The conference is the second for Xero in this country. The first was held in the fall of 2013, but the New Zealand-based software vendor decided not to hold an event here in 2014.

The dashboard enables users to click on a graph to determine how metrics were calculated and the source of information.

Xero says the dashboard can also take advantage of big data and more tools will be forthcoming. "By digging deeper into the data in Xero, we will soon deliver additional tools like benchmarking, which will allow businesses to understand their environment and see how they are performing in their industry or region," CEO Rod Drury said in a prepared statement.

The company says its Apple iOS integration presents users with consistent access and ease of use from MacBooks, iPhones and Apple Watches.
Xero is also delivering enhanced integration with Gmail. It is working to integrate email and contact records (initially via Gmail) into the Xero platform. Xero users will be able to choose a filtered view of their inboxes in relation to specific business contacts. Users can also create new quotes or invoices from within email.

Other new features include Xero Me, an iOS app, designed to perform key functions via mobile devices, and Xero Billable Expenses 7.8, scheduled to go live in July.

Xero also introduced Practice Reports, which the company said can be utilized to create reports within minutes. The tool uses Xero's accounting information to create reports based on practicewide templates.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind