Client Management Suite

Unlike my test SQL server which I prepped myself, it seems the one I'm using to store our production CMDB doesn't have SQL Server Analysis Services installed because I don't even see it listed in services.msc.  Supposedly defaults were taken when SQL 2008 R2 was installed on our production box so not sure why SSAS wasn't included.  Has anyone else come across this before and whether installing SSAS requires a reboot of the SQL server?

Also, is using IT Analytics really worth my hassling with figuring out how to add SSAS onto our production SQL server box?  I survived just fine without something like IT Analytics on our Altiris 6 server so wondering whether you guys find it an indispensable tool on ITMS (7.1 SP2 MP1) and in what ways?

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) are not installed by default (and are not available on SQL Server Express Edition AFAIK).

Don't think it needs a reboot, but you can never tell. YMMV.

If you are in the sort of environment where people are always asking you for custom reports IT Analytics is good because you can just give them the tool.

I usually take the defaults when installing stuff (especially in this case when I don't know much about SQL) so not sure why my test SQL server has SSAS whereas the one prepped by someone else (who said he also took the defaults) doesn't have it.  Some posts on the Internet say that SSAS is installed if "Analysis Services" is listed in SQL Management Studio although both servers show this object with our production one not even listing SSAS under services.msc.

Anyway, I've been creating custom reports (as needed) in Altiris 6 for years so don't really mind doing the same with ITMS.  IT Analytics looks cool and seems similar to creating pivot tables in Excel which, honestly, confuses the heck out of me so perhaps I don't need ITA (hehe).

I've just spent over 18 months as the sole admin of a 2,000 plus client estate and never got round to using ITA myself. Seems a bit of a waste, though.