Because business users love Excel, the omnipresence of spreadsheets in the enterprise is a given. But so are the inefficiencies and risks associated with having to constantly update these spreadsheets with the latest data and “re-hydrate” them with the Excel features needed for effective analysis such as live charts, live formulas, pivot tables and many others. Like the weather, everyone complains— but unlike with the weather, you do have options. This session looks at how Actuate’s innovative BIRT Spreadsheet technology (formerly known as e.Spreadsheet) and the groundbreaking save as live Excel capabilities of Actuate BIRT can be used to meet your user’s Excel needs.

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
INTERACT • INTEGRATE • INFORM
New York San Francisco Paris London Frankfurt
Our Spreadsheets Are Better Than
Yours
Efficiently and Securely Presenting the Data in Excel
Presenter: Mihail Mihaylov, Senior PM

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Dilbert’s Issues Are Representative
64% of business critical spreadsheets
contain errors
- Powell, Lawson and Baker Study (2007)

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Spreadsheet s Are Everywhere
… and Usage is on the Increase
Excel - World’s most popular BI tool
• 400+ million Excel users
- Gartner, Forrester, Microsoft
• 57% of report consumers prefer to
receive reports in Excel
- Forrester
Spreadsheets drive business processes
• Budget Variance, Period Close,
Commissions etc.
• 50% to 80% of enterprises use
standalone spreadsheets for critical
applications
- Forrester
Excel is here to stay!
Excel will be used
more and more at the
tactical and
operational levels for
reporting and analysis
- Forrester

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What is Analysis-Ready Spreadsheet
Report?
• Populated with the
needed data
• Laid out and
enriched with all
Excel features
required for
effective decision
making

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Spreadsheet Reporting Challenges
Inefficient and Risky Manual Report Creation and Distribution
Data
Cut and
paste or
import as
CSV
Manually
created and
updated
Inconsistent
changes
Manually
emailed
Incorrect
assumptionsMisinterpreted
Individual
Contributors
Managers
Spreadsheet
Operations
• Inefficient, tedious
and time-
consuming
• Can produce only a
limited number of
reports
• No on-demand
access
• Error-prone
• Impossible to
administer
spreadmarts
• Compliance risks

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
REQs for Automating Spreadsheet Reports
Meet User Needs
Ensure Manageability
Data access flexibility
• OOTB DB connectivity and
extensibility
• Data consolidation
• Export to Excel
Get the data
Repeatability via data-driven layout
• Automatically accommodate new data
• Dynamic, data-driven columns and
worksheets
Make it repeatable
Excel expressiveness
• Any needed Excel feature
• Analysis-ready spreadsheets
Create the Excel report

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Actuate Corporation © 2010

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
REQs for Automating Spreadsheet Reports
Meet User Needs
Ensure Manageability
Scalability and security
• Server-based architecture
• Extensive security
• Centrally-managed
Reach all users
Repeatability via data-driven layout
• Automatically accommodate new data
• Dynamic, data-driven columns and
worksheets
Make it repeatable
Data access flexibility
• OOTB DB connectivity and
extensibility
• Data consolidation
• Export to Excel
Get the data
Excel expressiveness
• Any needed Excel feature
• Analysis-ready spreadsheets
Create the Excel report

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Actuate Spreadsheet Solution
1. Export to Analysis-Ready Excel from
Actuate BIRT
2. BIRT Spreadsheet (fka e.Spreadsheet)

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Export to Analysis-Ready Excel from
Actuate BIRT
The most powerful
Export to Excel
• Excel formulas
• Live Excel charts
• Pivot tables
• Export entire report or
parts of it
• Export to one or
multiple Excel sheets
• Preserve report’s
formatting and layout
• Actuate 11 or later

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
BIRT Spreadsheet
Demo

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
BIRT Spreadsheet
The most capable technology for presenting data directly in
Excel, complete with all formatting, layout, analysis and security
features of Excel
Step 1: Design Step 2: Deploy
BIRT iServer
Data
Sources
Actuate EII
Databases
XML
Java Objects
Free BIRT
Spreadsheet
Designer
Step 3: Analyze
MSFT Excel
& Browser
BIRT
Spreadsheet
Design
Excel
Report

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
BIRT Spreadsheet
Demo

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BIRT Spreadsheet Generates Amazing
Spreadsheets
Cell locking
Pivot tables
Data filters
3D live charts down
across
3-D matrix workbooks
VBA
macro
support

