Getting Started with Charts

In this section:

Charts provide common and novel graphical displays of data and ways of interacting with your data that provide even more insight. We call interacting with your active charts Visual Discovery AE.


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Charts

In this section:

 

Chart Overview

Charts are a collection of both familiar and novel ways of visualizing data that allow you to better understand your data and what it is trying to tell you.

1 field displays:

2 field displays:

Multiple field displays:

Controls:



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Recommended Chart Use

Chart

Common Use of Chart

Bar Chart

Examine one or more measures (such as sales and costs) over a grouping (such as region or quarter).

Pie Chart

View a grouping's proportions (such as the percentage of sales that each region a company contributes to the company total).

Line Chart

See trends of one or more measures, such as quarterly revenues and expenses. Successive observations should be related, since the line visually relates the points. If they are not related, use a bar chart instead.

Histogram

Examine the distribution of a metric (for example, the quantity of highly discounted transactions compared to low discounted transactions).

Scatterplot

How two measures relate (for example, which investments provide a favorable date of return at a low risk).

Multiscape

How two measures relate (for example, which investments provide a favorable date of return at a low risk).

Heat Map

See items in groups, with the space and coloring based on data metrics. This may help understand how groups perform versus each other, for example progress on fault reports grouped by type of fault.

Data Sheet

See the underlying raw data and for visually correlating across multiple measures (for example, does a discount increase as the transaction amount increases).

Parabox

See multiple metrics and/or multiple groupings relate (for example, how do the offensive statistics of the highest-paid player of a sports league compare to the lowest-paid players, and where within the league are these players).

Data Constellations

See relationships between items. A variety of relationships may be viewed:

  • Multiple levels of a hierarchy in a single display (for example, what were actual sales as a percent of forecast at the company, subsidiary, division and department levels).
  • Pair-wise relationships (for example, what are the purchasing affinities between products).

Time Table

See events over time at a granular level (for example, server alarms for network intrusion detection). Events may be grouped.

Map

See data displayed geographically (like airline flight numbers by city) and look for possible relationships between the geographical entities (like flight delays between cities).

Counts

Statistics on fields (like total sales for a selected area of interest) and the meta data (type and cardinality of a field, for example).



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Bar Chart

A Bar Chart shows the relative number or weights of categorical values in a data field. It helps you understand how values of the field are distributed.

The following are the different bar chart features:



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Inserting a Bar Chart

The Bar Chart can be used to examine categories in a field (such as region or quarter), showing the distribution of count or one or more measures (such as sales and costs). As part of a collection of charts on a page, this can be used for filtering, correlation, and trending across subpopulations.

Inserting a New Bar Chart

  1. In the Chart toolbar on the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart, New Bar Chart.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. The Count Per field is displayed in the chart.
  4. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.

    Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.

  5. Click OK. The bar chart displays.


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Bar Chart Toolbar

The Bar Chart toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the in the chart. The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. The Count Per field is displayed in the chart.
  3. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.

    Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.

  4. Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.
  5. Click OK. The bar chart displays.

Rotate Chart. The Rotate Chart function switches the data displayed along the x-axis and y-axis so that data currently displayed on the x-axis will appear on the y-axis and data currently displayed on the y-axis will display on the x-axis.

This function is available for bar charts, histograms, and line charts.

Set Display Order. Click this button to display the following display options:

  • Original Order. The default sort order.
  • Sort By Label. Displays data alphabetically by label.
  • Sort By Size. Displays all data from greatest to smallest net values.
  • Sort By Selected. Displays selected data by size only for selected data.
  • Sort By Percent Selected. Display selected data by greatest to smallest percentage.
  • Reverse Sort By Size. Displays data from smallest to greatest net values.
  • Reverse Sort By Percent Selected. Displays selected data by smallest to greatest percentage.

Insert as a Spine Plot. A spine plot more easily compares selected subsets of data. In a spine plot, the width of the bar is proportional to the weight of category rather than the height. You can think of this mode as a flattened pie chart.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Values. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Drill Down. Moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data, is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. Conversely, moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart or Pie Chart . By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Down Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill down.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the lowest level of your data, the Drill down button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill down any further.

Drill Up. Moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. Conversely, moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data, is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart, or Pie Chart. By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Up Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill up.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the highest level of your data, the Drill Up button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill up any further.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Counts

A Counts shows the details of data in a table as a data grid. It gives you numeric summaries of your data, both overall and selected. Click on a feature below to learn more about it:

Grid Specification

The layout, labels, and statistics included in a Counts chart can be customized. This is done through the Grid Specification property in the Properties pane for the chart (accessed using the Property Explorer button in the chart toolbar).

The Grid Specification property gives a definition of the chart layout. Here is a possible example:

row Name Unique Count Unique Selected   row Fund~ Family 1.Unique 1.UniqueSelected   row Fund 2.Rows 2.Selected

In this example there are 3 rows, including a header row of 3 column labels, and in subsequent rows the first column is a descriptive string, followed by 2 statistic specifications. The string row in the specification identifies the beginning of a new row in the displayed chart; items after that define the contents of successive columns in the chart. The first row is always displayed as a heading. Items are separated by spaces, but to include spaces in a label string, quote the string (for example, a name with spaces) or prefix each space with a ~ (for example, a~ name~ with~ spaces).

