Xcelsius 2008 Dashboard Best Practices (Business Objects Press) (Paperback)

by Loren Abdulezer (Author)
Key Phrases: spreadsheet table, web services, panel container, Flex Builder, Object Browser, Tab Set (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

THE DEFINITIVE, COMPREHENSIVE, OFFICIAL GUIDE TO XCELSIUS 2008 DASHBOARDS

Using Xcelsius, you can create powerful, interactive dashboards, gather data from spreadsheets or databases, and deliver knowledge that can be instantly understood and acted upon. Now there’s a definitive, authoritative guide to making the most of Xcelsius 2008, the newest version of this breakthrough product.

 

Loren Abdulezer, editor-in-chief of Xcelsius Journal, shares insider’s knowledge that goes far beyond any other book or online help resource. Abdulezer introduces Xcelsius 2008, reviews its core concepts, and demonstrates the wide range of dashboards it can create. After you know what’s possible, you’ll go deep inside Xcelsius, gaining hands-on experience with every feature you need to master. You’ll learn how to quickly represent any data with charting components; use dials, gauges, and speedometers; incorporate multiple layers in your dashboards and visualizations; use Xcelsius to perform more useful analyses and manage more interactively; work with maps, demographics, and segmented data; create “smart data” and alerts; and much more.

 

Abdulezer offers tips and tricks you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll learn how to work with data that isn’t rock-solid--and even how to create your own custom components that go beyond Xcelsius’s built-in features. Whether you’re a business intelligence or database professional, power user, developer, or consultant, this book will help you create superior Xcelsius dashboards--and make better decisions.

 

THE ONLY XCELSIUS 2008 DASHBOARDING BOOK YOU NEED

• Use Xcelsius 2008 to get better answers, identify emerging trends and opportunities, and manage more effectively
• Learn hands-on, through step-by-step examples using real business data
• Discover tips and tricks proven in real-world environments
• Deliver dashboard content in whatever format works best: as HTML pages, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, or Word documents
• Fully leverage the information in your Excel spreadsheets--and go beyond Excel to use XML source data, too
• Implement Xcelsius best practices drawn from the hard-won knowledge of the entire global user community

 

ON THE WEB

• Registered owners of the book can find all this and more online:
• All sample files used in the book
• Additional guides and tutorials to help you build dashboards
• Templates and example files for new dashboard interfaces

Introduction 1

Part I Xcelsius 2008 Fundamentals

1 Motivation for Using Xcelsius 2008     11

2 Showcase of Xcelsius 2008 Dashboards     33

3 Getting Familiar with Xcelsius 2008     43

4 Embedded Spreadsheets: The Secret Sauce of Xcelsius 2008     69

5 Using Charts and Graphs to Represent Data     127

6 Single Value Components: Dials, Gauges, Speedometers, and the Like     157

Part II Xcelsius 2008 Best Practices and Techniques

7 Using Multi-Layer Visibility in Your Dashboards and Visualizations     181

8 Managing Interactivity     203

9 Xcelsius and Statistics     229

10 Financial Analysis     257

11 Maps in Xcelsius     275

12 Smart Data and Alerts     297

13 Working with Less-Than-Optimal Data     315

14 Other Dashboard Techniques and Practices     337

Part III Advanced Features

15 XML and Data Connectivity     353

16 Creating Custom Components for Fun and Profit     371

Part IV Appendices

A Supported Spreadsheet Functions in Xcelsius 2008     401

B Xcelsius Product Family Comparison     415

C Xcelsius Best Practice Techniques and Hip Pocket Tips     425

Index     431

About the Author

Loren Abdulezer is CEO and president of Evolving Technologies Corporation, a New York-based technology consulting firm that specializes in visual data analysis. He has a long-standing record in the Xcelsius community and has been a staunch proponent of the technology since its early days.

 

Loren is the editor-in-chief of Xcelsius Journal (www.XcelsiusJournal.com), an online magazine dedicated to users in the Xcelsius user community. Loren also started the website Xcelsius Best Practices (www.XcelsiusBestPractices.com). Loren is the author of Excel Best Practices for Business and Escape from Excel Hell. He served as the technical editor of Crystal Xcelsius For Dummies. He can be reached at [e-mail].

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Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672329956
• ISBN-13: 978-0672329951
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,201 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Xcelsius Guru Bookshelf Favorite, March 17, 2009

By	A. International "Atlanta Genius Girl" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is rated A+ by the Xcelsius Guru Network! Business Objects should consider sending it with each Xcelsius license they sell. With such a limited amount of material available surrounding Xcelsius and the 'Best Practices' required to efficiently use the tool, Loren does a great job to serve every level of developer:

1) Beginners - Finally get to understand how to use the cool correctly from the start!
2) Advanced users - Now have the ability to gain step by step instruction on how to clean up their existing models to enhance performance and leverage the softwware for more advanced applications!
3) Gurus - Get to brush on a few tips, learn from a fellow Guru and finally have a daily reference for Xcelsius!

We think Loren did a great job and this book is currently rated #1 in our Xcelsius Guru Network bookshelf. It's simple a must have for the Xcelsius developer.


The Xcelsius Gurus
http://www.EverythingXcelsius.com
http://www.twitter.com/XcelsiusGurus

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of Xcelsius!, January 22, 2009

By	Kalyan Verma "http://myxcelsius.com" (Chicago, GA) - See all my reviews

I've been working with Xcelsius since 3 years now and I have not seen a book on Xcelsius which is as detailed as this one. Although I learned a lot from Mike Alexander's Dummies book Crystal Xcelsius For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)), this one is different. Learning Xcelsius is different from effectively using Xcelsius. This book will help you understand and implement Xcelsius for your Dashboard Solutions. The humongous list of best practices that Loren put together in this book is very impressive. I thought it would be a skinny book with few best practices, however when I received the shipment, I was amazed to see that it was a pretty fat book (400+ pages). I was so Curious to know how he came up with so many best practices. When started reading about it, I was amazed to know that there were actually a lot of best practices that I didn't knew. Almost 70% of them were new to me.

From Fundamentals to Advanced features, Loren touched every aspect of Xcelsius Dashboard Design. Although there was a Chapter (Chapter 15) dedicated to Data Connectivity to create Live Dashboards, I would have been thoroughly satisfied if it had more information on other types of data connections available in Xcelsius 2008. Nevertheless, this book is a great compilation of Xcelsius Best Practices.

A must have for any Xcelsius Developer (Novice or Pro).

Regards,
Kalyan Verma
http://myxcelsius.com

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good tutorial, June 3, 2009

By	Gideon Reich (CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Abdulezer's book is an excellent tutorial on Xcelsius 2008. I've now worked through the first 8 chapters and have learned much about how to use the application effectively. Be sure to download the useful example files .