forecasting, management and financial reporting, and budgeting solutions as part of our packaged application business."
The video and a related SharePoint blog posting try to portray this as good news, and that Microsoft is making the changes because of the increasing strategic importance of BI, and in order to "remove the barriers for customers who want to deploy a complete Business Intelligence solution"
In a blog posting on Intelligent Enterprise, Cindi Howson expressed doubts (that were echoed by several commenters to the posting):
"There is of course the alternative view to this move: Microsoft simply got into the performance management game too late and is simply conceding the market to competitors"
For some comments along these lines from a self-proclaimed biased source, see Panorama’s blog posting.
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