Statistics are specified like this:

[1-9].[StatisticName]

The initial number is the index of a field in the Chart Data Specification property, shown directly above the Grid Specification value. The StatisticName tells which of the statistics should be calculated. Valid choices are:

StatisticsName

Meaning

Applies to Type

Rows

Total count of rows in the table, regardless of selection state

Any

Selected

Count of selected rows

Any

Unselected

Count of unselected rows

Any

Excluded

Count of excluded (or filtered) rows

Any

Unique

Count of distinct non-null values in non-excluded rows of the specified field

Any

UniqueSelected

Count of distinct non-null values in selected rows of the specified field

Any

Mode

Most common value in selected rows of the specified field

String

ModeSelected

Most common value in selected rows of the specified field

String

Mean

Average value of non-excluded rows of the specified field

Numeric

MeanSelected

Average value of selected rows of the specified field

Numeric

StdDev

Standard deviation of non-excluded rows of the specified field

Numeric

StdDevSelected

Standard deviation of selected rows of the specified field

Numeric

Min

Minimum value of non-excluded rows of the specified field

Numeric

MinSelected

Minimum value of selected rows of the specified field

Numeric

Max

Maximum value of non-excluded rows of the specified field

Numeric

MaxSelected

Maximum value of selected rows of the specified field

Numeric

Sum

Sum of values of non-excluded rows of the specified field

Numeric

SumSelected

Sum of values of selected rows of the specified field

Numeric

Statistic names must be Capitalized as shown above.

Notice that data can come from up to 9 fields in a single table, and may be laid out in any way you wish: you do not need to put multiple statistics from the same field in a single row or column, and you do not need to lay out the table in the column per field layout that is used by the Counts view by default.

If no Grid Specification is given, then each field is displayed in a column and the statistics displayed are governed by the Basic View and Selected Only property settings.



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Inserting Counts

The Counts chart displays statistics (meta data) for fields that you designate. Use this chart to see sums, averages, minimums, maximums, or deviations for any metric.

Features

  • Rearranging columns
  • Field type
  • Count of total rows, selected rows, excluded rows
  • Count of total unique values and selected unique values
  • Mean across all rows and across selected rows
  • Standard deviation across all rows and across selected rows
  • Minimum/maximum/sum across all rows and across selected rows

Inserting New Counts

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Counts.
  2. The Data Configuration window displays. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the pulldown Table menu to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select all applicable fields to be included in the view by clicking on the box adjacent to the applicable field name(s). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  4. Click OK. The Counts chart displays.




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Data Constellation

A Data Constellation is a graph, a collection of things (nodes) that are connected (using links). It can be used to show connections and relationships. This combines a graph viewer with layout tools that allow you to position your graph. However, it does require two input tables, defining nodes and links.



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Inserting Data Constellations

The Data Constellation chart displays an interconnection of nodes and links to show relationships (links) between items (nodes). For example, what were actual sales as a percent of forecast at the company, subsidiary, division and department levels. This chart illustrates an interconnection of nodes and links to show relationships (links) between items (nodes).

Inserting a New Data Constellation

  1. In the Chart toolbar on the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Data Constellation.
  2. Click the to display the Data Constellation Wizard.
  3. The Welcome wizard page displays. Click Next.
  4. The Specify Data Condition wizard page displays. If two tables, representing a nodes table and links table respectively, have been loaded, select Yes. Otherwise, select No. Click Next.
  5. The Specify Relationship Type wizard page displays. If the data to be displayed represents a hierarchical (parent/child) relationship, select Parent/Child (hierarchy). If the data is not hierarchical, select Affinity between two fields.
  6. In the Define Relationship Between Fields wizard page, you can optionally show links between nodes. A link is a relationship between the data of two fields in a table. If you do not want to show links, clear the Display links between nodes checkbox.

    If you select this option, select the applicable table from the drop-down list and indicate From and To fields (if you selected Affinity Between Two Fields or Parent and Child fields (if you selected Parent/Child (hierarchy)). Click Next.

  7. The Specify Nodes Field wizard page is displayed. Select the table to use in the Data Constellation chart and specify the field to show in the nodes of the Data Constellation. Click Next to go to step 9.
  8. In the Specify Aggregated Fields wizard page, an aggregate field is defined by default for each field from the table specified in step 6. For fields with numeric data types, operation choices include Copy, Count, Sum, Max, Min, and Avg. For categorical fields, operation choices are Copy and Count. The default operation for numeric fields is set to Sum, while categorical fields are set to use the Copy operation.

    You can delete any aggregate fields from the list by highlighting the entire row and clicking on the box to the left of the first column. Shift and Control keys can be used to highlight multiple rows as once. Use the right mouse button to select the Delete Selected Rows context menu option.

    To add a new aggregate field, click on the Add Field button. A new empty row will be added to the bottom of the list. Click on the Origin Field cell in the new row and select the field you want to aggregate. Click on the Operation Type cell in the new row and select the operation type you wish to apply to the field. A default destination field name is placed in the last cell of the new row. If you wish to change this name, click in the Destination Name cell and type in the new name.

    You can edit any of the existing aggregate fields by clicking on the cell and either selecting a different value from the dropdown list for Origin Field and Operation Type columns, or by typing in a new name for the Destination Name column.

    Click Next.

  9. The Select Rendering Style wizard page displays. Data Constellations can be drawn in 2D or 3D styles (the default is 3D). Select a style. Select a node height field from the drop-down list if you are using 3D mode. Click Next.
  10. The Select Placement Option wizard page displays. Select a placement option by clicking on an icon from those displayed on this page and click Next.
  11. The Preview Data Constellation Appearance wizard page displays. If you like the appearance of the Data Constellation displayed, click Next to apply the properties. Otherwise, click Back and make the appropriate changes.
  12. Click Finish to close the wizard.


