Dundas Releases New SQL Server Tool

Dundas Software Ltd, one of the business intelligencepartners that could feel the brunt of Microsoft Corp'srecent takeover of ProClarity Corp, has released a newproduct for SQL Server 2005.The Toronto-based company has unveiled the DundasGauge for Reporting Services, which layers dashboardand scorecard visualizations on top of SQL Server 2005'sbuilt-in Reporting Services engine.The "gauges" refer to circular, linear and numeric dial-likeand knob-like visualizations -- much like those used byclassic Executive Information Systems (EIS) -- fordepicting key performance indicators.Dundas has already released a charting tool (DundasChart) for Reporting Services. Dundas Gauge forReporting Services costs $700 for a design license and$1,300 per processor.Despite Microsoft's increasing appetite in BI, the companyremains committed to SQL Server."We remain dedicated to bringing the best datavisualization and dashboard solutions to users ofReporting Services 2005" said Troy Marchand, vicepresident of product development at Dundas.