2/25/2008 2:38:35 PM

The SQL Server 2008 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007 help you find patterns in your data and then work with the patterns to make predictions. You do not need any prior experience with data mining or databases to use these components.

The package is a free download that includes the following add-ins:

Table Analysis Tools for Excel – Helps you analyze spreadsheet data in powerful ways with just a few mouse clicks.
Data Mining Client for Excel – Provides an easy-to-use interface to the full power of SQL Server data mining. You can clean, prepare and partition data, build and test mining models, and create sophisticated queries. You can use spreadsheet data and external data accessible through your Analysis Services database.
Data Mining Templates for Visio – Presents the results of data mining as Visio diagrams so that you can easily share the analysis with colleagues and decision-makers in your company.

This document describes the system requirements, installation process, and other requirements to use the add-ins.

Introduction

Installation Requirements

Uninstalling or Modifying the Add-ins

Additional Information

Obtaining the Add-ins

1.0 Introduction to the SQL Server 2008 Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007

This document describes how to use Microsoft® SQL Server 2008™ Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007. These add-ins must be used with Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Microsoft Office Visio 2007.

Important:

This version of the add-ins requires a connection to an instance of SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services (November 2007 CTP or February 2008 CTP) because it takes advantage of new data mining capabilities in SQL Server 2008.

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2.0 Installation Requirements

To use these add-ins, you must be able to connect to an instance of SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services (November 2007 CTP or February 2008 CTP).

To use the Data Mining Templates for Visio, you must install Visio Professional 2007.

2.1 Disk Space Requirements

During installation, you can select the add-ins to install. You can also install an Excel worksheet that contains sample data. Installation of the sample data is highly recommended if you are new to data mining, because it provides good examples of how to set up your data and helps you start constructing different types of data mining models.

The following table describes the disk space required to install the 2008 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007. Note that the add-ins share many of the same components and these numbers are approximations only:

Add-in name	Disk space required (MB)
Full install (all three add-ins)	40 MB
Table Analysis Tools for Excel	2 MB
Data Mining Client for Excel	30 MB
Data Mining Templates for Visio	1.3 MB
Server Configuration Utility	308 KB
Documentation	1.7 MB
Sample data	2.2 MB

2.2 System Requirements

Minimum of 512 MB of RAM (1 GB or more recommended)
32-bit systems (x86)
- PC with Intel or compatible Pentium III 600 MHz or higher processor (1 GHz or faster recommended)
64-bit systems (x64, ia64)
- 1GHz or faster processor

2.3 Prerequisites

In addition to the system requirements, you must ensure that the following prerequisites have been installed on the computer where you will use the add-ins, or on the server that contains the instance you will be using for data mining.

2.3.1 Supported Operating Systems

Windows 2000 Service Pack 4; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1; Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 2

Note:
SQL Server 2008 is designed to run on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

2.3.2 Microsoft .NET Framework

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher is required.

Note:
Windows XP SP2 does not include the .NET Framework by default. You can install the .NET Framework from the Microsoft download site.

2.3.3 Microsoft Office and .NET Programmability Support.

If you choose to install the Table Analysis Tools or the Data Mining Client for Excel, you must have already installed Microsoft Office 2007. Supported editions of Office 2007 include:

Professional
Professional Plus
Ultimate
Enterprise
In addition to the Office applications, .NET Programmability Support is required. When you install Office Enterprise 2007 or Visio Professional 2007 by using the default selections, .NET Programmability Support is not included unless your computer contains a prior installation of the Microsoft.NET Framework (version 1.1 or higher). You must elect to install .NET Programmability Support by doing a custom install. You can also repair an existing installation to add this feature.

If you want to view time series models by using the custom viewer provided in the Data Mining Client for Excel, you must also install the Office Web Components.

2.3.4 Microsoft Visio Professional 2007

To use the Data Mining Templates for Visio, you must install Microsoft Visio Professional 2007. You must also install .NET Programmability Support for Visio.

2.3.5 SQL Server 2008

The Data Mining Add-ins require a connection to one of the following versions of SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services:

Enterprise Edition
Standard Edition

3. Uninstalling or Modifying the Add-ins

To remove the add-ins, you can remove the add-ins from the computer, or you can leave them installed on the computer and temporarily remove them from Excel.

To remove the add-ins from the computer

Click Start, and select Control Panel.
In Windows 2003 Server or Windows XP, click Add or Remove Programs. In Vista, click Programs, and then click Uninstall a program.
From the list, select Microsoft SQL Server 2008 DM Addins for Office 2007.
Click Remove.

To remove the add-ins from Excel

Click the Office button.
Click Excel Options.
In the Excel Options dialog box, click Add-ins.
Select Excel Add-ins from the Manage dropdown list, and click Go.
In the Add-ins dialog box, deselect the option boxes for these add-ins:
- Microsoft.SqlServer.DataMining.Office.Excel.ClientConnect
- Microsoft.SqlServer.DataMining.Office.Excel.Connect
Click OK.

After installation, you can change the installed options, to add or remove add-ins.

To modify the installation and add or remove components

Click Start, and select Control Panel.
In Windows 2003 Server or Windows XP, click Add or Remove Programs. In Vista, click Programs, and then click Uninstall a program.
From the list, select Microsoft SQL Server 2008 DM Addins for Office 2007.
Click Change.

4. Additional Information

For more information about new data mining features, see What's New in SQL Server 2008 Data Mining.

4.1 Updates to Documentation

The add-ins are provided as a free download, as part of the Feature Pack for SQL Server 2008. No updates to the documentation are scheduled at this time.