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Data Constellations Toolbar

The Data Constellation toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the downward arrow in the chart.

The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Constellation Wizard. This wizard guides you through the process of creating a map. See Using Charts | Data Constellation for step-by-step instructions.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Values. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Displayed Glyph Shape. Click this button to select the glyph shape displayed. Values include: Cone, Cube, Disk and Sphere.

Select Color Field for Links. Click this button to choose the color for the links (lines between nodes) in a data constellation or map.

Select Fields for Node and Link Sizing. For Data Constellation and Map charts, this function allows you to configure the node size (cylinders on a Map or points on a Data Constellation) and width of the lines between the nodes (links).

  1. Click the button in the Data Constellation or Map chart toolbar.
  2. In the Node and Link Sizes dialog box that displays, select a value from the Node Size drop-down list. Select a value from the Link Size drop-down list.
  3. Click OK.

Glyph Placement. Use this button to define the placement of nodes in the Data Constellation chart. Values include:

Circular node placement

Hexagonal node placement

Top down tree node placement

Angular tree node placement

Mouse Selects Data. Click this button to select data in a visual.

Mouse Pans Data. Click this button to move the data displayed to the left, right, up, or down in a chart.

Mouse Rotates Chart. Click this button to rotate data displayed on the X/Y axes.

Mouse Turns Chart. Click this button to rotate displayed data on the Z axis.

Mouse Zooms Chart. Click this button to zoom in (enlarge) or zoom out (reduce) the contents displayed in a chart. To zoom in, move the mouse upward (away from you). To zoom out, move the mouse downward (towards you).

Adjust Range. You can stretch one or more axes in the chart so that the displayed data and axes labels are easier to read. When you click this button, X, Y and Z axis slider bars display. Select any axis and drag the slider bar. To view data as it was originally displayed, drag all sliders in the slider bars back to their original positions.

Return to Home Position. Click this button to return data displayed in this chart to its default location.

Go To Side for Positive/Negative Selection. Click this button to make it easier to select positive/negative data.

Go To Top for Row/Column Selection. Click this button to make it easier to view row/column data.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Data Sheet

A Data Sheet shows the details of data in a table as a data grid. It gives you the exact values of fields in your data, lets you sort or search it, and shows relationships between fields. Details of the focus item (perhaps from another view) are available.



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Inserting a Data Sheet

The Data Sheet provides a tabular view of selected fields in a table. It is typically used to examine the underlying raw data and for visually correlating across multiple measures (for example, does a discount increase as the transaction amount increases).

Features

  • Row ordering by column(s) including nested sorts
  • Column rearranging
  • Text search
  • Export
  • Zoom out to convert data to Bar charts

Inserting a New Data Sheet

  1. In the Chart toolbar on the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New DataSheet.
  2. The Data Configuration window displays. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select all applicable fields to be included in the datasheet by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name(s). To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to de-select all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  4. Click OK. The datasheet displays the data you selected in a columnar format.

See Data Sheet Toolbar for a description of toolbar functions.



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Data Sheet Toolbar

The Data Sheet toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the downward arrow in the chart.

The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select all applicable fields to be included in the datasheet by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name(s). To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to de-select all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  3. Click OK. The data sheet displays the data you selected in a columnar format.

Display Property Explorer. Click this button to display the property explorer.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Text Search. Displays the Data Sheet Text Search window. Enter the field to be searched as well as the text that you wish to locate and click Select Matching.

Edit Chart Titles. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

Default Line Size. Click this button to display text so that it can be read legibly in the chart.

One Pixel Per Line. Clicking this button displays one pixel per line to illustrate trending.

Mouse Selects Data. Click this button to select data in a visual.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.

Export. Export the fields shown by the chart for the currently selected rows to a file. Exports may be formatted as text (tab delimited) or CSV (comma delimited) files. A header line is included giving the names of the fields shown.



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Heat Map

A Heat Map is a space-filling display that shows two levels of data. Categories in a field are aggregated, then optionally grouped by a second categorical field. So a Heat Map visualizes up to 4-way interactions (item, group, size, color). The size and color of fields may be set based on data. This space-filling display lets you visually identify patterns and outliers based on size and color.



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Inserting a Heat Map

The Heat Map displays categorical dimensions by a combination of size (for example, volume of stock trading) and perceived value (whether the stock gained or lost value).

Inserting a New Heat Map

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Heat Map.
  2. The Data Configuration view displays. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a data designation field from the Field menu.
  4. Optionally, you can select a detail field, glyph size and/or color by parameters from the applicable drop-down list.
  5. Click OK. The heat map displays.


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Heat Map Toolbar

The Heat Map toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the downward arrow in the chart.

The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down listdrop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select all applicable fields to be included in the datasheet by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name(s). To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to clear all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  3. Click OK. The data sheet displays the data you selected in a columnar format.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Titles. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Histogram

A Histogram shows the distribution of values for a continuous field. It can only be used with numeric fields: integer or double storage types.



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Inserting a Histogram

The Histogram can be used to examine the distribution of a metric (for example, the quantity of high volume transactions compared to low-volume transactions).

Inserting a New Histogram

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Histogram.
  2. The Data Configuration view displays. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a data designation field from the Field menu.
  4. Optionally, you can select a measure (y-axis) from the drop-down list.
  5. Click OK. The histogram displays.


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Histogram Toolbar

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select all applicable fields to be included in the datasheet by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name(s). To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to clear all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  3. Click OK. The data sheet displays the data you selected in a columnar format.

