1. OfficeWriter and the Microsoft
Application Platform

2. OfficeWriter Overview
• End-user and developer tool to create data-
driven Excel, Word content
• Runs safely on the server
• Option to use SQL Server Reporting Services
(SSRS) as back-end query engine, scheduler
and production engine, serves as export
renderer
• Template-driven for self-service
• Full document object models for developers

3. What’s Important
• OW enhances integration between Office,
SharePoint, SSRS
• It’s all about data
 Full fidelity reporting in Excel, SharePoint
dashboards
 Relational, in-memory, cloud and big data

4. Object Model
• Similar to VBA/Visual Studio Tools for Office
object models, but without Office dependency
• Produces/reads both binary (Office 2003 and
earlier) and XML (Office 2007, 2010, “15”) file
formats
• Runs on server safely, yet still familiar for
Office devs
• Includes SharePoint integration object

5. The Paradigm
• Use Reporting Services as a query engine
and scheduler
• Design and deliver reports in Excel or Word
• Data Markers make it easy to create reports
in Excel
 Without programming
• Work data into content instead of exporting
 Without PivotTables

6. Extras
• Even support for PivotTables
 SSRS Excel Export can’t do that
• But SSRS is optional
 Support for MS Query and/or coded data
binding lets you do everything in Office
• Spreadmart mitigation
 Allows user to report on data instead of
copying it

7. BI Data Sources (via SSRS)

8. Scenarios

9. Data Platform
• OW Enhances SQL Server
• Not just core product, but numerous
components
 RDBMS, SSRS, SSAS Multidimensional,
SSAS Tabular
 DW Appliances (Fast Track, PDW) too
• Big Data beyond the Hive add-in
 OW can query Hadoop via Hive

10. System Center
• Data Warehouse tracks System Center:
 Service Manager
 Virtual Machine Manager
 Configuration Manager
 Operations Manager
• Use existing reporting infrastructure
 SSRS-based
• Or query Data Marts, OLAP cubes from scratch
 They are just SQL DBs (3) & SSAS cubes (6)
More info here

11. Other Operational
• BizTalk – Business Activities Monitoring
 Primary import database and SSAS cubes
• Team Foundation Server
 Has data warehouse and cubes
• SQL Server Management Studio Standard
Reports
 Download from here

12. The Developer Story
• OW makes Office doc creation easy
 Stable on the server
 Simpler than OOXML API
• Mix and match two models
 Templated, with grouping and nesting
 Object model
• Data binding
 Stream an xls/doc in 6 lines of code

13. Web
• Generate Office docs on the server
• Create a service that streams back the doc
• Use object model to work imperatively
• Use templates and work declaratively
• Mix data access programming with Office
content
• Data binding too

14. Adding Value to Windows Azure
• Runs on Azure VMs
• Connects to Azure SQL Database
• Can use SSRS or Azure SQL Reporting
• Report on Azure Marketplace (via OData)

15. SharePoint

16. Dynamics
• Dynamics CRM, AX data exposed through
OData endpoints
 Access via SSRS
• Standard SSRS reports available too
 Use their datasets
• Dynamics CRM features standard
database and OLAP cubes
 Query directly or via SSRS