MAX 2005: Brian's Notes from the Field Part II: Crystal Xcelsius

 
Nov 17, 2005

by Brian Meloche

One of the things announced at MAX 2005 was Breeze's SyncSWF API. This new API allows Flash developers to create Flash content and applications for Breeze meetings. When SyncSWF-enabled content is used, meetings can turn into customized collaborative experiences.

The Breeze Meetings Extensions SyncSWF SDK is a new extensibility platform that allows Flash and Flex authors to build multi-user applications that are hosted within Breeze Meeting, using only a set of standard client-side components to handle messaging.

One of the first products taking advantage of the SyncSWF API is Business Objects' Crystal Xcelsius. On November 1, 2005, Infommersion, the company that created Xcelsius, was purchased by Business Objects, the company best known for Crystal Reports. Consequently, the product has been renamed Crystal Xcelsius (although their slogan, "steal the show," remains the same. Business Objects is launching a Crystal Xcelsius plug-in for Breeze, so that you can produce an interactive version of Xcelsius output (a SWF file) that can be used by all users in a live Breeze Meeting.

At MAX 2005, Infommersion Director of Sales for Charles Rudolph called Xcelsius "eye candy for executives", but it's more. It's a tool that creates interactive data analytics that help executives make business decisions. Although Crystal Xcelsius creates SWFs, it has an intuitive IDE, and no Flash, ActionScript or other programming knowledge is required, but it does help to be an adept Excel and Windows user. It uses Excel files for data (hence the name). The Enterprise XE version (renamed Crystal Xcelsius Workgroup since the Infommersion acquisition) can also take advantage of XML and Web Services. Crystal Xcelsius can produce slider controls, gauges, and filters that help generate those "what-if" scenarios and other analysis methods that executives use to make business decisions. These SWFs can then be exported into other files (in the Professional and Workgroup versions only), such as a PowerPoint presentation, PDF, email or a web page, with a single click, where the presenter can change the results interactively.


Crystal Xcelsius Workgroup IDE - Creating the sample below

I went through the Quick Starts, and it was relatively simple to produce the SWF file shown below within about 45 minutes. I suspect that creating a custom object would take quite a bit longer, although you would probably get faster the more you worked with the software.

Crystal Xcelsius is available in three versions. Crystal Xcelsius Standard (formerly Xcelsius XL Standard; $195 per seat) is the base version and allows you to create SWFs using Excel spreadsheets for the data. Crystal Xcelsius Professional (formerly Xcelsius XL Professional; $495 per seat) allows one click exporting to PowerPoint, PDF or HTML, drill-down charts, broad Excel function support, and add-on library capabilities. What used to be called X° Xcelsius Enterprise XE has been renamed Crystal Xcelsius Workgroup (starting at $2495). In addition to Excel data suport, Crystal Xcelsius Workgroup increases the capabilities significantly by also using external data sources via Web Services or XML. This allows you to create data analytics within other applications. Although the SWF files can be viewed with any OS and browser, the IDE is Windows only.


This is the final SWF product of a Crystal Xcelsius project. The sliders are fully interactive.

A beta for the Breeze plugin for Crystal Xcelsius will be released soon. Check www.xcelsius.com for updates.

Crystal Xcelsius is a tool that both executives and developers can use to "steal the show", and I look forward to stealing a few shows with it!!!
Brian Meloche is an active member of the ColdFusion programming community. He manages the Cleveland Macromedia Users Group, is actively involved in the Macromedia User Group (MMUG) Portal Project, and blogs at http://www.brianmeloche.com/blog.
SWF/HTML assistance by Jared Rypka-Hauer, C. Hatton Humphrey and Michael Dinowitz.

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