Using Omniscope with Salesforce Adding the perfect desktop/web compliment to Salesforce

Omniscope provides a low-cost, low-risk route to business intelligence reporting and data quality initiatives involving data hosted in Salesforce. Omniscope tabbed presentation files contain a copy of all the data, open offline, are highly-visual and easily shared with others as presentations. The .IOK files available via the free web connector service installed as a tab in Salesforce accounts are based on default templates for each Report and Data Object/Table. The constantly-evolving default templates are based on the experience of various implementors and their clients, but can easily be modified to create customised templates suitable for different classes of users in your organisation. Creating and uploading customised templates adds them to the future download options for each Report or Data Object/Table.

Install the Omniscope Connector for Salesforce tab from the AppExchange

Start by installing the free Omniscope Connector for Salesforce 2.1 (a certified, AppExchange-listed application) into your Salesforce user accounts. Salesforce Administrators can do this automatically from the AppExchange if your organisation has the Professional, Enterprise or the Unlimited editions of Salesforce. If your organisation uses Salesforce Group Edition, any Administrator can install the Connector tab manually by following these directions.

Installing the web connector will add a new 'Visokio Reports' tab to some or all of your user accounts. From this tab, users with the free Omniscope Viewer installed can download, view, filter and query the data in their Reports and Data Objects/Tables. Default Omniscope file templates are provided for each Report or Data Object/Table. Using an activated Omniscope, the default templates can be modified and uploaded for others to use when downloading to the free Viewer. Users without the free Omniscope Viewer installed cannot open local copies of their data, but can still use the interactive Flash DataPlayer 'dashboards' exported from Omniscope to their web tabs. For more details, see using the web connector.

Use Omniscope 2.5 (beta) to access Salesforce directly and synchronise changes

If you install the beta version of Omniscope 2.5, and you have Professional, Enterprise or Unlimited editions of Salesforce, you can not only modify templates, edit/merge data offline and save secured copies, you can also access Reports and Data Objects/Tables directly using the File > Open online source > Salesforce login and download option (you will need to paste-in your security token). Using Omniscope 2.5 Professional or Enterprise, you can add to/edit Data Objects/Tables offline and then synchronise your changes with Salesforce using the File > Export > Synchronise with Salesforce wizard. For more details, see accessing Salesforce directly from Omniscope 2.5.

Once your 30-day free trial period has expired, upgrading your Omniscope from free Viewer to the Professional Edition enables you to continue modifying and uploading customised templates and DataPlayer 'dashboards', integrating/merging in data from non-Salesforce sources, saving and sharing secured Omniscope files offline, and synchronising offline changes back to Salesforce. Non-activated Omniscope installations will revert to being free Viewers able to download and filter/query default or customised files using the free web connector tab installed in the user accounts. No need to uninstall.

Roadmap to 'the best of both worlds'

Installing the free Omniscope Viewer and the free Omniscope Connector tab from the AppExchange enables any organisation to embark on a simple, low-cost, low-risk, ‘tiny-steps' progression of continuous improvements, while delivering users live, working reports with many useful visualisations of their data from Day One:

1. Install free Omniscope Viewers and add the free Omniscope Connector tabs to user accounts

a. Download key reports/data objects from each user's account tab using the standard templates, enabling users to see, filter and sort all their data to find alert conditions, data errors & inconsistencies.

b. Ask users to start flagging incomplete, out-dated and erroneous data records/fields online in Salesforce using the "!" character.

c. Download key data objects as Omniscope files and consult the Flagged Errors tab to view all the records which have been flagged for online correction/completion either online via Salesforce, or offline using an activated Omniscope Professional (see below).

d. Create custom reports containing the most useful joins...users can then download and view standard template versions of these reports using Omniscope.

e. File refresh & security- the data in .IOK files downloaded in standard templates cannot be exported or copied (not even cut-and-paste). Users of free Viewers cannot save the files...they must always return to their Salesforce account tab to download fresh copies of the data.

2. Upgrade to Omniscope Professional 2.5 (requires activation)

a. If your 30-day free trial has expired, contact us for a licensed activation key to upgrade from free Viewer to Omniscope Professional.

b. Now you can save and modify files downloaded from your Salesforce account tab to fit the needs of your organisation- adding/changing report tabs to highlight key messages, introducing corporate branding, etc. Make multiple versions of each report/data object template to suit the needs of different classes of users.

c. Save your changed .IOK file(s), then upload one or more of your modified files from the Connector tab in your Salesforce account. Note: data in the uploaded template file(s) will not be synchronised with the online data.

d. Modify the standard Flash DataPlayers shown in the DataPlayer View tab of each template file downloaded, then export your new customised DataPlayer ‘dashboard' to web pages (including Salesforce tabs) and/or internal documents such as PowerPoint, Excel or .PDF.

e. The custom templates/DataPlayer configurations uploaded will be selectable for future downloads from the Connector tabs of authorised users, whether using the free Viewer or a Professional.

f. Data integration projects: download custom versions of your reports/data objects and then use Omniscope to merge in related data from other sources (spreadsheets, ERP databases, etc.) to create combined reports that can be circulated to users with the free Viewer.

g. Using Omniscope 2.5 or later, you can also login from inside Omniscope, connecting directly to reports or data objects using File > Open Online Source > Salesforce Table/Report

h. Use the powerful data cleansing/scrubbing and editing capabilities of Omniscope to make changes to your data and save local copies of files.

i. Using Omniscope 2.5 or later, use the File > Export > Synchronise with Salesforce command to make changes to both your local copies and the corresponding user-editable fields within your Salesforce organisation.

j. File refresh & security- Users with Professional Editions will be able to refresh directly from source on opening. Offline files sent to users with the free Viewer show configurable opening screen ensuring they do not use stale files.

k. Continue to optimise the configuration of templates for all your reports and data objects based on user feedback and the evolving needs of your business...enjoy the total flexibility of the hybrid solution you have created.

3. Automate refresh and distribution with Omniscope Enterprise Edition

a. Omniscope Enterprise edition is designed to automate the entire process of refreshing and distributing Omniscope reports and Flash DataPlayer inserts from a central 'always-on' server with access to all the required data sources, including Salesforce.

b. A single Enterprise Edition allows automated refreshes of files with data from Salesforce and other sources, plus distribution (via e-mail or FTP) of refreshed .IOK files and DataPlayer dashboards either according to a defined schedule or on-demand using the Scheduler or the Generator, two automation tools included with Enterprise Editions.

c. File refresh & security - Enterprise installations offer the full range of file security options, including domain-locking of files (files will not open if user is not logged into specified site and download page e.g. Salesforce)

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Getting started: 

For the quikest start, maximum flexibility and lowest average cost per user in deploying your solution, use both types of connector:

Using the Salesforce web connector (download and forward templated reports installed in your online Salesforce account by your Administrator)

Using the Salesforce direct connector (login to Salesforce directly for data import/editing/refresh; requires login, password and security token to paste in)