1 Kevin Kratzer, Systems Engineer Dashboards Tips and Techniques March 2, 2012

Agenda Introductions Why Dashboards Graphs or Tables When to use what charts Creating Useful Dashboards

Why and Types of Dashboards

Why Dashboards A man with a broom is standing sideways on the wall of a brownish- orange building. There are potted trees and plants near by. Several windows can be seen – one at street level, one approximately 6 feet from the ground the other at ten feet. Each of the windows are guarded by black wrought-iron fencing. A Lamp post is seen directly behind the horizontal man.

What Type of Dashboards to Use Know your Target Audience Active Dashboards Flex Dashboards Custom Dashboards Analytical Dashboards Geographic Dashboards Real Time Dashboards Performance Management Dashboards

Tables vs Graphs

Table vs Graph Table Use when you need to read every value Use when you need to compare every value Graph Provides shape to your data and forms Shows patterns and trends Reveals relationships among many values

Types of Graphs and When to Use Them

Types of Graphs and when to Use Them Bar Graph Use bar graphs when individual values are important Simple comparison of categorical subdivisions of one or more measures in no particular order

Types of Graphs and when to Use Them Pie Chart Use to show the relative size of each pie segment (slice) to one another and to the whole. At times difficult to visually distinguish differences in slice sizes. Each pie chart can draw only one measure

Types of Graphs and when to Use Them Line Chart Use to show and compare changes over time or sequential data Frequently used to show trends and performance Suggest a gradual flow between points

Types of Graphs and when to Use Them Scatter Chart X Y Plot Compare two sets of numbers at once, possibly revealing patterns and trends Numeric X-Axis Bubble Chart Three variables in two dimensions Like scatter, with a third variable „Size ‟ Size of each bubble is used to show the data ‟ s relative importance

Techniques for Creating Dashboards

Creating Chained Filters Secondary Filters are based on Primary Filter Minimizes user views of unrelated criteria

Techniques for Creating Dashboards Using Tab Controls Provide More Content Minimize Scrolling Categorize Tab Content Create Multiple Dashboard Views within a Single Dashboard

Techniques for Creating Dashboards Maximize Real Estate by Providing Parameter Driving Reports Create Parameters for any aspect of a report Allows Users to get a lot of information in a small amount of real estate Minimizes the amount of reports that need to be maintained

Techniques for Creating Dashboards Drill Down/Drill Anywhere Drill Down Use when you are only supplying one option for next level view Drill Anywhere Provide multiple drill down options Drill down to WebFOCUS reports, Websites, and any other system or job

Best Practices

Questions Thank You! Questions?