Microsoft will offer analysis and planning applications as an add-on to its Office suite, a move meant to steer corporate customers away from specialised business-intelligence providers.

The Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, due mid-2007, will provide a set of programs geared at helping knowledge workers to make more informed decisions.

The package, formerly code-named 'Biz Sharp', will include a server and tools for analysing data, creating "scorecards" for measuring corporate health, and planning applications.

End users will access them from Excel, SharePoint portal or Outlook, said Lewis Levin, corporate vice president for Office Business Applications.

He said: "Our vision is that business intelligence should apply to nearly everyone," including most people who have "discretion over how they spend their time".

Office PerformancePoint Server is the latest addition to Microsoft's expanding business intelligence strategy.

Business intelligence (BI) tools, which generate regular reports or allow people to analyse data sources, are typically standalone products supplied by specialised providers.

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