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Code-name projects "Gemini" and "Madison" are extensions to Microsoft's business intelligence strategy—self-service analytics based on Excel and data warehousing functionality from DATAllegro, respectively. Microsoft announced its acquisition of DATAllegro in July. Gemini features will be incorporated into the next version of SQL Server, code-named "Kilimanjaro."

Today, Microsoft demoed both projects during its Business Intelligence Conference 2008 keynote. This is Microsoft's second BI conference. The first one was May 2007. The company said that during 2007, sales of its BI tools grew 15.6 percent to $555 million.

In what I would call a shocking development. Microsoft said that a Kilimanjaro CTP, or Community Technology Preview, would be available within 12 months and that the new server software would ship in first half 2010. That's an ambitious schedule, considering that SQL Server 2008 only released to manufacturing in August.

Last week, I asked Tom Casey, Microsoft's Business Intelligence general manager for the Data and Storage Platform division, about the timing of the announcement. "We committed to our customers to be on a 24-30 cycle for releases," he said. "We want to give them a pretty good idea what's coming when."

More importantly, during today's Business Intelligence Conference, Ted Kummert, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Data and Storage Platform division, emphasized that Kilimanjaro is not the next major release of SQL Server. Kilimanjaro is specifically focused on extending business intelligence capabilities. The approach would be consistent with Microsoft's plan of minor releases every two years and major releases every four years.

That may be true, but I discern something else. Microsoft has long pre-announced products to competitive end, particularly in markets where it is the newcomer or even trailing solutions providers. Why else begin talking about Kilimanjaro, soon after SQL Server 2008's release and so far away from its interim successor's availability? Microsoft has just dangled promise of CTPs for all three products within 12 months. Some enterprises may choose to wait and see before adopting a competing BI solution.

But there's more going on here. SQL Server anchors Microsoft's business intelligence strategy. If the company is truly serious about advancing innovation and extending business intelligence, the company should adopt an aggressive release cycle.

Integration, Democratization and BI

More importantly, the company is aggressively increasing the amount of cross-feature integration, particularly among desktop and server products. During its 2003 release cycle, Microsoft embarked on the "integrated innovation" strategy, which dramatically increased cross-integration of features among its products. The integration has been most pronounced between Office and server software. Microsoft no longer uses the "integrated innovation" term, but the strategy continues.

During his keynote address today, Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's Business division, emphasized that Microsoft seeks the "democratization of business intelligence...democratization across the enterprise." How? Increased integration.

Microsoft's integration strategy stacks vertically from the desktop to the server and horizontally among products and platforms. As a general but not absolute rule, Microsoft provides customers with pervasive capabilities, such as business intelligence and collaboration incorporated, into platforms, such as Office System and Server System. While providing legitimate customer benefits, the strategy creates sales pull between Dynamics and Office desktop products and server software, such as SharePoint or SQL Server.

I call it the "buy more" strategy, because that's what many customers must do to achieve the full benefits Microsoft promises. Microsoft's business intelligence solutions require Office 2007, PerformancePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Portal Server 2007, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 as a baseline. Oh, I shouldn't leave out BizTalk Server and Dynamics products such as CRM. Microsoft offers no one-product strategy, but many products for one solution.