Crystal Xcelsius

By : Vikash Sharma
Wajidth Raja Abbas
 Topics
• Crystal Xcelsius: At A Glance

• Understand the Xcelsius Process

• Xcelsius Functionality

• Xcelsius Components

• Advanced Features

• Crystal Xcelsius Connectivity Options

• Crystal Xcelsius Designer Integration Features

• Limitations of Crystal Xcelsius

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Crystal Xcelsius:
At A Glance
 Introducing… Cr ys tal Xcelsi us

Powerful, yet simple, dynamic visualizations

 Turn Data into Information

 Based on Excel data and formulas

 Live XML and Web Service data

 Interactive What-If Analysis

 Drill-Down, Charts, Gauges, Dials

 Export to Office, PDF, and HTML

 Flash format – Easy to Embed

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 Crystal Xcelsius: At A Glance
What is Crystal Xcelsius

 Crystal Xcelsius bridges the gap between data analysis

and data presentation, converting spreadsheet tables into
interactive dashboards.

 It is a data visualization design tool that displays

summary-level business data in a visually rich and intuitive
format that allows users to analyze and interact with their
data in order to make better business decisions.

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Understand the Xcelsius
Process
 Understand the Xcelsius Process

1. Source data from: 2. Create an 3. Output final interactive

• Excel spreadsheets interactive analytic or presentation to
• XML data presentation with Crystal Vision Server,
• SOAP-based Web point-and-click. BusinessObjects Enterprise,
Services any web page, PowerPoint,
Outlook or PDF

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Xcelsius Functionality
 Xcelsius Functionality
1 Connect to 2 Data is populated 3 Import Excel model
4 Publish Visualization to
corporate data into Excel model into Crystal Xcelsius Crystal Vision Server
sources via Web and generate or BusinessObjects
Visualization
Services, Enterprise, export to
LiveOffice, Query Outlook, PowerPoint,
etc.
as a Web Service,
XML, etc.

Business
Data Visualization
Connectivity

Data Source Tier Business Logic Tier Visualization Tier Web/Client Tier

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 Xcelsius Functionality
Dashboard Deployment

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Xcelsius Components
 Xcelsius Components
Chart components

Single value components

Selector components

Map component

Art and Background components

Collaboration components

Web Connectivity Components

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Advanced Features
 Advanced Features
Dynamic Visibility functionality

Ignore End Blanks for variable length ranges

Alerts

Use Web Service Option

Using Flash Variables to update a visualization

Using the XML Data Button component

Using collaboration components

Creating templates

Using Global Styles

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Crystal Xcelsius
Connectivity Options
 Crystal Xcelsius Connectivity Options

Crystal Xcelsius relies upon an internal XML parser and the HTTP
connectivity of the Flash engine to receive external data.This can be
accomplished by Four different methods:

 XML Maps in Excel 2003

 Web Services (Dynamic Web Query)

 XML Data button.

 Query as a Web service (QaaWS)

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 XML Maps in Excel 2003
Step 1.
Map the XML file to a new Excel spreadsheet, and then pull the XML data
into the Excel spreadsheet. This can be done by clicking on Data > XML
menu > XML Source.
Step 2.

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 XML Maps in Excel 2003
Step 3

Your data presentation is now

configured to automatically pull
data from the XML file every 5
seconds.

Refreshing Using a Refresh Button

The second option for

updating the data is to add the
XML Map Refresh button and
set up its Properties panel to
available XML Maps.

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 Web Services (Dynamic Web Query)

What are Web

Services Web services are application components
Web services communicate using open protocols
Web services are self-contained and self-describing
Web services can be discovered using UDDI
Web services can be used by other applications

XML is the basis for Web services

XML provides a language which can be used between different platforms
and programming languages and still express complex messages and
functions.
Web services platform elements
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
Format for sending msg, platform Independent and access web services
• UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)
Directory for storing information about web services
• WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
Describe and Locate Web services
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 Web Services (Dynamic Web Query)
Step 1. Step 2.

Step 3.
After selecting the Range Go To
File -> Export Settings and select
Use Web Service Option.

The URL that we will specify will

be the name of our XML file.

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 Web Services (Dynamic Web Query)
Step 4.

When the SWF file was created, Xcelsius also created an XML file with the
same name.

• The XML file is located in the same directory as the SWF file. If you open
up the XML file you will see a basic row and column format

• Open the Flash file in Internet Explorer, and open the created XML file in
notepad.

• Make a change to one of the data items in the XML file,and save. You will
notice that within 5 seconds the data within the SWF file has changed to
reflect the update.

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 Web Services (Dynamic Web Query)
Format of XML File
<data>
<variable name="CompanyOrderDetails">
<row>
<column>CompanyName</column>
<column>Quantity</column>
</row>
<row>
<column>Laughing Bacchus Wine
Cellars</column>
<column>17</column>
</row>
<row>
<column>Old World Delicatessen</column>
<column>70</column>
</row>
</variable>
The other important feature of this format is the
</data>
variable tag. The variable name must match to the name of the Range in
Xcelsius.
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 XML Data button
Using a Script on the Server to Return XML data

Add XML Data Button and

then define the URL which
will be called by your
dashboard or data
presentation (Flash file)
when the XML Data button
is pushed. The URL can be
any script or application
that will return the correctly
formatted XML data
source.

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 Query as a Web Service

Overview:

• Query as a Web Service lets you create custom web services for specific
queries using Business Objects Web Services.

• Query as a Web Service provides new types of user-driven client

solutions for businesses. For example, it enables Crystal Xcelsius to
aggregate multiple disparate data sources into a trusted BI view.

• Using Query as a Web Service, business users define their own query
from a universe, and then easily and securely publish that query as a
standalone web service.

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 Query as a Web Service
Architecture

Query as a Web Service is based on the W3C web service specifications

SOAP, WSDL, and XML. It has two main components:

• Server component

• Client tool

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 Query as a Web Service
Consuming Query as a Web Service in Xcelsius

1. Drag and drop this

object to Panel.
2. Double click and open
Property window and
put web service URL.

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 Query as a Web Service
Consuming Query as a Web Service in Xcelsius

3. Submit the URL and select

required cell from excel file for login
and password.

4. Check the refresh option checkbox

to call web service from the Behavior
tab of property window.

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Crystal Xcelsius Designer
Integration Features
 Crystal Xcelsius Designer Integration Features

Storing Xcelsius files in BusinessObjects Enterprise

Storing XLF file to Enterprise Folder

Opening XLF files from an Enterprise folder

Exporting SWF files to an Enterprise folder

Viewing SWF files in InfoView

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Limitations Of
Crystal Xcelsius
 Limitations Of Crystal Xcelsius

• Most of complex Excel Functions are not supported in Xcelsius

when data is being retrieved dynamically into Excel using web
services e.g. Vlookup, Substring, Search etc.

• Xcelsius does not support Macro.

• If data is populating dynamically in Excel file then it is slowing

down the Xcelsius Dashboard performance as we use XML file
or web service in midway to get data.

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 Questions ?

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