Here are some of the more interesting recommendations, culled from reader responses, social media and posts around the Web. Disclaimer: I haven't tried any of these hands-on (yet).
MicroStrategy Reporting Suite
One reader asked why MicroStrategy's free reporting tool didn't make the cut. Why? I didn't feel that a multi-user application requiring server installation fit well into a review of desktop and Web-based tools. However, that doesn't mean it's not a useful data tool.Reporting Suite is free for up to 100 users and offers tables, graphs, and the ability to query data and generate statistical metrics. This looks like an interesting option for IT professionals seeking a department-level reporting and visualization tool.
D3.js
I just came across this JavaScript library today (thanks to @keikei on Twitter). It's a small code package for data-based manipulation of HTML files. The examples look straightforward and well-documented, offering code for maps, graphs, treemaps, sunbursts, scatterplots and more, and there are several tutorials to start off.While the JavaScript libraries in my original article are likely more than enough for my own needs, this could be a good fit for one of your projects.
Make a Map
This is a lot more specialized than the other tools, but it's cool enough that I wanted to give it a mention. ESRI, maker of ArcGIS, posted this free tool to let you make your own map from U.S. Census data.Enter a location (Zip code, address or "place of interest") and select from data such as household income, population growth, home values and unemployment rates, and you'll get a map that's embeddable into your own Web site in less than 60 seconds.
