Actuate has released Actuate 10 e.Spreadsheet, the final component of the roll-out of the new Actuate 10 platform for presenting structured data as rich internet applications (RIA). The e.Spreadsheet product is a complete platform for designing, generating, and distributing information from various data sources as interactive Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The new version introduces additional features that allow organizations to address a broader set of content creation and delivery requirements, and reduce application development times.
Spreadsheets are used by a majority of organizations to analyze information, and with more and more of this data now being stored in report servers and data warehouses, business users need a way to efficiently move the specific data they need from these repositories into Excel spreadsheets. However, to be optimally beneficial, users need a solution that not only populates a spreadsheet with the desired raw data, but also prepares the data for analysis. This is the functionality that the Actuate e.Spreadsheet product provides. Nobby Akiha, senior vice president of marketing for Actuate, tells 5 Minute Briefing that "what makes Actuate different from its competitors is that the spreadsheet creation process is automated, with all the formatting, formulas, pivot tables, and charts that users expect to make the spreadsheet ready for their analytical work." Version 10 has added features to this key functionality that enhance and expand its usefulness to customers.
The four key new features of the version 10 release are the ability to convert e.Spreadsheet content to PDF report format for viewing and sharing; native Microsoft Excel 2007 output; charting enhancements including ease-of-use improvements and new data visualization options; and query editor enhancements, such as impact analysis capabilities, that improve developer productivity. Version 10 also gives corporations greater control over spreadsheet-based content, which is important for maintaining data consistency and compliance.
Actuate 10 e.Spreadsheet is available now and consists of three primary components. The components are a report designer tool, which includes the query editor and enables the creation of authentic Excel files and mappings back to the source data; a spreadsheet engine (server) that generates the pre-defined reports using timely and accurate application data; and a deployment kit with a web front-end that enables users to browse, select, and run reports on demand. The report designer is available as a free download, and the other components are available via a commercial license.
For more information about Actuate 10 e.Spreadsheet, go here. To download the free report designer tool, go here.