I have compiled a list of valuable PowerPivot resources (mostly discussed on Twitter with my peers) to kick-start you in your PowerPivot voyages...
- www.powerpivot.com : Official Microsoft Site
- http://powerpivotpro.com/ : Rob Collie's site, lead program manager for Gemini, oops I mean PowerPivot
- http://powerpivot-info.com/ : Microsoft MVP Vidas Matelis's community site
- http://powerpivotgeek.com/ : Dave Wickert's blog
- http://powerpivottwins.com/ : Denny Lee's (Microsoft SQLCAT) and Dave Wickert's combined site
- http://www.facebook.com/PowerPivot : Official Factbook page for PowerPivot
- http://bivoyage.com/Presentations.aspx : My company's website that hosts a copy of a PowerPivot presentation we did for a recent SQLSaturday event.
- http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2437685&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr : LinkedIn "PowerPivot Professionals" Group
Active PowerPivot Twitter Users
- http://twitter.com/VidasM/ssas-powerpivot/members
As our Industry Bytes blog mentioned earlier located here http://www.sqlmag.com/Articles/ArticleID/103179/103179.html?Ad=1, PowerPivot is now available to the public. PowerPivot for Excel 2010 beta, PowerPivot for SharePoint 2010 beta, and SQL Server 2008 R2 Nov CTP are all currently available builds.
Download Locations
- www.powerpivot.com : Excel 2010 PowerPivot add-in
- http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2Downloads.aspx: SQL Server 2008 R2 Nov CTP
- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee390818.aspx : Office 2010 Beta
- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee391660.aspx : SharePoint 2010 Beta
Note: @VidasM has been working on some great tutorials regarding single-server install instructions. You can find the results of his current efforts @ http://powerpivot-info.com/post/66-step-by-step-guide-on-installing-powerpivot-for-sharepoint .
Briefly, here is a general overview of how the various PowerPivot components are used together to form a PowerPivot Suite (client and server components)
- SharePoint 2010 provides the portal technology and collaboration foundation for PowerPivot workbooks
- SQL Server Analysis Services 2008 R2 gets installed in "sharepoint integrated mode" to provide PowerPivot processing services
- Excel 2010 hosts the PowerPivot add-in that is used by Information Producers to create ad-hoc, performant, self-service BI models.
PowerPivot has been available for some time now in various priviate builds (now fully public), however we are now approaching a point in the technical community's embrace of the product where I expect to see a continued explosion of outstanding PowerPivot content!