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Flexmonster to Stop Releasing Flash Version: Focusing on HTML5

Flexmonster will completely focus on the development of HTML5 version of Pivot Component and is going to STOP releasing new Flash and Flex versions in the nearest time. The new release 2.2, the last one with the Flash version, is expected this autumn!

Flexmonster keeps moving with the times and tries to meet new needs and requirements our customers demand that often requires using the latest available technologies and tools. Over the years we have managed to create high-quality Pivot Table & Charts Flash component for our clients. It's no news that every day Flash is becoming less popular among users while HTML5 is spread on majority of modern devices, is more secure and opens more opportunities for visualizing data for end users. That is why a year ago we released a new version of Flexmonster that included not only updated Flash/Flex web-component but also HTML5 version. Still, we continued applying development efforts to both versions, thus we were simultaneously enhancing them both.

Flexmonster 2.1: Release Overview

For Flexmonster team 2014 has become a year of bringing our web pivot table component to the new level. Announced in spring release of version 2.1 has become not only one of the most expected by our partners and leads but also one of the most advanced in terms of functionality extension. We continue focusing on making Flexmonster pivot table component more Excel-like and thus we add a number of cool features as well as bring HTML5 version to the same level as Flash/Flex one (by features and performance).

The full list of new features and improvements includes over 20 items but we would like you to pay your attention to the most spectacular of them:

• Classic (not-grouped) view or Classic mode - widespread way of pivoted data presentation. Classic view helps end users see hierarchies one beside another - just like they are accustomed to in Excel;
• Drill-through - clicking on a cell gives user an outstanding opportunity to dig deeper into data and see its constituents;
• Editing cells for CSV data sources - lets end user change values in the grid on-the-fly;
• Drag and drop fields on the grid - changing filters/columns/rows location on the grid without opening field list (configurator);
• Speed up CSV parsing - updated loading algorithm allowing.

Case study: Pivot Component for SolvAxis Web-Based ERP-Solution

Company Profile
Name: SolvAxis
Region: Switzerland
Industry: IT solutions
Function: ERP’s Development and Services Solutions

Challenges
SolvAxis came to Flexmonster team with the task of completing their ERP functionality with pivot table and charts component. The company required a datagrid with high rendering capabilities as their customers needed millions of rows of data to be visualized. Moreover, fast response was highly important in case of synchronous Gridview and Chartview in SolvAxis ERP product.

The Year After Tomorrow. Top BI Trends in 2013

We have already seen a lot of the big data and self-service hypes this year. The BI tools are becoming user and experience-centered, diminishing the importance of the IT departments. Solutions are becoming more user-friendly on tablet and mobile devices and everyone had their chance to yell “me too!” at the Big Data buzzword of the year. All of the above happened in a ravishing 2012, but what is expecting us in next year 2013. Let us have a look.

According to Gartner reports, next year technologies will completely converge around social data, mobile platforms and cloud solutions. In order to boost business performance, companies will closely analyse social networks facts to measure particular decision success as they started to do in the recent years.

Simple BI Self-Reporting Pivot Table Tools Simplify Collaborative Decision Making

Imagine you walk into the room full of sales people doing unstopping “cold calls”. Every one of them features their own call list designed in Excel with marks, notices and statuses for each calling lead. Their manager has his own calling list of leads as well and sometimes reviews performance of his sales team.

As you go, you see people unaware of their own performance against others as well as their manager not knowing performance of his team as well. He tries to pull up some call list sheets from his mates, but the raw figures talk nothing to him as he needs to open numerous attachments for each of his sales reps. He prints out number of pages, then a moment later throws them out in a desperate attempt to answer sole question - what’s going on.

3 Best Practices for Successful Web Pivot Report

No doubts pivot reports provide better insight on multidimensional data with their ability to provide basic operations like slicing, dicing and pivoting OLAP data interactively. Rather than having such data separated into flat reports for dashboard tables, gauges and charts, pivot table report is still a tool where analysts can interactively gain more visibility.

While traditional pivot table report tools like Excel or PowerPivot provide a number of instruments to accomplish the above, the web report should be more robust to meet expectations and usability of common users. From manager to CIO, web pivot table reports should be a straight and easy self-service reporting tool to answer questions with little (or better without) any lengthy trainings or education.

Many BI Reporting Needs - One Solution?

The reporting needs are always different - one needs just a plain view of table with rows and columns, other a bunch of luminous and colorful charts, full of insights. Does all of them require just one component? The answer is YES.

Flexmonster Pivot Table is not just a pivot table on its own, but rather a “swiss knife” that is capable to cater multiple reporting needs. Desperate for ultra interactivity? Need just one page of simple and neat table? Want to add some integration? Go for it as Flexmonster offers its customizability to fulfill 99% of common reporting configurations.

Big Data means Big Profit: Time to Gain Augmented Visibility

The Big Data continues to roam through the world of business intelligence. Recently, I’ve came across a totally striking infographics, displaying an impact of Big Data market on enterprises. Regardless of industry and size, company executives begin to understand how big data inside their company can be converted into big profitability.

How Pivot Tables are Important in Data-Driven Decisions

Analysis tools are essential part of enterprise software as they become more and more effective in day-to-day decision making. As most companies operate big data amounts today, it is obvious that it becomes difficult to do all the data retrieval, management and analysis, or the ETL cycle. If implemented properly, the data-driven decision making can increase overall company performance from 5% and up!

Big Data is sprouting today across every company life. Web traffic, social marketing activities, as well as KPI like shipments, sales and customer care - all of these are data that are coming into the company, but require quick and efficient tools for decision making. The data becomes the main driver of the company as it becomes as important asset as personnel or money.

Implementing Authentication for OLAP Cubes in Flexmonster Pivot

In one of our previous blog posts we have mentioned that Flexmonster Pivot can connect not only raw OLAP data such as CSV, but also OLAP cubes such as Microsoft Analysis Services, Pentaho Mondrian, JasperReports Server and icCube.

Case study: Connecting Flexmonster Pivot Table to Salesforce CRM

Salesforce CRM is currently one of the most popular cloud services across the world featuring the most robust and "social" tool to salesmen. As they thrive to shift the sales paradigm to Social Enterprise, their tools offers fast and low-cost insight for users.

Big Data Analysis with Pivot Tables

Today, rapid analysis of big data is crucial for efficient business decisions. By year 2015, according to Gartner research, the companies who have implemented fast big data management and analysis will begin to win over their unprepared competitors by 20% in every available financial metric that is critical to run their businesses.