Rotate Chart. The Rotate Chart function switches the data displayed along the x-axis and y-axis so that data currently displayed on the x-axis will appear on the y-axis and data currently displayed on the y-axis will display on the x-axis.

This function is available for bar charts, histograms, and line charts.

Distribution Scale. Selections include Linear Transformation, Log Transformation, and Root Transformation.

Edit Chart Titles. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Line Chart

A Line Chart shows a sequence of (possibly weighted) categorical items, connected by a line. Line charts are good for a series of values that are connected in some sense. Note that the Line Chart is an aggregated chart: all of the rows in the source table on the x-axis with the same value are combined. Consider using a Scatter Plot if you don't want your data aggregated; use a trend line in the Scatter Plot to form the line between points. Click on line chart features below to learn more about them:



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Inserting a Line Chart

The Line Chart can be used to examine trends of one or more measures, such as quarterly revenues and expenses. This chart aggregates one or more metrics across the discrete values of a field and displays entities as connected points.

Inserting a New Line Chart

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Line Chart.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. This field will serve as the x-axis in the displayed chart.
  4. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) and/or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.

    Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.

  5. Click OK. The line chart displays.


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Line Chart Toolbar

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. This field will serve as the x-axis in the displayed chart.
  3. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) and/or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.
  4. Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.
  5. Click OK. The line chart displays.

Rotate Chart. The Rotate Chart function switches the data displayed along the x-axis and y-axis so that data currently displayed on the x-axis will appear on the y-axis and data currently displayed on the y-axis will display on the x-axis.

This function is available for bar charts, histograms, and line charts

Set Display Order. Click this button to display the following display options:

  • Original Order. The default sort order.
  • Sort By Label. Displays data alphabetically by label.
  • Sort By Size. Displays all data from greatest to smallest net values.
  • Sort By Selected. Displays selected data by size only for selected data.
  • Sort By Percent Selected. Display selected data by greatest to smallest percentage.
  • Reverse Sort By Size. Displays data from smallest to greatest net values.
  • Reverse Sort By Percent Selected. Displays selected data by smallest to greatest percentage.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Titles. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Drill Down. Moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data, is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. Conversely, moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart or Pie Chart . By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Down Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill down.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the lowest level of your data, the Drill down button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill down any further.

Drill Up. Moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. Conversely, moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data, is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart, or Pie Chart. By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Up Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill up.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the highest level of your data, the Drill Up button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill up any further.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Map

A Map is a Data Constellation graph placed over a map. The map may be an image or a set of polygons. It may also be a globe. The Map has all of the behaviors already described for a Data Constellations, so this will only describe the differences. Click on a Data Constellation feature below to learn more about it:



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Inserting a Map

The Map chart displays data plotted on a map to show data against geographical location. Examples of Maps include airline flight numbers by city and flight delays between cities. The Map chart shows bars at locations, and optionally provides links/arcs between locations.

A map requires a data table with a field that corresponds to locations. The data is aggregated on location and displayed over a map with bars positioned based on the locations. The height of the bar is based on a count of the items aggregated to the location, or the sum of another numeric field in the same table.

The location must be mapped to a position on the map; this is typically done by a geocode, a pair of latitude and longitude. The mapping of location to geocode may be done using a separate mapping table. WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE comes with a number of mappings and others may be added. Alternatively, the data table may already include latitude and longitude fields.

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Map.
  2. Click the to display the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Map Wizard. This wizard guides you through the process of creating a map. The Welcome wizard page displays. Click Next.
  3. The Configure Map Data Properties wizard page is displayed. Using the dropdown lists, select the table to use with the Map, and then select the field that defines locations. Locations must be associated with geocodes (latitudes and longitudes). This can be done in several ways:
    • The strings in the location field can be mapped using a mapping file to geocodes. The WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE comes with a set of mapping files. The contents of the location field are examined and compared to the location mapping files to see if a match can be found; if found, that mapping is automatically selected.

      Remember that locations often require multiple names to uniquely determine them. For example, city names may not be unique, but may require an additional name such as state. If you do not have such a combination in your data, create it with the Expression Builder.

    • You can manually select a mapping file.
    • You can select 2 fields in the data table that already contain latitudes and longitudes.
  4. The Display Links Between Nodes wizard page displays (only if there are multiple data tables available). Use this to define links between locations; they will be drawn as arcs on the map. A link is defined by a separate table with 2 fields that name the 2 ends of the link. You may not wish to have links displayed; then leave this page unchecked.
  5. Select Map Background wizard page. Maps can be in either of these forms:
    • An image. WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE comes with a set of map images. When you enter this page, the range of geocodes in your data is scanned and an image that covers that range is automatically chosen. You can choose another image by clicking the Browse button and selecting an image. You can choose any image file, not just the images that come with WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE (you will need to provide additional information still). (Adding your own images is discussed below.)
    • An outline file may be selected. WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE comes with predefined outline files.
    • Locations may be plotted on a globe; this always is an image of our very own planet, the Earth.
  6. If you chose your own map image in the previous step, you have to define the geocode range of the map in this step. If you chose a standard map, the geocode range is already known and this step is not displayed. Use this wizard page to specify the latitude and longitude ranges associated with the map.

    If you do not know the geocode range of the entire map image, you can drag a rectangle on the image from any two points, and enter the coordinates of these points using the input dials on this page. These ranges will be used to calculate the range of the entire map. Because of rounding inaccuracies, you may need to adjust the range manually to have locations fall correctly.

