SAP Crystal Dashboard Design

SAP Crystal Dashboard Design SAP UA Version: 1.1 Author: Sonja Hecht, UCC Munich Abstract This module provides an introduction on the topic dashboard design using SAP Crystal Dashboard Design. Product SAP Crystal Dashboard Design, personal edition Level Undergraduate Beginner

Agenda I • Introduction • SAP Crystal Dashboard Design overview • Creating the first dashboard

Dashboard definition “A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance” (Few, 2004)

Exampleof a spreadsheet Source: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sap-crystal-solutions/dashboards-visualization/demos/index.epx

Exampleof a dashboard Source: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sap-crystal-solutions/dashboards-visualization/demos/index.epx

Other dashboard examples • Daily executive report • Summarizes the daily status of a hospitality company's key performance indicators across different locations • Gives the executive an interactive view of the daily and monthly metrics • Standard income statement • Highlights a new way of presenting typical income statements • By selecting a region from a map, the viewer can see its P&L and net income trend over the last six quarters and compare it with the target values Source: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sme/xcelsius/demos/index.epx

Display media for dashboards Source: adaptedfromFew (2006), p. 124 ff

Evolution of Dashboards Evolution of Automobile Dashboards versus Business Dashboards: Automobile Dashboards Business Dashboards Display: Simple Lamps Function: -Indication of engine issues Display: Simple Charts Function: -Simple monitoring of some business areas First Generation • Display: • Lamps • Gauges • Odometers • Function: • Indication of engine issues • Measure fuel, etc. • Measure speed, distance • Display: • Advanced Charts • Gauges & Indicators • Tables • Function: • Advanced monitoring • Drill down to analyze • Monitor key metrics Second Generation Adaptedfrom Rasmussen/Bansal/Chen (2009), p.5 • Display: • Lamps • Gauges • Odometers • GPS • Function: • Indication of engine issues • Measure fuel, speed, dist. • Show route & destination • Display: • Advanced Charts • Gauges & Indicators • Tables • Scorecards • Strategy Maps • Function: • Advanced monitoring • Drill down to analyze • Monitor key metrics • Monitor tactics • Monitor strategy Third Generation

Dashboard types I • Strategic Dashboards • Used by executives • Quick overview on the health of the business, including major high-level measures • Few information, simple display mechanisms, static snapshots Analytical Dashboards • Used by analysts • Support interaction with data, e.g. drill-down • Complex data, sophisticated display mechanisms, static snapshots Operational Dashboards • Used to monitor operations • Support alerting for critical events, interaction with data • Detailed data, simple and clear display mechanisms, real-time data Source: (Few 2006, p. 40-42)

Layers of information Summarized Graphical View Purpose: Monitor key performance metrics Display: Graphical indicators, numbers, text Technology: Dashboards, scorecard, portals Top Layer Multidimensional View Purpose: Explore information from multiple dimensions Display: Interactive charts and tables Technology: OLAP, interactive reports Middle Layer Detailed Reporting View Purpose: Examine details before taking action Display: Table or report in separate window Technology: Operational reports, data warehouse queries Bottom Layer Source: Eckerson (2006), p. 15

Dashboard types II • Dashboard versus Portal • Portal = Focus on the integration of different contents under one user interface • Dashboard = Focus on the compression of important facts and figures on one single screen Dashboard versus Scorecard • A scorecard is a specific dashboard including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), usually used on a strategic level

The New Intelligence Platform of SAP Please check sdn.sap.com for latest version • SAP Crystal Dashboard Design (formerly Xcelsius) is • the flagship product for dashboarding and visualization • Rapid development of dashboards by drag and drop • Replacing SAP Bex Web Application Designer • Connectivity through XML and webservice connectors Source: (SAP AG 2009)

Agenda • Introduction • SAP Crystal Dashboard Design overview • Creatingthefirstdashboard

SAP Crystal Dashboard Design overview • Building dashboards for different purposes and different hierarchical levels or functions, including dynamic charts and graphs, data presentations and visual what-if scenarios • Data presentation is based on Adobe Flash, export to different applications including PowerPoint, Acrobat 9, Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash, HTML, Business Objects Platform • Dashboards use static data from Microsoft Excel spreadsheet models or live corporate data sources linked using various connectors • Available connectors: Query as a Web Service (QaaWS), Web Service Connections, XML Data Connections, Excel XML Map, Live Office,…

