Microsoft makes business intelligence buy

 Microsoft on Monday said it acquired privately-held ActiveViews to improve its business intelligence offerings.

ActiveViews, a small Provo, Utah, company, developed a query and reporting system that Microsoft plans to add to its SQL Server Reporting Services. The technology allows end-users to get access to business data stored in databases and create and modify reports, a feature much requested by users, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.

Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Two of the five ActiveViews employees will relocate to Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, headquarters, the spokeswoman said.

Microsoft introduced a first version of Reporting Services in January, adding reporting capabilities to SQL Server 2000, the current version of the vendor's database product. The next edition of SQL Server Reporting Services is expected to ship with SQL Server 2005 in the first half of next year.

The ActiveViews technology will be part of a future release of SQL Server Reporting Services, but the Microsoft spokeswoman could not say if it would be part of SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services.

Last month, Microsoft delayed the release of SQL Server 2005, also known by its Yukon codename, until the first half of 2005, rather than late 2004, to allow additional testing.

ActiveViews' original plans for a release of ActiveViews 1.0 in mid-2004 with a beta test version in the second quarter have been cancelled, the spokeswoman said.