    The Completing WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Map Wizard page is displayed. Click Finish to close the wizard and create the chart.

Geocode Translations

Location names in your data must be translated to geocodes (latitudes/longitudes) to give placement on a map. A collection of mappings from common location names is provided with WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE, or you can add your own mappings (below). The location name in your data must exactly match the key in the mapping, including case.

Each mapping is provided by a single file, stored in the Maps subdirectory of the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE installation directory; the file name appears in the menu of mapping files. You can also modify the mapping files provided with WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE by changing these files yourself.

The mappings provided are:

Extending Maps

Plotting data on a map requires two things: a background image or outline (the map) and translation of locations in your data to geocodes (latitudes and longitudes). WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE comes with a set of map images, map outlines, and location-to-geocode translation (or mapping) files. These standard map images and translation files stored in the Maps subdirectory of the directory where WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE is installed (typically c:\Program Files\WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE\Maps).

You can add your own map images, location-to-geocode translation files, or shape files here and they will be provided as options by the Map Wizard.

You can also add additional locations to any of the location-to-geocode translation files provided with WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE by adding additional lines to these files; the format is described below.

To provide your own map image, copy the image file to the Maps directory. Map images are image files in JPEG (.jpg) or Bitmap (.bmp) format. Map images should have latitudes and longitudes of equal size; this is a Mercator projection. (Note that Mercator projections distort the size and shapes of large objects.)

When you reference your own image file in the Map Wizard, it will prompt you for the range of geocodes covered by the image; you provide these as the latitudes or longitudes for the left, top, right, and bottom of the geographical area covered by the image. As described above, you can also sweep a smaller area and enter coordinates of that range, which will be adjusted to cover the entire image for you.

Location-to-Geocode translation (mapping) files should have a .txt suffix and should include Latitude and Longitude fields; these should be real numbers. The first field in the file should be named Key and should be the location name.

Shape files should have a .csv suffix and should follow the format of the existing files.



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Map Toolbar

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Constellation Wizard. This wizard guides you through the process of creating a map. See Using Charts | Data Constellation for step-by-step instructions.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Values. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Displayed Glyph Shape. Click this button to select the glyph shape displayed. Values include: Cone, Cube, Disk and Sphere.

Display as Globe. In the Map chart, click the button to display the map in a globe format. To use this function, it is recommended that you specify global coordinate ranges in the Map Wizard. If you do not, a globe is created using the map image that you specified (for example, if you selected a U.S. map, it would be displayed as a globe).

Select Color Field for Links. Click this button to choose the color for the links (lines between nodes) in a data constellation or map.

Select Fields for Node and Link Sizing. For Data Constellation and Map charts, this function allows you to configure the node size (cylinders on a Map or points on a Data Constellation) and width of the lines between the nodes (links).

  1. Click the button in the Data Constellation or Map chart toolbar.
  2. In the Node and Link Sizes dialog box that displays, select a value from the Node Size drop-down list. Select a value from the Link Size drop-down list.
  3. Click OK.

Mouse Selects Data. Click this button to select data in a visual.

Mouse Pans Data. Click this button to move the data displayed to the left, right, up, or down in a chart.

Mouse Rotates Chart. Click this button to rotate data displayed on the X/Y axes.

Mouse Turns Chart. Click this button to rotate displayed data on the Z axis.

Mouse Zooms Chart. Click this button to zoom in (enlarge) or zoom out (reduce) the contents displayed in a chart. To zoom in, move the mouse upward (away from you). To zoom out, move the mouse downward (towards you).

Adjust Range. You can stretch one or more axes in the chart so that the displayed data and axes labels are easier to read. When you click this button, X, Y and Z axis slider bars display. Select any axis and drag the slider bar. To view data as it was originally displayed, drag all sliders in the slider bars back to their original positions.

Return to Home Position. Click this button to return data displayed in this chart to its default location.

Go To Side for Positive/Negative Selection. Click this button to make it easier to select positive/negative data.

Go To Top for Row/Column Selection. Click this button to make it easier to view row/column data.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Multiscape

A Multiscape is a graphical 2 dimensional table. It shows the interactions between 2 categorical (nominal) fields. It helps you understand how values of the field are jointly distributed. Click on a Multiscape feature below to learn more about it:



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Inserting a Multiscape

The Multiscape aggregates a metric across the intersections of two categorical fields and displays in a row/column format. This chart is typically used to examine the relationship between two or more categorical fields.

Inserting a New Multiscape

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Multiscape.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a field from the Data Table drop-down list.
  4. Use the pulldown lists to select X Field and Y Field data.
  5. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum** (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) and/or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field).
  6. Click OK. The multiscape displays with the X and Y data that you selected. Data on the Z axis of the multiscape is count-related.

Note: The Sum measure appears as the Z axis in the Multiscape chart.



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Multiscape Toolbar

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. The Count Per field is displayed in the chart.
  3. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.

    Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.

  4. Optionally, to display the line chart horizontally, place a checkmark in the Display Horizontally check box.
  5. Click OK. The bar chart displays.

Row/Column Order. Click this button to display the following display options:

Display Columns in Original Order. The default sort order for the columns displayed.

Sort Columns by Label. Displays columns alphabetically by label.

Sort Columns by Size. Displays columns from greatest to smallest net values.

Display Rows in Original Order. The default order for the rows displayed.

Sort Rows by Label. Displays rows alphabetically by label.

Sort Rows by Size. Displays rows from greatest to smallest net values.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Values. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Mouse Selects Data. Click this button to select data in a visual.