The Workspace Canvas Area Component Browser Object Browser Embedded Spreadsheet Properties Panel

Design time & Run time Design time Run time Visualization Generate dashboard (.swf file with internal data model) Optional: Dashboard (.swf file) deployed on corporate web server Web Server Visualization Design visualization Data bindingData connectivity Workspace Business Logic Dashboard is opened on user‘s machine Spreadsheet model Client Data Source Optional: Dashboard connects to data source to refresh data OLAP XML RDBMS Client

SAP Crystal Dashboard Design andthe MVC pattern View (before adjustment) Controller View (after adjustment) Model

Visual components Chart components provide a range of different chart types like line, pie, bar, area, radar, and tree map chart Container components group and display other components Selector components are used to create a visualization with multiple options to select from Single value components are used to add user interactivity to visualizations, these components are linked to a single cell in the spreadsheet Map components create visualizations with geographical representations that can display data by region Text components are used for placing labels and including text into a visualization

Agenda • Introduction • SAP Crystal Dashboard Design overview • Creating the first dashboard

Creating dashboards • Three steps to create a new dashboard: • Create the spreadsheet model • Import existing spreadsheet model or • Create new spreadsheet model with Excel functionality • Build the visualization • Select suitable components from the visualization library • Data binding • Publish the dashboard • Export to PPT, Word, Adobe, SWF, Business Objects …

Import spreadsheet model 1. Select Data -> Import… 2. Select existing Excel file… 3. Your business model is now available in the embedded spreadsheet

Select visual components 1. Select a pie chart from the component browser 2. Move the component using drag and drop onto the canvas

Properties and data binding 1. Double click on the component to open the properties panel 2. Edit title of the component: Use static values or dynamic values from spreadsheet model 3. Bind data from spreadsheet model to the component

Properties panel • Title, subtitle • Selection of data source, data binding • Adding drill-down capability for charts • Settings for the visualization of the component • E.g. visibility of component, scaling of axis, animation and effects • Settings for the appearance and formatting of components • E.g. layout, text, and color of component • Settings for alerts for a component • E.g. definition of the number of alert colors used, or target limits

Publish dashboard 1. Save spreadsheet model and visualization as *.xlf file 2. Export as e.g. PDF or other file type 3. Launch Dashboard

Agenda II • Dashboard design • Designing spreadsheet models • Basic components for visualization • Charts components • Single value components • Text components • Alerts • Selector components • Dashboard layout

Dashboard design • Dashboard design • What type of dashboard should be designed? • What are the relevant data and KPIs that should be visualized? • What are appropriate elements for visualization? • How should user navigation look like? • How is the dashboard supplied with data?

Dashboard design Applying the Gestalt Principles of visual perception to dashboards: • Proximity: Objects that are located near each other are perceived as belonging to the same group. • Similarity: Objects that are similar in color, size, shape, and orientation are perceived as belonging to the same group. • Enclosure: Objects that are enclosed by a visual border, e.g. a line, are perceived as belonging to the same group. • Closure: Open structure (e.g. shapes with open ends) are perceived as closed whenever possible. • Continuity: Objects that appear to form a continuation of one another are perceived as belonging to the same group. • Connection: Objects that are connected (e.g. by are line) are perceived as belonging to the same group. Source: Few (2006), p. 90-95

Dashboard design • Dashboard design principles I • Reduce the non-data pixels, by eliminating unnecessary non-data pixels and de-emphasizing the remaining non-data pixels • E.g. eliminate unnecessarythird dimension of depth on charts • E.g. eliminate unnecessary grid lines in bar graphs • E.g. eliminate variations in color that don’t encode any meaning Source: (Few 2006, p. 103-110)

Dashboard design • Dashboard design principles II • Enhance data pixels by eliminating unnecessary data pixels and highlighting most important data pixels • Remove data that is less relevant • Condense data by summaries and exceptions • Emphasize important data by visual attributes like color intensity, size, line width • Emphasize important data by its position on the dashboard: top-left and center are sections with greatest emphasis Emphasized Neither emphasized nor de-emphasized Emphasized Neither emphasized nor de-emphasized De-emphasized Different degrees of visual emphasis. Source: (Few 2006, p. 114)

Agenda • Dashboard design • Designing spreadsheet models • Basic components for visualization • Charts components • Single value components • Text components • Alerts • Selector components • Dashboard layout • Case study: Global Sales Overview

