How to install PowerView ? Why Data Alerts and Powerview are not available in native mode SSRS ?

This blog has been silent for quite some time. I am recovering from an accident, a few turbulence in personal life including laptop crash. I am also busy these days in my new book authoring assignment. I would like to keep the details of the book under the covers, till the time gets mature to announce it. SQL Server MVP Deep Dives Volume 2 got released last month, and I have authored a chapter on this book titled "BI solution development - Design considerations". Coming back to business, this is my blog post after a long break from blogging.

SQL Server 2012 RC 0 got released by Microsoft 2 weeks back, with a deadly bug on Distributed Replay Controller in the setup. Due to this bug I had to skip installation of the component itself. SSRS enhancements is sharepoint integrated mode are shipping two new kids - Data Alerts and PowerView which was formerly known as Project Crescent.

1) I have been receiving queries from many developers on how to install PowerView and how to verify whether PowerView is installed. The answer to this question is, if you have installed SSRS Add-in for Sharepoint products on your Sharepoint farm, consider it granted that PowerView has been installed. This component is the one responsible for installing Data Alerts, PowerView as well as the entire user interface related to SSRS in sharepoint. Keep in view, PowerView and DataAlerts are silverlight based applications and can be operated only in a browser. Simplest way to verify whether powerview is installed, is by deploying a shared dataset on a sharepoint document / reports library. Select the drop-down options for this shared dataset, and you should find an option named "Create PowerView report".

2) Why PowerView and SSRS are not available in native mode SSRS ? Question is very valid, as Reports manager is also a web based application that queries SSRS web service. If these silverlight based enhancements are intended to be made available in native mode, I don't see a technical challenge to it. But these enhancements are packed only with the add-in, which means they are strategically intended to be made available only in sharepoint. So to me it seems more of a business decision than a technical decision. Affording Sharepoint just for a client tool is too heavy, is the reaction that I have been observing from the community. Let's see how community reacts to it in the long term.

I promise my blog readers that I would try to come up to speed on blogging as soon as possible. Keep writing to me.