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Organizations Using BIRT Spreadsheet
Business, Government and Education
Financial Services
• AXA
• AIG
• Bank of America
• Bank of New York
• Chase
• CIBC
• Citi
• CheckFree
• Deutsche Bank
• Fannie Mae
• GE Capital
• HSBC
• Nuveen Investments
• MasterCard International
• MetLife
• JP Morgan Chase
• Prudential
• Salomon Smith Barney
• State Street Bank
• UBS
• Wachovia
• Wells Fargo
Pharmaceuticals
• Pfizer
• Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Merck
• Unilever
• Wyeth Ayerst
• Bayern
Energy and Utilities
• Reliant Energy
• Sempra Energy
• Nisource
• GE Power
• Williams Energy
Services
Consulting & Research
• Accenture
• EDS
• AC Nielsen
• Custom Research
Manufacturing
• General Motors
• Ford
• Boeing
• Delphi Delco
Electronics
• AMD
• Caterpillar
• Chrysler
• Wrigley
• Applied Materials
• Herman Miller
• Odom’s Tennessee
Pride
Telecommunications
• Sprint
• Nextel
• Telus
• Motorola
• Nortel
• Qwest
• Verizon
Education
• MIT
• Georgia Tech Institute
• York University
Government
• Logsa
• Spawar
• Lawrence Livermore Labs
OEM
• Harland
• A3 Solutions
• Digital Steps
• EasyAsk
• Errigal
• iMake Consulting
• Invision Inc.
• MQ Software
• Sakonnet
• Schlumberger
• Strategic Analytics
• Sungard
• Targus Information

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Actuate Spreadsheet Solution
Divide and Conquer Your Requirements
Export-To-Excel from
Actuate BIRT (BIRT
Option)
Export entire Actuate BIRT report or parts of it to Excel
• Primary output format is web report – occasional need to
export to Excel
• No precise control over Excel’s formatting and layout
options
• Common Excel analysis features needed: pivot tables,
Excel formulas and charts
BIRT Spreadsheet
(BIRT Spreadsheet
Option)
Automate repetitive generation and distribution of Excel
spreadsheets
• Excel is the required output format
• All Excel formatting, layout, analysis and security features
• Scenario common in the Finance, HR, Sales and
Marketing department

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Actuate Spreadsheet Solution Fully
Addresses Automation Requirements
Requirement
Actuate
Spreadsheet
Solution
How Is Requirement
Addressed
Data access flexibility
• Virtually any data source
• Extensibility via Open Data Access Framework
• Simultaneous access to multiple sources
• Export to Excel from Actuate BIRT reports
Excel expressiveness
• Support for all needed Excel features
• Live formulas & charts, pivot tables, conditional
formatting, hyper-linking, data filters, outlines, VB
macros, form controls, formatting, security
Repeatability via data-
driven layout
• Accommodate new data automatically, adjusting
rows, columns, worksheets, hierarchies, formulas
• No need to copy and paste new data
Scalability and
security
• Unparalleled scalability of iServer
• No end-user training required & zero footprint
• SmartSheet Security & View Time parameters

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Actuate Spreadsheet Solution Benefits
IT Managers
End Users
End Users
• On-demand access
• Analysis-ready Excel spreadsheets
• Accurate, timely data – single version of the truth
• “No limits” flexibility, familiarity of Excel
IT Managers
• Satisfy end users
• Regain control of data and ensure efficiency
• No scalability wall to hit
• Zero footprint – no plug-ins requires
Report Authors
• Quickly define the needed, data-driven, analysis-ready
Excel output
• Leverage existing Excel knowledge and BIRT reports
• Develop once; auto-refresh with latest data indefinitely
Report
Authors

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Actuate Corporation © 2010
Actuate Spreadsheet Solution Resources
http://www.actuate.com
Website:
Learn more now
For more
information or to
schedule a demo,
contact Actuate:
info@actuate.com
sales@actuate.com
Phone
1-800-914-2259
BIRT
Spreadsheet
www.actuate.com/products/spreadsheets
• Analyst White Papers
• Customer Case Studies
• Product Information
• Demos, Examples, Tutorials
• Product Downloads (Free Designer)
• Old Name: Actuate e.Spreadsheet
Actuate BIRT
Export to
Excel
http://www.actuate.com/products/birt-design
• Analyst White Papers
• Customer Case Studies
• Product Information
• Demos and Examples
• Product Downloads