BusinessObjects Touts Xcelsius Present

August 12, 2008

BusinessObjects Xcelsius Present is now available. Xcelsius Present is a data-visualization tool that transforms ordinary, static Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheets into captivating visuals and allows business users to share them via Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe PDF files. Through interactive data visualizations and a simple, point-and-click interface, Xcelsius Present enables business users to create professional-looking visuals in just minutes, resulting in engaging experiences for presenters and audiences alike. Using interactive graphics – including dials, charts and gauges that clearly convey business cases and demonstrate “what if” scenarios – business professionals can involve, inform and persuade their audiences in meaningful ways with stunning visualizations. The announcement was made at the Business Objects Influencer Summit, being held in Boston on Aug. 12.

“With Xcelsius Present, data has never looked so good,” said Bill Prather, business manager, Thacher School. “Without prior training, and in just a few mouse clicks, we were able to use Xcelsius Present to capture the attention of our key audiences by turning data into a format that is more meaningful and more easily understood. We currently use Xcelsius Present to create engaging graphics for our PowerPoint presentations, which is our main vehicle for communicating with board members and stakeholders. There are several user templates included with Xcelsius Present that were easy to use and very helpful. One of these is the College Costs Calculator, which we plan to make available to all prospective students and their parents – this tool alone is well worth the small cost of the solution.”

Pre-loaded in Xcelsius Present are ten ready-to-use data visualization templates, allowing first-time Xcelsius Present users to immediately use and benefit from the solution. These templates are tailored for specific business functions, such as human resources, sales, marketing, finance and accounting, as well as different vertical segments like government and education. Business users can simply paste their existing business data into Xcelsius Present templates, create visually compelling models and then share them via Microsoft Office documents. Xcelsius Present also provides out-of-the-box integration with the latest version of Adobe™ Acrobat® 9, allowing business users to embed dynamic Xcelsius models directly in their PDF documents and share them with colleagues, partners or customers.

Following are two examples of how Xcelsius Present can transform data visualization:

• Previously, quarterly sales data used was presented by a sales operations analyst culling through mind-numbing sets of numbers residing in multiple-tab Excel spreadsheets. Now, a sales manager can automatically bring data into the Xcelsius template to show quarterly results on a single slide and easily demonstrate how a proposed sales strategy or new product line might change sales outcomes.
• Xcelsius Present includes a human resources (HR) Compensation Analysis template, which allows an HR manager to more easily visually show complex data and demonstrate how issues like compensation may affect staffing plans. Because Xcelsius Present is interactive, the HR manager can drill down into the data from directly within the presentation to answer questions about how a specific region or department might be impacted by various compensation plans.

“What is truly unique and exciting about Xcelsius Present is its ease of use,” said Marge Breya, general manager and executive vice president, Business Intelligence Platform, Business Objects, an SAP company. “Xcelsius Present appeals to everyday people who are looking for new, more compelling ways to produce, consume and share information. Within just minutes – using a simple, point-and-click interface – business users can now bring ordinary spreadsheets and presentations to life. The result is a rich user experience that makes it easier to visualize data, make critical decisions and ultimately optimize business performance.”

Xcelsius Present pricing starts at US$195.