Key Performance Indicators are valuable for teams, managers, and businesses to evaluate quickly the progress made against measurable goals. By using SharePoint KPIs, you can easily visualize answers to the following questions:

What am I ahead or behind on?

How far ahead or behind am I?

What is the minimum I have completed?

To create and publish KPIs in Office SharePoint Server 2007, you must follow four procedures: create a KPI list, add the KPI to the list, add a Web Part (Web Part: A modular unit of information that consists of a title bar, a frame, and content. Web Parts are the basic building blocks of a Web Part Page.) to a Web page, and link the KPI list to the Web Part.

KPI types

· Using data in SharePoint lists When SharePoint lists contain items that you can count, items that are part of a workflow, or items that contain dates, you can use a KPI to track how long the issues or tasks have been open, how many are open, and what percentage of a task is complete. You can also keep track of totals, such as the amount of time that an issue has been open or the total number of sales in a region.

· Using data in Microsoft Office Excel workbooks You can set up a KPI in an Excel workbook and link to the KPI from Office SharePoint Server 2007. As the data in the workbook changes, the KPI is automatically updated. You can choose to have the workbook displayed on the same Web page by using the Excel Web Renderer (EWR).

· Using data from Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services Office SharePoint Server 2007 can use KPIs from Analysis Services, a component of Microsoft SQL Server 2005. A systems administrator or database analyst usually sets up these KPIs and registers the data connection with Office SharePoint Server. Then, anyone with the appropriate permissions can access the database and link to the Analysis Services KPIs.

· Using manually entered information In situations where there is no formal system set up or you have a one-time project to track, you can use this KPI and enter the criteria manually. This KPI is useful for displaying information that is communicated in e-mail or some other nonstructured system.