November, 2007

In This Issue:


APOS Solutions News is published approximately once a month, to share information about how APOS BI Tools and services are extending the Business Objects platform for companies like yours. If you don’t want to receive future newsletters or would like to add someone else to our email list, visit here.

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http://www.apos.com/Company/SolutionsNewsletter/APOS Solutions News 11-2007.htm?source=nl

 Integration Kit for Microsoft Outlook  |  Sign  up for the beta version

Connect to BusinessObjects XI from Microsoft Outlook, with on-line and off-line report viewing, scheduling and more!

Beta now available! We're pleased to announce the availability of a beta version of the latest member of the award winning APOS BI Tools suite - our new Integration Kit for Microsoft Outlook. This powerful new solution will enable your Office 2007 users to maximize on your Business Objects investments.

Right from Microsoft Outlook as their Business Objects XI portal, users can:

access and view all authorized Business Objects folders and reports
schedule reports while connected on-line to BusinessObjects XI
schedule reports even while not connected to BusinessObjects XI
view and analyze reports off-line - take reports with you for off-line analysis
Webi, Deski, CR, Office, Xcelsius report formats as supported
schedule or reschedule reports (with parameters)
choose report output format
request notification of scheduling success or failure
request an email with the report instance
automatically ‘refresh’ their local Outlook BI data
download instances and export in multiple formats
choose to zip downloaded files – separately or together in one zip file – password protected

These are just the highlights of this exciting new APOS BI Tool, contact us about joining our beta program, or to request notification when it's released.

Here's a sample screen shot:Click for APOS BI Tools Webinar Registration

 

 Object Manager for BusinessObjects XI Release 2  |  Powerful new features added

Object Manager enables bulk maintenance of objects (reports, folders, users, groups, etc.) - instead of using the Central Management Console one object at a time.

Object Manager is one of the most popular members of the APOS BI Tools suite. Here's just a few highlights of the most popular features of Object Manager:

User Maintenance - bulk editing

Object Settings - bulk editing

Security and limits management - bulk editing

User preferences management - bulk editing

Report Promotion - powerful enhancement

Recently added new features include . . .

User Preferences Management

bulk editing of preference settings for the Java InfoView
bulk editing of CMC preference settings for users

Report Promotion

promote reports over top of existing reports while keeping the instances and schedules, but not the default parameter values

Copy to Folder

copy Web Intelligence and Desktop Intelligence files to an external folder
enhanced 'Object Types' list functionality to improve usability

User Import

overwrite a BOE user with the user that is being imported from xml, csv file or database

Please visit here for a full feature list and a web demo of Object Manager for BusinessObjects XI Release 2.

To check out how Object Manager can help your organization, please visit here to request demo download instructions and our current price list.

 Migrating to XI Release 2 - APOS BI Tools Can Help  |  Let us show you how

If your organization is either planning or in the midst of migrating to BusinessObjects XI Release 2, APOS BI Tools can help. Whether migrating from Business Objects 5.x, 6.x or any version of Crystal Enterprise, APOS BI Tools can speed up the process while giving you more control over your migration activities.

View a pdf overview of how APOS BI Tools can help with migration. Here are some examples of a few of the solutions outlined in the pdf document:

incremental migration - control of migration process as additional content is migrated to target system

populate a database with point-in-time snapshots of system status

run comparisons reports/queries of what has changed

adapting migrated source system to the new environment

bulk operations on a large number of system objects (reports, folders, users, security, settings, etc.)

control of migrated instances/schedules

modifying recurring schedules

handling of bulk schedules and instances

reschedule instances while editing various elements of the schedule for all schedules

bulk capture of schedules, then modification of individual schedules, then bulk rescheduling (changes applied to individual schedules)

bulk deletion of unwanted schedules and instances

archive instances (pre or post migration) in order to improve system performance

performance testing, usage testing, system stress test

log and monitor server statistics, send alerts when defined thresholds conditions are met

measure and log connection time and view report time, and alert when thresholds are met

run testing scenarios to evaluate optimum system configuration

track statistics and system performance changes in various configurations

enable business processes from earlier version implementations that are altered in XI R2.

single pass and multi-pass bursting of Webi, Deski and Crystal Reports

consolidation of multiple reports into a single pdf document or xls workbook

support for additional destinations and formats (ftps, multiple printers, email as content, zip)

report distribution security controls (encryption, password protection)

View a pdf overview or if you would like to discuss how APOS BI Tools can assist with your migration activities, please contact us for more information.