Mouse Pans Data. Click this button to move the data displayed to the left, right, up, or down in a chart.

Mouse Rotates Chart. Click this button to rotate data displayed on the X/Y axes.

Mouse Turns Chart. Click this button to rotate displayed data on the Z axis.

Mouse Zooms Chart. Click this button to zoom in (enlarge) or zoom out (reduce) the contents displayed in a chart. To zoom in, move the mouse upward (away from you). To zoom out, move the mouse downward (towards you).

Adjust Range. You can stretch one or more axes in the chart so that the displayed data and axes labels are easier to read. When you click this button, X, Y and Z axis slider bars display. Select any axis and drag the slider bar. To view data as it was originally displayed, drag all sliders in the slider bars back to their original positions.

Return to Home Position. Click this button to return data displayed in this chart to its default location.

Go To Side for Positive/Negative Selection. Click this button to make it easier to select positive/negative data.

Go To Top for Row/Column Selection. Click this button to make it easier to view row/column data.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Parabox

A Parabox (Parallel Box Plots) shows a summary of the distribution of a set of fields from a single table. The field is summarized based on its type: continuous (numerical) fields are summarized by box plots (or averages or dot plots), and categorical (name) fields are summarized as bubble plots. Individual cases may be displayed as parallel axis lines. A Parabox is particular useful for understanding how a subset compares to the entire population across a series of fields.



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Inserting a Parabox

The Parabox can be used to examine how multiple metrics and/or multiple groupings relate (for example, how do the offensive statistics of the highest-paid player of a sports league compare to the lowest-paid players, and where within the league these players are). A parabox (parallel box plots) shows a summary of the distribution of a set of fields from a single table. The field is summarized based on its type: continuous (numerical) fields are summarized by box plots (or averages or dot plots), and categorical (name) fields are summarized as bubbles (or ...). Individual cases may be displayed as parallel axis lines.

Inserting a New Parabox

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Parabox.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select all applicable fields to be included in the parabox by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name. To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to clear all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  4. Optionally, you can show the parallel axis by selecting the Display Parallel Axis check box.
  5. Click OK. The parabox displays.


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Parabox Toolbar

The Parabox toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the downward arrow in the chart.

The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select all applicable fields to be included in the parabox by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name. To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to de-select all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  3. Optionally, you can show the parallel axis by selecting the Display Parallel Axis check box.
  4. Click OK. The bar chart displays.

Select Axis of Individual Data Cases. Click this button to display or remove from display, the axis lines for selected data.

Display Unselected Axis Lines. You can choose whether or not to display unselected axis lines during analysis. By default, unselected axis lines are displayed. By selecting this button, unselected axis lines are excluded automatically for each selection.

Column Styles. Click this button to choose how information in a Parabox chart is displayed.

  1. In the Parabox Column Styles window, select the type of column style and/or how data is to be displayed by clicking on the applicable column and then the to display selection options.

    Note: Display styles are based on the type of field to be displayed. Display order is based on column style.

  2. Click OK to save your selections.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Pie Chart

A Pie Chart shows the relative number or weights of categorical values in a data field. It helps you understand how values of the field are distributed.



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Inserting a Pie Chart

The Pie Chart is typically used to view the relative proportions of a grouping of data (such as the percentage of sales that each region a company contributes to the company total). Data is displayed as wedges in a pie. Note that negative values are ignored.

Inserting a New Pie Chart

A pie chart can be used to examine the proportions of a grouping (such as the percentage of sales that each region a company contributes to the company total).

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Pie Chart.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. This field will serve as the basis of the Count Per <Field> in the view.
  4. Optionally, you can select a measure from the Measure drop-down list (this value is the y-axis in the Pie Chart). If you want to display the pie chart in 3-dimensional mode, place a checkmark in the Display in 3D checkbox.
  5. Click OK. The pie chart displays.


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Pie Chart Toolbar

The Pie Chart toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the in the chart. The toolbar contains the following functions.

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. This field will serve as the basis of the Count Per <Field> in the view.
  3. Optionally, you can select a measure from the Measure drop-down list (this value is the y-axis in the Pie Chart). If you want to display the pie chart in 3-dimensional mode, place a checkmark in the Display in 3D checkbox.
  4. Click OK. The pie chart displays.

Set Display Order. Click this button to display the following display options:

  • Original Order. The default sort order.
  • Sort By Label. Displays data alphabetically by label.
  • Sort By Size. Displays all data from greatest to smallest net values.
  • Sort By Selected. Displays selected data by size only for selected data.
  • Sort By Percent Selected. Displays selected data by greatest to smallest percentage.
  • Reverse Sort By Size. Displays data from smallest to greatest net values.
  • Reverse Sort By Percent Selected. Displays selected data by smallest to greatest percentage.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Edit Chart Title. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Drill Down. Moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. Conversely, moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart or Pie Chart . By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Down Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill down.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the lowest level of your data, the Drill down button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill down any further.

Drill Up. Moving from detailed-level to summary-level data is referred to as drilling up. It is useful when you want an overall, big picture understanding of the information. Conversely, moving from summary to more detailed-level data is known as drilling down. Drilling down into the data, is essential to accessing valuable information from the data that you are analyzing. By drilling up or down, you can use data at the appropriate level of detail in order to make correlations and draw conclusions.

By configuring data hierarchies you can set up drill up / drill down in a Bar Chart, Line Chart, or Pie Chart. By setting up a data hierarchy, configuring bar chart(s), line chart(s) and pie chart(s), and pointing to a hierarchy by name, data in certain charts can be drilled up or drilled down.

