MicroCharts allow you to create smart word-sized graphics, a concept promoted by Eduard Tufte to maximize information density. In the image above you can see how MicroCharts transform a small Excel table into a miniature dashboard with more information per square inch. Yet these micro-sized charts, which use the space of a regular Excel cell, are as simple to make as an Excel chart.

Developed by our partner, BonaVista Systems, MicroCharts create dashboards for Microsoft Excel as well as Excel add-ins for OLAP databases or data warehouses. MicroCharts is also available as a SQL Server 2005 server edition, which replaces the “decorative" SQL Server trend indicators with meaningful miniature charts. The picture below says more than 1000 words:

BonaVista Systems offers MicroCharts in basic and professional editions.
Download: Microcharts  free 30-day trial version (setup zip, 14 MB).