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Guardian Data Store - free data, and some ideas on how to play with it
I was reading the Guardian (a UK newspaper) online today and saw that they have just launched something called Open Platform, basically a set of tools that allow you to access and build applications on top of their data and content. The thing that really caught my eye was the Data Store, which makes available all of the numeric data they would usually publish in tables and graphs in the paper in Google Spreadsheet format. Being a data guy I find free, interesting data irresistible: I work with data all day long, and building systems to help other people analyse data is what I do for a living, but usually I'm not that interested in analysing the data I work with myself because it's just a company's sales figures or something equally dull. However give me information on the best-selling singles of 2008 or crime stats for example, I start thinking of the fun stuff I could do with it. If you saw Donald Farmer's
fascinating presentation at PASS 2008 where he used data mining to analyse the Titantic passenger list to see if he could work out the rules governing who survived and who didn't, you'll know what I mean. Given that all the data's in Google Spreadsheets anyway, the first thing I thought of doing was using Panorama's free pivot table gadget to analyse the data OLAP-style (incidentally, if you saw it when it first came out and thought it was a bit slow, like I did, take another look - it's got a lot better in the last few months). Using the data I mentioned above on best-selling singles, here's what I did to get the gadget working: - Opened the link to the spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=phNtm3LmDZEP4i_r7RdVhUg
- Followed the link at the very bottom of the page to edit the page.
- On the new window, clicked File/Create a Copy on the menu to open yet another window, this time with a version of the data that can be edited (the previous window contained only read-only data)
- Right-clicked on column J and selected Insert 1 Right, to create a new column on the right-hand side.
- Added a column header, typed Count in the header row, and then filled the entire column with the value 1 by typing 1 into the first row and then dragging it down. I needed this column to create a new measure for the pivot table.
- Edited the 'Artist(s)' column to be named 'Artist' because apparently Panorama doesn't like brackets
- Selected the whole data set (the range I used was Sheet1!B2:K102) and then went to Insert/Gadget and chose Analytics for Google Spreadsheets. It took me a moment to work out I had to scroll to the top of the sheet to see the Panorama dialog that appeared.
- Clicked Apply and Close, waited a few seconds while the cube was built, ignored the tutorial that started, spent a few minutes learning how to use the tool the hard way having ignored the tutorial, and bingo! I had my pivot table open. Here's a screenshot showing the count of singles broken down by gender and country of origin.
Of course, this isn't the only way you can analyse data in Google spreadsheets. Sisense Prism, which I reviewed here a few months ago, has a free version which can connect to Google spreadsheets and work with limited amounts of data. I still have it installed on my laptop, so I had a go connecting - it was pretty easy so I won't go through the steps, although I didn't work out how to get it to recognise the column headers as column headers and that polluted the data a bit. Here's a screenshot of a dashboard I put together very quickly: 
Lastly, having mentioned Donald Farmer's Titanic demo I thought it would be good to do some data mining. The easiest way for me was obviously to use the Microsoft Excel data mining addin: there are two flavours of this: the version (available here) that needs to be able to connect to an instance of Analysis Services, and the version that can connect to an instance of Analysis Services in the cloud (available here; Jamie MacLennan and Brent Ozar's blog entries on this are worth reading, and there's even a limited web-based interface for it too). Here's what I did: - Installed the data mining addin, obviously
- In the copy of the spreadsheet, I clicked File/Export/.xls to export to Excel, then clicked Open
- In Excel, selected the data and on the Home tab on the ribbon clicked the Format as a Table button
- The Table Tools tab having appeared on the ribbon automatically, I then pressed the Analyze Key Influencers button
- In the dialog that appeared, I chose Genre from the dropdown to try to work out which of the other columns influenced the genre of the music
- Clicked I Agree and Do Not Remind Me Again on the Connecting to the Internet dialog
- Added a report comparing Pop to Rock
Here's what I got out:
From this we can see very clearly that if you're from the UK or under 25 you're much more likely to be producing Pop, Groups are more likely to produce Rock, and various other interesting facts. So, lots of fun certainly (at least for a data geek like me), but everything I've shown here is intended as a serious business tool. It's not hard to imagine that, in a few years time when more and more data is available online through spreadsheets or cloud-based databases, we'll be doing exactly what I've demonstrated here with that boring business data you and I have to deal with in our day jobs. Up Link Partner cwebbbi.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!7B84B0F2C239489A!4375.entry
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Songsmith and Data Audiolization for BI
Data audiolization is clearly a real subject that someone, somewhere is researching... and after the fad for data visualisation, why shouldn't we be thinking about how to represent data with sound? Anyway, I'll cut to the chase. This video has been doing the rounds on Facebook, it made me laugh and if I didn't have a hundred better things to be doing I'd be downloading a copy of Microsoft Songsmith right now and working out how to hook it up to Analysis Services:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BZfFakpzc
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Adventure Works the musical, anyone? Up Link Partner cwebbbi.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!7B84B0F2C239489A!4175.entry
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A Quick Look at Windows Live Toolbar
Winding down my series of experiences with applications and services in the Windows Live Essentials suite, I want to start talking about some of the cool add-on’s that make the online experience a very powerful one. Microsoft continues to offer a similar toolbar for users of MSN which pretty much does the same thing as Live Toolbar by offering the following services: - Take MSN with you: MSN Toolbar is always with you when you're online on your PC. Stay up to date without leaving the Web page you're on.
- Put information at your fingertips: Top headlines, news and features from over twelve MSN channels with a single click. Connect with your friends through Windows Live Hotmail, Messenger and Spaces.
- Find it fast: Use the handy search box to find whatever you're after. Get Live Search results even when you use another search engine, plus make specific MSN channel searches.
- Customisable: Change the colour to jazz up your Internet browser!
   
Access to various Windows Live Toolbar services (click to enlarge) The Windows Live Toolbar is more simplified but more cohesive, featuring a Live Search Box and links to Windows Live services such as your Windows Live Profile, Mail, Photos, Calendar, Sharing and Translation services. The Search field features an integrated list box so you can search specific content such as Web, News, Maps, Images, Feeds, current web page or your computer on the fly. The great thing about it is no matter where you are on the web you can stay signed in and have immediate access to these Windows Live services. You can preview your Mail inbox, see new photos from friends and family in your social network and preview events in your Calendar.
 
Adding a Toolbar button Applications: If you find the Live Toolbar predefined set of applications too limited, you can install additional buttons which range in services such as Wikipedia, Office Live or Live Skydrive. I love the Wikipedia button since I am always looking for information on topics that interest me, you can find more at the Windows Live Gallery where there is a healthy collection of add on’s for Live Toolbar. 
Windows Live Gallery provides access to additional buttons for the Live Toolbar 
Translating a web page from its native language to English using Translate. (click to enlarge) Its way more simplified and focuses more on content. The Translate this page button handles translation of web pages written in foreign languages to your native language. How well does it work? I didn’t spend too much time to find out, but the speed is very fast. I translated a Windows Live Space written in Portuguese to English; the results were not impressive, but I could understand what was written on the page without too much deciphering. Translated pages can be viewed in multiple ways including side by side, Top/Bottom, Hover over with Translation or Translation with original. English speaking users have the option of translating up to 13 languages, worldwide languages that can be translated to English include Chinese Simplified and Mandarin, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, French and German to name a few. The only gripe I have about the Live Toolbar, it doesn’t support Firefox and there is no Internet Explorer 64-bit support either. Previously A Quick Look at Windows Live Sync
Windows Live Essentials – Integration with Microsoft Office 2007 Windows Live Tags: Windows Live  , Clubhouse , Story , Toolbar , Windows Live Toolbar , MSN Toolbar , Windows Live Profile , Mail , Photos , Calendar , Share , Translate , Services , Online Up Link Partner adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!21691.entry
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Windows 7 Uncertainty?
