PerformancePoint Services (PPS) - Configuration

What is PerformancePoint Services (PPS) in SharePoint 2010

In Definition

The definition would be that it enables you to create rich, context-driven dashboards that aggregate data and content to provide a complete view of how your business is performing at all levels.

The quick elevator pitch would be that PerformancePoint Services is the easiest way to create and publish Business Intelligence Dashboards in SharePoint 2010.

The concept of a dashboard takes root where you might assume. It’s the pilot’s cockpit display, the driver’s car dashboard…basically how you gauge and monitor the success of any activity from driving a Formula 1 race car to running a Fortune 500 company.

In any business enterprise, monitoring that success means access to data. SharePoint 2010 is able to use many technologies to view data, but PerformancePoint lives and breathes data. We replace the fuel gauge and speedometer with KPIs, Scorecards and Data Visualizations that are connected to the data in a that allows you to dive in and answer questions.

In Practice

Now that you have heard the marketing lingo, what is PerformancePoint Services made of, and how can you get value out of it? PerformancePoint Services is part of SharePoint 2010 and surfaces itself in a web part page like a SharePoint savvy user might expect. The unique part is two fold.

PerformancePoint Services starts with it’s authoring experience. The Dashboard Designer application is your toolbox to create from the bottom up: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Scorecards, Analytic Charts and Grids, Reports, Filters and Dashboards. Each of these components are unique to PerformancePoint Services and provide functionality that interacts with a server component that handles the hard parts like data connectivity and security.

The Dashboard Designer is a WYSIWYG experience, the pieces you build will appear in the browser exactly how you created them. That brings us to the second part, the end-user experience. PerformancePoint Services is designed with sharing in mind. The pieces you build are bundled into a dashboard and presented in a SharePoint page that understands who is viewing it and what they are allowed to see. That means you design, you publish and they consume…no IT involvement, no complicated workflows.

This article is divided in two main sections:

1. Configuring Performance Point Services (PPS).
2. Consuming the PPS Service and creating a Scorecard and Chart.

Configuring Performance Point Services (PPS):

For configuring PPS, one should complete the following four steps to use Performance Point features. The four important steps are:

1. Start a Secure Store Service and Performance Point Service at farm level via Central Admin.
2. Configure the Secure Store Service.
3. Create and configure the PPS application.

Start Secure Store Service and Performance Point Service

To start configuration of the Secure Store Service and Performance Point Service, we have to start on the Farm. For that go to Central Admin -> Application Management -> Service Application -> Manage Service on server.

Here on this page there are many services available. Out of these services, start Performance Point Service and Secure Store Service as shown below:

This will allow configuring further steps.

Configure the Secure Store Service

The Secure Store Service is a new addition to SharePoint 2010. Basically it replaces the Single Sign On feature. It is a service that has a secure database which stores the credentials associated with application IDs which can be used to authorize access to external data sources.

To configure the Secure Store Service, enter Central Admin -> Application Management -> Manage service applications.

Here you can create a new Secure Store Application or use an existing one. Let’s create a new Secure Store Service application.
For that, click on New and select Secure Store Service.

Here it will pop up a window for creation of the new Secure Store.

Provide Name, Database Server and Database Details, Application pool, and Manage Account detail.
I created a Secure Store named SecureStoreForPerformancePoint.
Once the Secure Store is created then there is no key generated which would encrypt the credentials. To create a new key, click on “Generate new key” on the top ribbon.

A pass phrase needs to be created to encrypt the key. Accept the check to Re-encrypt the Database Using the New Key and click OK.

On successful generation of the Secure Store Service, it shows the following screen.

On creation of the Secure Store Service, it has to be associated with the application. To configure the association, go to CA -> Application Management.

This shows the association of all default services with all web applications. Select the web site where you want to use the Performance point service and make the newly created Secure Store Service as default.

Creating and configuring the PPS application

Once the Secure Store service is configured then to create and configure the PerformancePoint service application, re-enter CA ->Application Management -> Manage service applications.

Enter an appropriate application name. In the “Application Pool” area, we can create a new application pool or choose an existing one. After filling in all details, click on “Create“.

Once the Performance Point Service is created, we need to set up an unattended service account so that we can use a single shared account to access an external data source. To do so, select the newly created Performance Point Service and click on “Manage” on the ribbon.

There will be several options such as defining the trusted data source location or content locations, importing PPS content and others. For our purpose, click on "PerformancePoint Service Application Settings".

By default the Secure Store Service name will be pre-populated. In order to configure the unattended account, provide an appropriate username and password and click OK.

