This is a massive deal for SharePoint 2013 BI.  Here is an excerpt from What’s New in SQL Server 2012:

“Business Intelligence highlights (with SQL Server 2012 SP1, Office and SharePoint Server 2013 )

Business Intelligence highlights (with SQL Server SP1, Office and SharePoint Server 2013 Preview) are:

• Enable self-service BI as a natural part of users day-to-day activities in Excel 2013:

• Access and mash-up data from any source (PowerPivot). Documentation related to PowerPivot in Excel 2013 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=255958).

• Stunning visualizations and data discovery (Power View). Documentation related to Power View in Excel (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=255957).

• Work with hundreds of millions of rows of data (powered by xVelocity in-memory technologies).

• Discover, assess and audit user created spreadsheets via SharePoint Server 2013 Preview.

• A new version of the Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint and an updated SharePoint mode report server that supports SharePoint 2013. For more information, see the following:

  • The ” SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 (SP1)” section of What’s New (Reporting Services).

  • Supported Combinations of SharePoint and Reporting Services Components .

• A new architecture for SQL Server 2012 SP1 CTP4 PowerPivot that supports a PowerPivot server outside a SharePoint 2013 farm. A Windows Installer package (spPowerpivot.msi) that enhances the PowerPivot for SharePoint experience. Additional features include PowerPivot Gallery, schedule data refresh, and management dashboard. For more information, see the following:

  • The “SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 (SP1)” section of What’s New (Analysis Services).

  • Install Analysis Services Server in SharePoint Mode for SharePoint 2013 .

• Share and collaborate on self-service BI assets via SharePoint Server 2013 Preview and SQL Server 2012 SP1.”

The key takeaway and true game changer is that the SQL SSAS engine for PowerPivot is no longer required to be on a SharePoint box.  This means you no longer need a SQL license for your SharePoint App server to be able to run PowerPivot.  Don’t miss understand, you still need to license SQL to run PowerPivot, but you can do it on a separate box that can support multiple SharePoint farms and multiple Tabular BISM solutions.  Pretty huge shift.

You can download SQL Server 2012 SP1 & SQL Server 2012 SP1 Feature Pack from these links.

Enjoy… I know I will!