Spreadsheet models • Using Excel functionality • SAP Crystal Dashboard Design supports a variety of Excel functions (about 160) and formulas • Mathematical, statistical functions • Text-related functions • Date/Time related functions • Spreadsheet formulas • Complete list of supported Excel functions available in SAP Crystal Dashboard Design Help • But: not all Excel functionality is available in SAP Crystal Dashboard Design

Spreadsheet models • Using Excel functionality • Mathematical, statistical functions • Calculation of maximum value: • Text-related functions • Concatenate Strings: • Date/Time related functions • Provide current data: TODAY() • Provide current time and date: NOW()

Spreadsheet models • Design guidelines • Use different sheets if your spreadsheet includes many different tables • For complex models use the first sheet for documenting your spreadsheet model • Use colors and labels in your model for better readability • Do not start in the first row and column, leave space for enhancements • Apply formatting to your spreadsheet before you start building the visualizations

Spreadsheet models • Limitations • In case you re-import spreadsheets with renamed sheets, any bindings to cells in the renamed sheet will be lost • Complexity of calculation being performed in the spreadsheet affect the performance of the visualization • Only one single Excel workbook can be embedded in a dashboard, references to remote workbooks are not possible

Agenda • Dashboard design • Designing spreadsheet models • Basic components for visualization • Charts components • Single value components • Text components • Alerts • Selector components • Dashboard layout

Chart components • Chart overview • Examples: • Line Chart: showing the tendency over a period of time, e.g. stock prices • Pie Chart: showing relative shares compared to a certain total, e.g. relative share of revenue for a product compared to total revenue • Bar Chart: visualization of rankings, e.g. TOP 10 products by revenue • Column Chart: showing developments over a period of time, e.g. revenue by month • Radar Chart: plotting multi-dimensional sets of data using several axis, e.g. compare different aspects of stock like price, volume, price to earning ratio, etc.

Chart components • Column chart • Step-by-step: • Drag chart to the canvas • Adjust titles • Bind data • Adjust scaling • Adjust layout

Chart components • Column chart - general • Title, subtitle, axis values can include fixed value or values from the spreadsheet model • Bind data: • Use Range option if data is a range of continuous cells • Use Series option if data series are segregated

Chart components • Column chart – scaling • Manual Scaling: If data doesn’t require the scales to change • Auto Scaling: If data feeds of the chart change and scaling has to be adjusted automatically

Chart components • Column Chart – layout • Adjust the color of your slices, chart background, title or plot area • Adjust format for your titles • Adjust data type of the values

Single value components • Single value components overview • Can be used for adding user interactivity to visualizations • Components are linked to a single cell in the spreadsheet • If cell content is a formula, component is an output component, no modifications possible • If cell content includes a plain value, component is an input component, modification possible

Single value components • Gauges • Gauges as input component represent a variable that can be modified to affect other components. By dragging the needle users can interact with the Gauge to change the value • Gauges as output components represent a value that changes and moves the needle if underlying data changes

Single value components Gauges: Data binding and scaling • Bind data to a single cell • Set minimum and maximum values, e.g. 0 and 1 if a percentage between 0 and 100% is displayed

Text Components • Overview text components • Placing labels and typing text into the dashboard • Input Text Area: input multiple lines of text • Label: add text to the dashboard, e.g. for titles, explanation, help, etc. • Input Text: input one line of text

Alerts • Alerts overview • Used to call the attention of the user to a specific item that has reached a pre-defined limit • Limits are e.g. budgets or benchmarks, plan data, etc. • Alerts can be defined for different components, including most charts and single-value components and some selector components • Customization of different alert levels and colors possible • Configuration takes place on the Alerts tab of the Properties panel

Alerts Defining Alerts for a Gauge • Activate Alerts on the Alerts tab in the Properties panel • Define Alert method: • as percent, if evaluated values are percentages • as value, if evaluated values are integers • Define Alert levels and colors • Select if high/middle/low levels are good

Selector Components • Selector components overview • Selector components let you create interactive dashboards with multiple selections • Radio Button: users can select from a horizontal or vertical group of selections • Combo Box: provides a vertical list of items, when it is clicked, users can select an item from the list • Accordion Menu: provides a two-level menu, users first select a category and then select items within that particular category

SAP Crystal Dashboard Design