To Drill Up Into Data

  1. Choose the chart in which you want to drill up.
  2. Select the button in the Page toolbar, located at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you drill to the highest level of your data, the Drill Up button is dimmed, indicating that you cannot drill up any further.

Mouse Selects Data. Click this button to select data in a visual.

Mouse Pans Data. Click this button to move the data displayed to the left, right, up, or down in a chart.

Mouse Rotates Chart. Click this button to rotate data displayed on the X/Y axes.

Mouse Turns Chart. Click this button to rotate displayed data on the Z axis.

Mouse Zooms Chart. Click this button to zoom in (enlarge) or zoom out (reduce) the contents displayed in a chart. To zoom in, move the mouse upward (away from you). To zoom out, move the mouse downward (towards you).

Return to Home Position. Click this button to return data displayed in this chart to its default location.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Scatter Plot

A Scatter plot shows the interaction of two fields. They may be continuous (a number) or categorical (a name), although 2 continuous fields works best (use a Multiscape to view the interaction of 2 categorical fields).



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Inserting a Scatterplot

The Scatterplot displays an X-Y plot of two fields of a table. This chart is typically used to show the relationship between at least two metrics (example: which investments provide a favorable date of return at a low risk).

Inserting a New Scatterplot

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Scatterplot.
  2. Click the to display the Data Configuration window. The Data Configuration view displays. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Use the pulldown lists to select X Field and Y Field data.
  4. Optionally, you can select parameters for Glyph Size and Glyph Shape. The glyph size in the scatterplot correlates to the corresponding data. The glyph shape is determined by data and consists of circles, squares, diamonds, or triangles.
  5. Click OK. The scatterplot displays.


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Scatterplot Toolbar

The Scatterplot toolbar is located at the bottom of the chart. If it is not displayed, click the downward arrow in the chart.

The toolbar contains the following functions:

Toolbar button

Description

Data Configuration. Displays the Data Configuration window.

  1. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  2. Select a field from the Field drop-down list. The Count Per field is displayed in the chart.
  3. Optionally, you can select measures for Sum (you can select one or more fields), Average (select one field to be averaged) or Ratio (select a Numerator and Denominator field). If you select multiple measures, you can select Color Clusters By Measure. This allows you to distinguish between the measures.
  4. Click OK. The bar chart displays.

Define Trends. Data trends can be displayed in a variety of ways using WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE. In the Scatterplot toolbar, click the button to display the following options:

  • Trend All Detail. Displays a line between all points.
  • Trend Average. Displays a line at the average point of all points.
  • Trend Linear. Displays a straight line calculated using simple linear regression.
  • Trend Local. Displays lines that closely follow the data values displayed.
  • Trend Maximum. Displays lines between maximum points.
  • Trend Minimum. Displays lines between minimum points.
  • No Trend Line. This is the default value. No trending is displayed in the scatterplot.

Display Unselected Values. You can choose whether or not to display unselected data during analysis. By default, unselected data is displayed. By selecting this button, unselected data is excluded automatically for each selection.

Jitter Data Points. You can use this function to distinguish between two or more data points that appear very close or on top of one another.

Edit Chart Values. Use this function to change the content and font style of labels displayed in an active view.

In this dialog box, you can:

  • Choose to display the Chart title text by placing a checkmark in the Display Title box.
  • Add/edit the content of the Title, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Title text.
  • Add/edit the content of Axis text, as well as change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Axis text.
  • Change the font type, font style, font color, and point size of the Label text.

Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

View Chart Help. Displays the Help View for the chart.



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Summary Sheet

A Summary Sheet shows a grid of summarized numeric values for each category in a table. The table has one row for each unique value, or category, in the first (key) column, and any number of numeric columns can be summed, averaged, or counted correspondingly. A Summary Sheet is basically a textual version of a bar chart. The rows of the grid can be sorted, or the columns rearranged; and the category for the table's focus row is shown in the top row



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Inserting a Summary Sheet

Summary Sheet can be used to examine rolled-up or aggregated data for several measures tables based on a particular categorical dimension.

Inserting a New Summary Sheet

  1. In the Chart toolbar on the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Summary Sheet.
  2. The Data Configuration window displays. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable Data Table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. From the Primary Field drop-down list, select the field that will serve as the focus of the summary sheet.
  4. Select all Summary fields to be included in the summary sheet by clicking on the box adjacent to the field name(s). To select all fields, click the Check All button (conversely, click Uncheck All to clear all fields). A checkmark indicates the field has been selected.
  5. Click OK. The summary sheet displays the data you selected in a columnar format.




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Text Filter

A Text Filter is a control that can be used to exclude data rows from the analysis. It lists the categories in a table field; the checked fields are included in the analysis, and unchecked fields are excluded. This may be used to focus your analysis on an interesting subset of the data. Filtered data rows are treated as if they are in the “excluded” selection state, but they can only be restored by checking the field on the text filter again. They will not be restored by the “Restored Excluded” button.



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Inserting a Text Filter

A Text Filter removes rows with a field category from the analysis.

Inserting a New Text Filter

  1. In the Chart toolbar on the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New Text Filter.
  2. The Data Configuration window displays. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable WebFOCUS Visual Discovery AE Data Table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. From the Field drop-down list, select the field that will be used to filter the table data. Only categorical fields are displayed.
  4. Click OK. The checked items in the Text Filter are still available; unchecked items are excluded.