eWeek’s Debra Donston discusses her concerns about Windows 7 and Microsoft’s approach to transparency about the new OS. “So, when I read the Ars Technica headline today, March 6, "Windows 7 RTM: July? August? September? October?" I got frustrated. No, make that mad. I've been at eWEEK through a great many Windows releases. Especially lately, I've seen how Microsoft
has based release dates around "when the product is ready." I've seen speculation about release dates. I've seen release dates bob and weave. I've seen release dates miss. A client OS upgrade isn't a no-brainer on any level. Microsoft, do yourself and your customers a favor. Be open about the ROI of Windows 7; be forthcoming about the benefits of Vista versus Windows 7; give users a reasonable upgrade path (is it really easier to go from Vista to Windows 7 than from XP to Windows 7?); set a release date; and stick to that release date.” Read the entire post here A lot of the discussion in this article is very misinformed, Microsoft has stated the theme behind Windows 7, the most obvious being its a quality driven release. The Windows 7 Engineering and Windows 7 Team
blog’s have also become very important starting points for really breaking down walls around Windows 7 and delivering accurate information to customers. In fact, Microsoft has been so transparent that its quite amazing at times, Steven Sinofsky responding to customer emails and in technology forums would be considered a deep breath of fresh air to how Microsoft engages with its customer base. To answer some of the qualms: 1. Be open about the ROI of Windows 7; be forthcoming about the benefits of Vista versus Windows 7;
Windows 7 Enterprise Edition Customer Benefits http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/business/archive/2009/02/11/windows-7-enterprise-edition-customer-benefits.aspx 2. give users a reasonable upgrade path (is it really easier to go from Vista to Windows 7 than from XP to Windows 7?);
> It is in fact an easy to do upgrade, Microsoft has not overhauled the kernel like Vista to make it easier for applications and device drivers to transition with this release., I have been running Windows 7 since alpha, new options like the ability upgrade from 64 bit editions of Vista to Windows 7 64 bit is great. The new Anytime Upgrade is more convenient, no need to be online, just acquire a product key and enter it and you have an edition with more features in less than 7 minutes. Each edition is more distinctive carrying more features and options, Windows 7 Professional for instance includes Domain Join and Media Center, that's based on customer feedback. 3. set a release date; and stick to that release date.
Microsoft has said this time and time again, 3 years after the General availability of Windows Vista. What more could you want? Stop believing in speculation from rumour sites. Not because someone reads the expiry date on the 'Windows 7 About Dialog' means it leads to some possible theory. Windows 7 is on a good path right now, yes there has been some concern about availability of new builds to testers, but I am sure that will be satisfied soon with the imminent release of Release Candidate. Technorati Tags: Windows 7, Beta, eWeek, Debra Donston, Microsoft, Transparency, Customer, Windows 7 Enterprise, SKU, Anytime Upgrade, Windows 7 Professional, News Up Link Partner adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!21743.entry
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I think John C. Dvorak is a delusional Jackass
If you were to look up the word sensationalism in the Oxford dictionary I am sure you would find John C. Dvoraks big head in all its glory. Here is the reason why: I think it's a miracle that they are doing Windows 7 at all. That said, everyone who is running the early release versions of Windows 7 beta, love it and this appears to bode well for the company. They all say that it is fast and rock solid and is just a lot better than Vista. It also seems to be more compatible with older programs and legacy hardware. It has been proclaimed a winner by the users. Well, not so fast. Microsoft may be pulling a fast one with the beta release because this is not the finished product. Let me explain. As a beta program it probably does not have any of the security measures built into it the way a release product would. For one thing security is not too important with a beta product since hackers have not targeted it in any way, nor will they until the final product ships. All that zippy performance that everyone is jacked up about will disappear once the burden of security precautions and patches begins. For all we know the whole OS could turn into an incredible pig after this happens. We simply do not know the outcome. Read the rest here