 APOS BI Tools Overview Webinar  |  Learn more about current APOS solutions

Click for APOS BI Tools Webinar RegistrationWebINAR - Thursday, November 15

Join us for a webinar covering an overview of the APOS BI Tools suite for the BusinessObjects XI platform.

The main purpose of this webinar is to provide high level information to help you better assess the range of current solutions available. Learn how APOS BI Tools can help you leverage and extend the value of your business intelligence investment.

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
Time:
8am PDT, 11am EDT, 4pm BST

Speakers:
Allan Pym, VP Sales - Eastern Region, APOS Systems Inc.
Warren Kobbeltvedt, VP Sales - Western Region, APOS Systems Inc.

 Business Objects Insight User Conferences Participation  |  A great success
  • October 15-18 - Orlando, Florida, North America Business Objects User Conference

  • October 29-30 - Sydney, Australia, AsiaPac Business Objects User Conference

If you were in Orlando or Sydney for these conferences, hopefully you stopped by to see us. Both of these events were great opportunities for us to meet current customers and make new acquaintances.

With the recent SAP announcements and upcoming new opportunities with the Business Objects Enterprise platform, we see terrific potential for the APOS BI Tools suite going forward.

 APOS BI Tools Suite  |  Extend BusinessObjects XI Without Custom Development

One of our challenges is keeping our customers and colleagues current on the APOS BI Tools suite as it grows. Visit here to request demo download instructions and our current price list.

Instance Administration and Scheduling . . .

InfoScheduler - power batch scheduling from Microsoft Excel

Instance Manager - administrator power tool for managing instances

Archive Manager - report instance archiving, with restore capability!

Instance Monitor - email notification of failed instances

System Management and Monitoring . . .

Object Manager - report promotion, object & security management

RealTime Monitor - powerful SNMP monitoring & control of servers, with alerts

KPI - metadata for analysis, who's viewing which reports, license analysis, server activity monitoring

RunTime Manager - set availability time windows for Job Servers, Page Servers, etc.

Enhanced Report Distribution . . .

Bursting Manager - burst a large instance into small ones, burst one report to many

Distribution Server - powerful post processing capabilities, zip support, password security and more

Report Package Booster - consolidate reports to password protected pdf/xls and distribute

Application Integration . . .

AddressBook Gateway - integrate Outlook/Exchange with ePortfolio/InfoView 'schedule to email'

Integration Kit for ESRI GIS - two-way integration between Business Objects and ESRI GIS

Integration Kit for crystalreports.com - schedule Webi, Deski, Crystal Reports to crystalreports.com

Integration Kit for Microsoft Outlook - connect to BusinessObjects XI from Outlook, offline report viewing

Miscellaneous Tools . . .

Add-In Wrapper for BusinessObjects XI Release 2 - Crystal Reports Add-In menu fast track integration

Processing Extension RAD - fast track processing extension development

View Time Security - row level data security without C++ development

Dynamic Parameters - SQL-based, user-specific pick lists, cascading parameters *CE10 and prior

Subscription Manager - allow users to manage their own report subscription *CE10 and prior

  Custom Development for Unique Requirements 

If you have a unique reporting system requirement, let us know. We love to work on special projects and regularly save our customers a lot of time and money by using APOS BI Tools as a fast-track foundation for a specific customized solution.


Head Office: 1118-100 Conestoga College Blvd, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2P 2N6
Tel: 519.894.APOS(2767) - Fax: 519.894.1891
Help Desk: 519.894.APOS(2767) Ext. 1

Branch Office: 35447 McKee Road, Abbotsford, BC, Canada V3G 3E4
Tel: 604.864.0766 - Fax: 604.864.4291

 Email: apos@apos.com - Web: www.apos.com

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