Decision Explorer® News and Information

Printed manuals after 28 March 2008

After 20th March 2008, printed manuals for Decision Explorer will be an additional charge. With more and more web downloads, we need to change the pricing structure. The full PDF of the manual is included in the software for all purchases as standard, so it is possible to print your own copy as required.

New packaging on the way

We are soon going to be changing the packaging of Decision Explorer to a DVD-style case, and separately packaged manuals. This will help us standardise our products internally, which then allows us to reduce the volumes we ship, and thus the impact of our products on the environment.

Visible Thinking - unlocking causal mapping for practical business results

This book provides a practical guide to applying mapping. It starts with the basic technique, and then introduces the software for more advanced uses. Visit the Visible Thinking Book page for more details and a contents listing.

"Structuring Argument" training video on CD-ROM

We are pleased to be able to make available a high-quality training video made by the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, for their MBA students. This CD contains a video that introduces the concepts behind Decision Explorer®, shows a live interview, how to create maps in interviews and then how to use the software itself. Designed as a self-study teaching aid, it is a perfect companion to the software. See the screenshots on the mapping video page, and the order for just £29.95 (+shipping+tax) from our web shop.

Windows Vista compatibility

Current shipping versions of Decision Explorer have been tested against Windows Vista pre-releases and no obvious faults found. If you have a problem with Vista, please let us know the full details. Upon general release of Vista, Banxia will be doing extensive testing and will update this status information.

Training workshops - UK & USA

Decision Explorer® training workshops are run in London UK and Boston US as well as other places every few months. There are no forthcoming events for this product. Book your place now! Full details on our training pages.

Self-adhesive Ovals available

You can now purchase yellow ovals made specially from Post-It® paper for use in group meetings where you want to start your Decision Explorer® mapping with a paper based oval mapping session. By using ovals with a group, you overcome the natural tendency to "think rigidly" which emerges when working with rectangular media. Available in packs of 1, 10 or 50 pads (with 50 sheets per pad). To learn more, visit our OvalMap™ pages.

Now available - version 3.3 with better XP compatibility

• Completely new icons for an improved look
• Support for My Documents and other Windows XP compatibility improvements (user no longer needs to be a power user or administrator)
• Now requires Windows 2000 or later (Win9x and NT users should use version 3.2)
• New installer for Microsoft Installer (MSI) compatibility
• NVivo import issue fixed
• New reference manual in HTML help and PDF formats - most complete reference ever
• EXE and Installers are now signed with Banxia's digital signature for authentication

Purchasers of version 3 can use your existing download details to get the installer. We still make version 3.2 available for those on earlier operating systems and when you upgrade your computer, the new version will be fully compatible with your data files.

XML support for data transfer in version 3.2

Decision Explorer® allows you to export your complete model data in the XML data format (full versions only, not demo), which gives you the potential to transfer models to and from other applications that support map-style data. At the moment it is primarily aimed at users wishing to get an early look at what it can do for you. Visit the XML pages for details, and existing Decision Explorer® users can update here.

Decision Explorer® Viewer available

The Viewer is a version of Decision Explorer® (available to anyone free of charge) that allows you to view a model created using the full, licensed version of the software. This means that if you are a user of Decision Explorer® you can distribute the results of your work much more widely. The Viewer does not allow editing of concepts or links in the pre-prepared model, and any changes made during the exploration of the model will not be saved (the original model remains "as provided" by the model builder). However, the Viewer has full model exploration and analysis capabilities, so anyone viewing a model can explore it as they please.

The install options include a web download option which allows just a small file to be sent, and then only the parts required will be downloaded.

Full details of the Viewer and the Viewer download can be found at http://www.banxia.com/dexplore/viewer.html.

Student edition available

The Student edition brings the power of Decision Explorer® within the reach of every student. Although there are some limitations, you get the power you need for most projects. Click here for details.

Decision Explorer® Newsletters

Decision Explorer® newsletters are available online in Adobe Acrobat form by clicking here. Please contact us to be added to our newsletter mailing list.

Book on Decision Explorer® and Making Strategy

The book titled "Making Strategy, The Journey of Strategic Management", by Colin Eden and Fran Ackermann at the University of Strathclyde, describes how to use Decision Explorer® (amongst other techniques) on its own and in groups for making strategy. It is available at just £26.99 from bookstores or our online shop.

Decision Explorer logo-wear

You can now buy T-shirts, hats and mouse-mats with the Decision Explorer logo on from our apparel shop at CafePress. Full details and links are here.