Microsoft is restricting which of its Office 2013 SKUs will include access to its PowerPivot data-analytics add-in, which is a key component of the company's business-intelligence platform.



From All About Microsoft:

Excel has become a cornerstone of Microsoft's business-intelligence strategy. With Excel 2010, Microsoft made PowerPivot -- one of its prime data-analytics technologies -- available for use by anyone with any edition of Excel 2010 by installing the PowerPivot for Excel add-in.

But with Excel 2013, the latest version of Microsoft's spreadsheet program, only those with the Office Professional Plus version of the new Office will have full access to Excel 2013's BI capabilities.

  Can Microsoft bring BI to the masses if the Excel 2013 masses can't get BI?