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

THE MOST TRUSTED GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED Written by writers for writers and backed by 89 years of authority, Writer's Market is the #1 resource for helping writers sell their work. Used by both seasoned professionals and writers new to the publishing world, Writer's Market has helped countless writers transform their love of writing from a hobby into a career. Nowhere else but in the 2010 Writer's Market will you find the most comprehensive and reliable information you need. This new edition includes: Complete, up-to-date contact information and submission guidelines for more than 3,500 market listings, including literary agents, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, production companies, theaters, greeting card companies, and more. Informative interviews, helpful tips and instructional articles on the business of writing. The "How Much Should I Charge?" pay rate charts for professional freelancers. Sample good and bad queries in the "Query Letter Clinic." Easy-to-use format and tabbed pages so you can quickly locate the information you need!

Over 90 simple and incredibly effective recipes for transforming your business data into exciting dashboards with SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.0 Xcelsius with this book and eBook.

The definitive reference for building actionable business intelligence—completely revised for SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0. Unleash the full potential of business intelligence with fact-based decisions, aligned to business goals, using reports and dashboards that lead from insight to action. SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0: The Complete Reference offers completely updated coverage of the latest BI platform. Find out how to work with the new Information Design Tool to create universes that access multiple data sources and SAP BW. See how to translate complex business questions into highly efficient Web Intelligence queries and publish your results to the BI Launchpad. Learn how to create dashboards from data sourced through a universe or spreadsheet. The most important concepts for universe designers, report and dashboard authors, and business analysts are fully explained and illustrated by screenshots, diagrams, and step-by-step instructions. Establish and evolve BI goals Maximize your BI investments by offering the right module to the right user Create robust universes with the Information Design Tool, leveraging multiple data sources, derived tables, aggregate awareness, and parameters Develop a security plan that is scalable and flexible Design Web Intelligence reports from basic to advanced Create sophisticated calculations and advanced formatting to highlight critical business trends Build powerful dashboards to embed in PowerPoint or the BI Launchpad Use Explorer to visually navigate large data sets and uncover patterns

Explains how to use all of the features in Xcelsius Teaches you how to build and customize interactive dash-boards to effectively visualize your key business data Provides guidance on using Xcelsius in an SAP environment Learn how to build your own Xcelsius dashboards, with this practical book. It explains how to use Xcelsius in an end-to-end, linear common usage manner, while highlighting typical scenarios where each feature can be used to solve business problems. It also gives you detailed, step-by-step guidance and best-practices for each feature, along with hands-on exercises that will help you begin creating dashboards and visualizations quickly. And if you re more advanced, you ll learn how to customize the Xcelsius components, themes, and data connections so you can use Xcelsius to the fullest extent.

Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. Although dashboards are potentially powerful, this potential is rarely realized. The greatest display technology in the world won't solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you'll never use it, even if it's filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights. Don't let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste. This book will teach you the visual design skills you need to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly. "Information Dashboard Design will explain how to: Avoid the thirteen mistakes common to dashboard design Provide viewers with the information they need quickly and clearly Apply what we now know about visual perception to the visual presentation of information Minimize distractions, cliches, and unnecessary embellishments that create confusion Organize business information to support meaning and usability Create an aesthetically pleasing viewing experience Maintain consistency of design to provide accurate interpretation Optimize the power of dashboard technology by pairing it with visual effectiveness Stephen Few has over 20 years of experience as an IT innovator, consultant, and educator. As Principal of the consultancy Perceptual Edge, Stephen focuses on data visualization for analyzing and communicating quantitative business information. He provides consulting and training services, speaks frequently at conferences, and teaches in the MBA program at the University ofCalifornia in Berkeley. He is also the author of "Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten. Visit his website at www.perceptualedge.com.

If you are a developer with a good command and knowledge of creating dashboards, but are not yet an advanced user of SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, then this is the perfect book for you. Prerequisites include a good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel as well as knowledge of basic dashboard practices.