Power Point XCelsius dashboard - Offline navigation of last data retrieved

[Former Member]

Hi all,

my problem is concerned with the possibility to distribuite PowerPoint XCelsius dashboard that maintain inside them the data of last online refresh.

I have built a dashboard that retrieves the data only by pressing the refresh button. I saved the dashboard in ppt format.

When i'm connected to the intranet, i open the ppt file, after pressing the refresh button the InfoView credential input mask appear; i submit user and password and the data appear. Then i esc from the presentation, save the ppt file and close. When i reopen the file the dashboard appear without the data that i retrieved at the save moment.

For my projectual requirements this is dramatic!!!

Obviously the question is this:

Is possible to create a XCelsius dashboard saved in ppt format that maintain, after saving it, the data retrieved in the last online refresh?

Can you help me?

best regards

[Former Member]

Thanks for the suggestions but this isn't a good practice for my requirements.

Infact we must distribuite through PowerPoint an XCelsius Dashboard that directors of varius departments can pass from a pc to another with the data of last refresh. Obviously with the scenario button it isn't possible....I made an experiment by creating a scenario on my local machine and transferring the .sol file on another. The other pc sees the scenario saved in the first pc. But it's necessary transfer the .sol file in a particular subfolder of Macromedia folder...it's hard and dangerous to say to a director to do similar operations!!! In addition if a launch the CCC cleaner the .sol files are deleted...

So, the question is the same again, which could be a best practice (if it exists) to transfer from a pc to another a Power point XCelsius dashboard with inside the data of last online refresh?? I don't want pass from refreshing the dashboard by means of designer and Live office and export it on power point (in this case it mantain the data). Otherwise, but this should be a difficult solution for me, is necessary to do a visual basic/flash program to find some work around?

Thanks

Best regards

[DebjitSingha]

As you already thought Liveoffice connection would be a solution or else you can use "External Interface" connection available in xcelsius, to extract data in some XML file and then use that file for day today data extraction. save the XML file in some common location (on the server side), update it whenever required. Use the XML connectivity for data connection.

[Former Member]

...and I know it doesn't help solve your problem, but I always try to set the expectation early on that Xcelsius is an on-line only tool.

I've heard talk of something coming in BI4.0 that will allow publishing of dashboards, but I can't find anything in its current form (BI4.0 SP1).

[Former Member]

We have handled this need with a tool that you can add to your Xcelsius or Dashboard Design model and it will export to PowerPoint (PPT as well as Image and PDF) as a snapshot of the screen. You can add this call as a button to your dashboard or directly from a URL that you can place in InfoView or any application. It can be found at www.mcmanussoft.com

Kevin

[Former Member]

Hi,

Try the 'Local Scenario Button' component. This might be good enough, but the local version that is saved should not be considered robust long-term storage.

There are a few posts on the interwebs about persistent data in Xcelsius, like here:

http://ryangoodman.net/blog/index.php/2008/06/08/saving-scenarios-with-xcelsius

Hope that helps.