With the built-in data analytical and processing functions, this means you are not required to build complex data warehousing or separate OLAPS server. You can simply retrieve the datasource as usual and bind it to the Grid instance by either using DataSource Control or custom datasource object.

The pivot data analysis and processing offered in WebGrid 6.0 is a simplified approach to build Business Intelligence application. Business Intelligence (BI) is a far more complex system which takes advantage of multiple technologies such as data warehousing, data dimensioning, cubes and data mining. One of the most popular Business Intelligence tool today is Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services.

The built-in data analytical function in WebGrid 6.0 is a scale-down version of Business Intelligence which primarily focused on single datasource and Charting projection of the pivot data. The concept adopted in WebGrid 6.0 is more similar to those in Microsoft Access 2007 rather than SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services.

Although you cannot connect directly to SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services data sources such as its cubes, dimensions etc - you can build a comprehensive query in your OLTP relational database to get a combined result to simulate the cubes in Analysis Services. When bound to WebGrid, the available fields can be specified as the facts and measures. You can have more than one facts and measures in the current implementation of Pivot Charting in WebGrid 6.0, which allows you to build a simplified Business Intelligence application.

In the future releases, WebGrid.NET Enterprise® will include more comprehensive functions to process larger Business Intelligence application by offering out-of-the-box integration with MDX technology and Analysis Services. This is made possible with the robust architecture of the current release which is extensible to the path of larger BI presentation implementation.