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Time Table

A Time Table is a Scatter Plot that is specialized for showing events over time. The x-axis shows a continuous variable, often time; the y-axis shows a categorical variable which often has one or more characteristics.



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Inserting a Time Table

The Time Table chart displays detailed event over time in the form of a table of tick marks. Typically, this chart is used to examine many events over time (for example, server alarms for network intrusion detection).

Inserting a New Time Table

  1. In the Chart toolbar of the Page tab, click or in the Page menu, select Insert Chart | New TimeTable.
  2. Click the in the view to display the Data Configuration window. If more than one table was loaded using the Data Wizard, use the drop-down list to select the applicable table. If a single table was loaded, it is the default.
  3. Use the pulldown lists to select X Data and Y Data.
  4. Optionally, you can select Group By, Angle, Size, or Duration parameters from the respective pulldown lists.
  5. Click OK. The time table displays.




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Visual Discovery AE

In this section:

Visual Discovery AE is your ability to interrogate your data using collections of charts. These features combine to provide Visual Discovery AE.



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Colors

Color adds another dimension in understanding your data. Within a single chart, color may provide a redundant encoding of information that is visible in other ways. Charts use color in a single way across all charts, which often provides an important linkage.

Color Mapping

Color is mapped to data tables. A table has a single coloring scheme. Each row in the table is assigned a color. Charts use this color when representing the data in that row. The easiest strategy is to map color using the values in a single field. The values in the field are ordered, a color scale (an ordered sequence of colors) is chosen, and colors are mapped to data values.

In the examples below, a table is colored by a categorical field (Sub-Type). The Pie Chart is built using this field, so each of the slices in the pie is colored differently. The Histogram, on field Volatility (%), is on the same table so it is colored in the same way. In this case, the histogram is colored in bands corresponding to the Sub-Type values. This coloring is called color stacking.

If these two charts were instead colored by Volatility (%) (the field the Histogram is based on), the result would look like this:

Now the Histogram is colored with a regular progression of colors, and the Pie Chart has color stacking. But again, the same data is colored in the same way. The black color represents missing values; note the missing values are shown in the histogram to the left of the plot. This did not occur in the original example because there were no missing values in the field being colored by, Sub-Type.

Fields are mapped to colors using the Color by pull down box in the Page tool bar. (If the Page toolbar is not present, go to the menu bar item, click View, select Toolbars, and check the item Page to display that toolbar, or right-click over the toolbar area in application window.

Color Scales

WebFOCUS Visual Discovery Workbench AE provides predefined, ordered sets of colors. Here are the options:

Color scales are chosen Color Scale pull down in the Page toolbar.

Custom Color Mappings

You may also define your own mapping of data field values to colors using the Color Workshop. Use the Color Workshop if the default field mapping are inappropriate for you data.

Colors and Excluded Data

When colors are applied to data, excluded values are ignored. So, for example, if data is excluded and you recolor a table and later restore the excluded data, it will be uncolored. To correct this, recolor the table by switching the Color By field to another field, then switching back to the original field.

Coloring by a continuous (numerical) field may have unexpected results. Colors are assigned equally to the total range of the field. If the data is highly skewed (for example, there are a small number of extreme values), then there may be large regions of the color scale for which there is no data. You can deal with this in two ways:

  1. Exclude the extreme data values and recolor by the same field.
  2. Create a new field with the expression builder containing the rank of the data values, and color by this field. This field will have no gaps.

Chart Element Colors

Chart elements have standard colors that are used. Chart elements include backgrounds, lines, mouse drag graphics, unselected color, selected color (if not mapped to data), missing values, and overplotting indicator. The color for any of these elements can be changed using Select Chart Colors form the Tools menu bar item.



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Selection

Selection highlights a subset of the data displayed in a chart. This selection is highlighted in all charts where that data appears. Selection is on a per Data Pool table basis.



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Viewpoint

Most views allow you to manage your viewpoint: what part of the display you are looking at. Managing your viewpoint uses panning, zooming (magnifying), and possibly rotation.



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Missing Values

All data types accept a special value indicating that the data is missing. For example, in a survey if a question wasn't answered the answer field should be marked as missing. Missing data is typically ignored by charts.

You can manage the handling of missing values in two ways:


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User Interfaces

In this section:



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Context Menu

All charts provide a common context menu:

Bar and Pie Charts provide additional context menu items:

The additional Drill Up/Drill Down menu items allow you do drill up or down in a hierarchy that has been defined for the field currently visible in the chart.



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Keyboard Commands

These keyboard commands are available from most charts. Make sure that the chart has keyboard focus by clicking on it first! Charts with keyboard focus have a light border.

Keyboard

Charts

Action

+, -

Some

Increase or decrease the size of glyphs.

CTRL-c

All

Copy image to clipboard

Home

All

Default pan/zoom position

Shift-Home

All

Zoom to selected items only (supported only by some charts)

Shift

All

Focus immediately

CTRL

All

Alternative selection mode

CTRL-a

All

Select all

DEL

All

Exclude unselected

CTRL-z

All

Undo

CTRL-y

All

Redo

CTRL-w

All

Save image to file; file name will be prompted for

CTRL-s

All

Save Data Pool in binary format to file; file name will be prompted for

I

Bar, Line, Pie, Data Constellations

Label item under mouse

End

3D

Top view

Up arrow

3D

Front view

Down arrow

3D

Rear view

Left arrow

3D

Left view

Right arrow

3D

Right view

Space

3D

Go to next viewpoint operation

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3D

Display current transforms for returning to this positioning


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