In This Issue:

IBIS Returns to The Ritz

Keeping the Cost Down for your BusinessObjects XI R2 Migration

Distributed Dashboards Seminar Available Live

Ask the Expert - Your Business Intelligence Questions Answered

Special Offers for December 2006

Up and Coming Events

Happy Holidays from InfoSol!

 

IBIS Returns to The Ritz

The eagerly awaited agenda and location for the 2007 InfoSol Business Intelligence Seminar (IBIS) has been finalized. Once again, IBIS will boast an education-packed series of BusinessObjects certified training classes and unique seminars to meet an ever-increasing range of needs for BusinessObjects users.

There will be a total of 7 tracks of which 5 will offer hands-on training. These will include Business Objects Certified Training courses for Web Intelligence, Crystal Reports and Data Integrator. In addition, there will be a new hands-on training track on "Deploying Dashboards in an Enterprise Environment using Crystal Xcelsius and InfoBurst".

There will be two workshop seminar tracks: One on "Optimizing and Managing your BusinessObjects XI R2 Environment" and the other will be an "Introduction to Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing and BusinessObjects for Managers".

IBIS 2007 will also feature 5 pre-seminar training classes on topics that include Designer, Crystal Xcelsius, Version Manager, InfoBurst, and XI R2 Migration.

There will be demonstrations and test-drive stations for new offerings from InfoSol, Business Objects, and other Business Intelligence partners, along with plenty of opportunities to exchange information and ideas with your peers and BusinessObjects experts.

The 2007 event will be held at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton resort on Lake Las Vegas from July 29 - August 1, 2007. The Early Bird registration begins January 1, 2007, and InfoSol is offering an all-inclusive package that features the seminar, 3 nights luxury accommodations at the resort, group meals, and events, for just $1,295. This is a $500 discount off the regular rate of $1,795 and is only available until April 15, 2007.

For a list of the IBIS Tracks and Pre-Seminar Training being offered at IBIS, click here.

To register click here (available January 1, 2007)

Keeping the Cost Down for your BusinessObjects XI R2 Migration

One sure prediction that can be made for 2007 is that a lot of Business Objects customers will be migrating to XI R2. Many have already started their planning or execution and one of the biggest concerns is that of cost.

There are several different categories where cost comes into play, namely software license and associated maintenance, education, and services. When moving from BusinessObjects 5.x or 6.x to XI R2, your existing licenses need to be converted to the equivalent licenses under the new release. This involves Business Objects validating that all your current licenses are under maintenance and what they will convert to in XI R2. This often results in options to purchase more licenses to obtain new or additional functionality. InfoSol is very familiar with this process and offers a free consultation web cast to customers to review their XI R2 license conversion certificate and advise on the various upgrade options available.

Education is mandatory for the BusinessObjects Administrators for XI R2. The architecture and administration is completely different from versions 5 and 6. Not only is it necessary to obtain training to administer the new environment, but it is also needed to effectively participate in the planning of the migration. The two mandatory course are the SA210R2 (Administering Users and Content) and the SA310R2 (Administering Servers). End user training is optional and only really required if your users are going to switch tools i.e., change from BusinessObjects Full Client to Web Intelligence. InfoSol is an Authorized Education Partner of Business Objects and offers free consultation to discuss your training needs for XI R2.

The largest area of cost for migration is usually in the services. Most customers will require and use Certified Migration Specialists to assist them with their migration. This cost can be contained by effective planning and making sure you only use the consultant for the critical tasks where their experience is required. A typical 3 month migration project may only require 8 to 10 days of assistance from a migration specialist, which could result in significant cost savings.

Again, InfoSol offers a free web cast to explain all the steps involved in the XI R2 migration process.

For a free web cast to discuss your XI R2 migration needs click here.

Distributed Dashboards Seminar Available Live

InfoSol is now offering its exciting 1-hour seminar and demonstration of Distributed Dashboards to all User Groups to be delivered live at any of their meetings in 2007. In addition, InfoSol will provide the seminar live to any individual corporation via web cast.

The seminar has received great reviews and feedback, and is undoubtedly an hour well spent. The seminar synopsis is as follows:

Distributed Dashboards

If you would like to schedule this seminar, please click here.

For more information on Distributed Dashboards, click here.

Ask the Expert - Your Business Intelligence Questions Answered

QUESTION:
How do I limit a top 15 ranking to only 15 items, when some items have the same rank?

ANSWER:
The Ranking button, for filtering a dimension based on its corresponding measures, will return the top or bottom ranked results. Consider the 15 th ranked result. What if there were 16 values at the bottom that are evenly ranked? In this case, requesting the top 15 results returns 30 values, 16 of which are for 4 orders.

Consider a pie chart when the ranking for the
top 15 values returns these 30:

The messy pie chart would look like this:

Click here to view full tech tip...

Submit your questions to the InfoSol expert by e-mailing infosol@infosol.com. Also, check out our BusinessObjects technical tips by visiting our web site.

Special Offers for December 2006

Distributed Dashboards
Special package discounts on Crystal Xcelsius for Workgroup bundled with InfoBurst. Save 10% on Crystal Xcelsius for Workgroup when purchased as part of Distributed Dashboard bundle. If you already own InfoBurst, receive the InfoBurst XDS option for automated dashboard refresh FREE (valued at $3,000), if you purchase Xcelsius for Workgroup prior to December 22, 2006. For more information contact infosol@infosol.com.

FREE Lunchtime Seminar

BusinessObjects XI R2 - What's in it for Me?

To Register, click here.

The current release of the most popular Business Intelligence software in the world, BusinessObjects XI R2, is packed with exciting new features and functions to both enrich and enhance the end-user experience.

While the majority of business intelligence users simply view, refresh, and occasionally print reports, BusinessObjects XI R2 provides intuitive capabilities to easily interact with the data and understand the significance of the information in front of them.

InfoSol invites you to an exciting one-hour demonstration to see BusinessObjects XI R2 and discover what it can do for you and your business.

Lunch will be provided as part of the seminar to maximize your valuable time.

Happy Holidays from InfoSol!

Wishing you a safe and Happy Holiday season from all your friends at InfoSol!

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InfoSol Inc.
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Phoenix, Arizona  85027
623.707.7600