Once the Performance Point Service is created, this service also needs to be associated with a Web Application similar to what we did with the Secure Store Service.

Once the service is configured then it can be consumed for creating Scorecard and Chart reports.
Consuming the PPS Service and creating Scorecard and Reports

Performance Point Service in SharePoint is provided a site template named Business Intelligence Center. The user can create a Web Application from Central Admin by making use of this template and start using Performance Point Service for creating Scorecard and Reports using Dashboard Designer.

However Performance Point Service can be consumed on any other site template as well by activating some features related to this service and also start using Performance Point Service for creating Scorecard and Reports using Dashboard Designer. (I follow this way). Follow the below steps:

1. Activate required features
2. Create List and Library
3. Create Scorecard using Dashboard Designer
4. Create Report using Dashboard Designer
5. Show Scorecard and Report on site

 Activate required features

I created a Web Application by using the Team Site Template. On this team site, the user has to Activate Feature at two places.

1. On this site, go to Site Settings -> Site collection Administration -> Site Collection Features (Note: Only Site collection Admin can see this link and can perform this step).

And Activate PerformancePoint Services Site Collection Features as shown below:

b. On this site, go to Site Settings -> Site Actions -> Manage Site Features

And activate PerformancePoint Services Site Features as shown below:

Create List and Library

After activating above mentioned features, you are allowed to consume PPS. Now, create a Library of type Performance Point to store data connections.

And also create a List of type Performance Point Content List, as shown below:

The List and Library will help to create Scorecard and Reports.
Create Scorecard using Dashboard Designer

For creating Scorecard go to PPS Configuration List and click on Add New Item Link. Doing so will open the Dashboard Designer window (the first time it will ask to download and run an ActiveX control for Dashboard Designer).

Here in this Dashboard Designer

1. Let’s first create a Data connection in the PPS Connection Library.

For that right click on it and click on New Data Source.

Here various types of data sources are available. I am planning to consume data from an Analytical service.

The next screen provides server name, database name, and cube name to consume. (I am using the AdventureWorks database.)

Once the Data Connection is created, you rename and save the same.

2. For creating a Scorecard, right click on PPS Configuration list in Dashboard Designer.

This will show a dialog box to select a template for a Scorecard, as shown below:

Make sure you select the Analysis Services template from Microsoft for our Scorecard. We will use a Wizard option for our Scorecard. This wizard will guide us to select a data source. The next step is to add a new KPI in our Scorecard or select the existing KPIs from our data source (in case you have any). The steps are shown below:

Once you select the data source, click the Next button in the wizard. This will take you to a step where we can either import existing KPIs from our data source or we can create new KPIs. Choose ‘Create new KPIs from SQL Server Analysis Services Measures’ and click the Next button.

Create KPI as shown below:

Now click the Next button until you reach the Finish wizard button. Keep all the default settings. Rename your Scorecard as ‘Sales Scorecard’. You are now done with a basic scorecard with three KPIs. It should look like the one shown below:

Now let’s modify the Scorecard by adding our products and timeline. You will see a ‘Details’ window on your right hand side screen, as shown below:

Add Country on Actual and Target and selected the desired country as shown below:

Then click on Edit and Update from top ribbon. Your Scorecard value will change as shown below:

Similarly, add Calendar Year from right side on Scorecard.

And Select desired members as shown below:

Again Edit and Update from top ribbon. Your Scorecard value will change as shown below:

That’s all. Your Scorecard is ready.
Create Report using Dashboard Designer

Reports are also created using Dashboard Designer. In Dashboard Designer, right click on PPS Configuration List.

In the popup wizard, select Report Template. Here we select Analytical Chart.

In the next step it will ask to select Data Source. Select the AdventureWorks data source which we created while creating the Scorecard.

On clicking Finish, it will create a Report Window. To configure the report, we have to put dimension data.
Let’s put Product data in Series as shown below:

On Adding, it shows as below:

On Adding, it shows as below:

Click on the dropdown and select the desired products.

Then Add Fiscal Year from right side detail window into Bottom series as shown below:

And that’s all. Report is ready as shown below:

Showing Scorecard and Report on site
The Scorecard and Report are created using Dashboard Designer and saved into the PPS Configuration List. Now to show them on a site, SharePoint provides OOB Webparts. Those are Performance Point Scorecard and Report.

For displaying Scorecard, use Scorecard webpart and provide the path of your newly created Scorecard in the Location property. The same is applicable for reports as well.