Xcelsius Best Practices : Tips & Tricks

1. Preparation, Processing, Validation and Structuring of data plays a central role in dashboard best practices.
   
   
2. It's always a good start to have a rough design of the visualization on paper before starting up with the dashboard.
   
3. Use step by step process to design the visualization. For example add data to the visualization once the basic design and layout is finalized.
   
   
4. Make sure that the Excel spreadsheet should use only those Excel functions that are supported by Xcelsius else the visualization may not show expected results. The list of functions can be found in the Xcelsius Help or the MS Excel Help.
   
5. Add dynamic visibility to the visualization, so that hiding and showing components can be done based on availability of data. For example if there is no data then the component can be in hidden mode.
   
   
6. If there are large sets of data then they can be placed into multiple worksheets for easy lookup and reference.
   
   
7. Identify the right components to be used for the available data to make the dashboard more effective and interactive.
   
   
8. Test the visualization with some test data before using the actual ones. This helps us to test the outputs in terms of visibility and interactivity.
   
   
9. It's always better to test the visualization i.e. the SWF file in different environments before it is actually deployed on the actual server due to Flash Player Security issues and runtime Errors.
   
   
10. It is recommended to use Colors, Labels, Borders, Comments and Legends to identify the Inputs, Outputs and Xcelsius processing logic within the Excel spreadsheet.
    
    
11. It should be ensured that the Excel Spreadsheet is not linked to other spreadsheets, does not contain Macros or contain third party plug-ins, otherwise the visualization may not give the expected results.
    
    
12. The most commonly used data sets and processing logic should be placed at the top left corner of the Excel spreadsheet to avoid searching.
    
    
13. Minimize the number of calculations and logic as it increases the processing time and consumes more time to display the visualization. Moreover hard code the data values as much as possible and remove unused data from time to time.
    
    
14. While executing the SWF file from the desktop, it should be made trusted using the Global settings manager or using a Flash Player Trust configuration file.
    
    
15. To embed the visualization onto a Web page the option 'Export to HTML' can be used to generate the HTML for the Web page. Alternatively Flash Variables or JavaScript can also be used.
    
    
16. The MS Excel functions should be carefully selected to optimal performance of the resultant Dashboard. For example avoid using the MS Excel functions like SUMIF, COUNTIF, HLOOKUP & VLOOKUP on large sets of data to enhance performance.
    
    
17. Try to research on the features available in the latest versions of Xcelsius that might fit to the data requirements.
    
    
18. The data should be placed in an organized and logical manner in the Excel spreadsheet. For example, sufficient space should be available to the right and bottom of the data sets to so that incoming data in future can be accommodated.
    
    
19. For dynamic dashboards use features for remote Data connectivity like XML Maps and Web Services.
    
    
20. With the Latest release of Xcelsius 2008, it is possible to design custom components that can meet the visualization requirements as expected.
    
    
21. Last but not the least to remember is…. "A Good Dashboard can improve the company's performance whereas a wrong design will have the reverse effect!"
    
    

Uday Kumar P,

Blue Marlin Systems Inc.,
uday_p@bmsmail.com

www.bluemarlinsys.com/bi/info/bipapers.php