Fractal:Intelligence

General

• What are Fractal Maps?
• Why are Fractal Maps useful?
• What can Fractal Maps be used for?
• Do Fractal Maps have to be based on circles?
• What visual cues can be used in a Fractal Map to highlight particular values or patterns in the data?

Further Information

• Where can I get further information?

What is Fractal:Intelligence?

Fractal:Intelligence is a data visualisation and analysis program, installed on your desktop, that lets you access and analyze information extracted from your business management systems in a more effective way. Please see the Fractal:Intelligence Product Sheet for more information.

What are the system requirements for Fractal:Intelligence?

Fractal:Intelligence requires a PC running Windows 2000, XP or Vista and access to relevant data sources. The minimum hardware requirements are:

• 1 GHz Processor
• 256 MB RAM

Note: For large project data sources (> 10,000 items), a significantly faster processor and more RAM may be required to ensure satisfactory performance.

What does Fractal:Intelligence currently not do?

Fractal:Intelligence currently only provides Fractal Map and standard tabular data visualisation. Other standard data visualisation techniques such as line graphs, bar charts and scatter plots are scheduled for release in v3.

What can Fractal:Intelligence be used for?

Fractal:Intelligence can be used anywhere people need to stay on top of large, complex or fast-changing data sources, including:

• Execution management and Market Risk;
• Financial Control;
• Compliance Monitoring;
• Supply Chain and Inventory Management; and
• Sales Analysis

How can I benefit from using Fractal:Intelligence?

Fractal:Intelligence provide a clear picture of overall performance along with the ability to quickly focus on key underlying drivers in an instant. This drives deeper analysis, allows real-time control of critical systems and enhances returns from your existing information resources. Please see the Fractal:Intelligence Product Sheet for more information.

Is Fractal:Intelligence expensive to deploy?

No, Fractal:Intelligence is licensed via a one-off payment ensuring low ongoing cost of ownership. It is easy to install and work with so new users can get up and running within minutes with minimal IT support and little or no impact on the IT infrastructure.

What support and services are provided?

Fractal:Edge provides the following optional support and services:

• project configuration;
• product training;
• product maintenance;
• product support via email; and
• development for extensions to the product if required.

Please contact us if you wish to receive more information about these services.

What data sources is Fractal:Intelligence limited to?

Fractal:Intelligence supports a wide range of enterprise data sources via Fractal:Edge's set of standards-based data adapters, allowing quick and easy configuration 'out-of-the-box'. Further data adapters can be created using the Fractal:SDK. Please see the section on Data Adapters for more information.

Can a Fractal:Intelligence project query a variety of different data sets?

Yes, Fractal:Intelligence can combine information from several different data sources simultaneously and 'on-the-fly' if necessary.

Can the end user reconfigure the Fractal Map 'on-the-fly'?

Yes, options are provided to manipulate the way that the Fractal Map appears or behaves and these results are displayed immediately.

How long does it take to create a Fractal:Intelligence project?

This depends on the size and structure of the data, but typically a large project can be created within half an hour and fully refined within a few hours.

What language is Fractal:Intelligence written in?

Windows 32-bit C++

What platforms are supported by Fractal:Intelligence?

Windows 2000, XP and Vista.

If the structure of my data changes over time, will I be able to keep Fractal:Intelligence up to date to accurately reflect the changes?

Yes, an existing project can typically be adjusted to reflect changes in the underlying data structure in a few minutes. If the structure remains unchanged and only the contents of the data source are updated, the new contents will be displayed in Fractal:Intelligence immediately.

Can I publish Fractal Maps that I create in Fractal:Intelligence online?

Yes, it is possible to create Fractal Maps from Fractal:Intelligence that can be published in other forms. For further information on this subject, please see the section on Fractal:Server.

Can I share particular Fractal Maps created in Fractal:Intelligence with particular colleagues or clients?

Yes, you can share project files and data sources with other Fractal:Intelligence users, or export a project so that it can be delivered through Fractal:Server or as a flash file. In addition, you can export information in standard CSV and BMP formats for inclusion in presentations etc.

Is Fractal:Intelligence easy to uninstall?

In the unlikely event you want to stop using Fractal:Intelligence, or if you wish to clear your system before installing a newer version of the product, you can uninstall the application by selecting "Uninstall Fractal Intelligence" from your Start Menu (by default Program Files -> Fractal Edge -> Fractal Intelligence 2.0 -> Uninstall Fractal Intelligence), or by using Window's Add/Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel.

What are Fractal Maps?

A fractal is a simple pattern repeating at smaller and smaller size to create an intricate whole. Fractal Maps use circles arranged within circles to display structured data. Please see the Features and Benefits Sheet for more information.

Why are Fractal Maps Useful?

Fractal Maps can represent very large amounts of data onscreen without losing the detail. This expanded vision generates a level of contextual understanding and explanatory power not possible with other user interface techniques. Please see the Features and Benefits Sheet for more information.

What can Fractal Maps be used for?

Fractal Maps can be used to navigate, analyse or manage almost any large, complex or fast moving data source. Fractal:Edge have created a number of products to allow you to apply Fractal Maps easily in situations where these conditions exist including:

• Financial Services Front Office functions including fund management, trading, broking and risk management;
• General Business Intelligence functions including financial control, compliance, operations monitoring;
• Website and search engine navigation; and
• PC, network and other device management.

Please see the Experience section for more information.

Do Fractal Maps have to be based on circles?

No, but a pattern based on circles is the most flexible fractal pattern we have discovered.
Please contact us if you wish to explore the use of Fractal Maps based on shapes other than circles.

What visual cues can be used in a Fractal Map to highlight particular values or patterns in the data?

A variety of visual cues can be used to highlight the values in one or more data fields, including colour, size, texture and associated icon.