For someone whose primary OS of choice is Mac OS X or Ubuntu, he seems to think he knows more about the Windows platform than actual users and the developer team themselves. Microsoft has committed to making Windows 7 available 3 years after Vista’s General Availability. The Windows Team set a milestone and they are sticking to it. It could simply be a case of under promise, over deliver or simply setting realistic expectations. My fundamental understanding is Windows 7 is driven by quality and feedback, not lets try and get this out as quick as possible before the competition. The Windows 7 Team is listening to the people who will buy this product when its released, so they are trying make the experience based on what we want, not just what they think we will need. That's one of the major differences between Vista and Windows 7. Microsoft has set a quality expectation with Alpha’s, Beta’s and Release Candidates. An Alpha must be near in quality as a Beta, while a Beta is a frozen feature set with the characteristics of a Release Candidate, while an RC must be at the same level as the final release which is also a reason a build of Windows is often designated RC because of its potential to become the final product. Microsoft is continually enhancing this release and they are engaging with their customers to inform us about the progress they are making towards the Release Candidate milestone. Security is not too important with a beta product? Uh, Dvorak, I think you should go back to the 80’s and hang out on the Computer Chronicles, because this decade is just not for you. Windows 7 builds on the fundamentals of Windows Vista/Server 2008 SP1, Microsoft’s most secure releases of Windows to date. Features like BitLocker, Patch Guard, ASRL, Device Driver Signing, UAC, Internet Explorer with Protected Mode and AntiPhishing, Windows Defender are all part of the security investments included with Windows 7. Microsoft has also ensured that Windows 7 beta releases receive the same level of commitment as a commercially released product, see here and here I have been running Windows Vista since November of 2006, same install and I have not experienced any degradation in performance on any of my systems. Microsoft that the bit rot issue that was common with past releases of Windows was resolved through enhancements such as a the new low priority Defragmentation Tool, see here Microsoft has also done some innovative work in Windows 7 to enhance the performance of system: - The efficiency of core Windows code
- Only starting certain services when they are needed (demand-start services)
- The way device drivers are initialized
- Allowing multiple device drivers to start at the same time (parallelization)
- An overall reduction in the memory and CPU required to start and run the graphics system
But, John C. is throwing it to the wind that Windows 7 could become a pig is just because careless writing without any form of insight. Microsoft has even removed bundled programs from the core operating system to improve efficiency. Here is a quote from Windows Live General Manager Brian Hall about the decision: Removing programs such as Photo Gallery, Mail and Movie Maker from the core operating system will give Microsoft more time to focus on the core operating system experience in addition to improving the efficiency of things like Service Packs which could ultimately be fewer and smaller. Mr. Hall also said that a cleaner operating system eliminates potential confusion for customers faced with two different programs that are similar in function-one already in Windows and the other from Windows Live. He also said that Microsoft is working with OEMs are around Windows 7 so that they can place shortcuts that will link to a download page where you can choose just the programs you. In addition to these decisions, Windows 7 is more customizable, users can further disable features they don’t use in Windows such as Internet Explorer, DVD Maker, Media Center, Windows Search, Gadgets, Handwriting Recognition, Fax and Scan and the XPS Viewer. So any question of bloat is silenced here. Microsoft is listening and they continue make this release of Windows very anticipated, from a features perspective to a performance envy. I hope John C. Dvorak will take some time out and leave Mac and Ubuntu systems, download the Windows 7 beta and actually give it a try instead of bad mouthing because it puts more food on the table. Resources: The Engineering Team makes Windows 7 even more Customizable
Windows 7 Uncertainty?
Enhanced Security features in Windows 7
Some Changes Since the Beta for the RC
A few more changes from Beta to RC… Up Link Partner adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!21921.entry
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