Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Where to Get NetCharts Performance Dashboards
  • System Requirements
• Who Should Read This Document
• Additional Help and Support
• Getting Started
• The 4 Steps of Building a Dashboard
  • Step 1: Choose Your Data Source
  • Step 2: Choose Your Tables
  • Step 3: Create KPI Collections
  • Step 4: Step 4: Start building dashboards
    • Edit Dashboard
    • Renaming KPIs
• Configuring the KPIs in a Dashboard
  • Configure the Filters
  • Setting up Regions
  • Actual vs. Budget KPI
  • Sales Performance KPI
  • Comparing Product Sales KPI
  • Sunshine Coffee Dashboard

Introduction

This NetCharts Performance Dashboards tutorial will guide you through the step-by-step process for creating a dashboard. The fundamental design feature of NetCharts Performance Dashboards is that you, the end user, have the ability to configure a dashboard to your needs.
 
The tutorial will guide you through creating a dashboard with sample data stored in a Microsoft Excel file. The steps used in the tutorial are the same as those you will use later when configuring your own dashboard.

Where to Get NetCharts Performance Dashboards

Request a copy of NetCharts Performance Dashboards if you do not yet have a copy.

Requirements

Please ensure that your system meets the following system requirements:

 
This tutorial relies on an Excel file which can be downloaded here. This Excel file has sample sales and budget data for a fictitious coffee distributor. Any similarities to a real coffee distributor are coincidental. This file should be downloaded and placed in a convenient location on the server where NCPD is running. This tutorial assumes that the user is running a web browser on the same machine on which NCPD is installed.

Who Should Read This Document

This tutorial is intended for business end-users of NetCharts Performance Dashboards. Although not intended for technical readers, IT/ help desk staff may find this tutorial helpful for training, education, and basic product processes and functionality.

Additional Help and Support

If you have product questions or comments, we would like to hear from you – Please direct any questions on this product to support@visualmining.com. Please send your experiences with our products, documentation, sales staff, or technical support staff to feedback@visualmining.com.

Getting Started

 
To start, use the Windows Start Menu item
 
Start Menu -> Programs -> Visual Mining -> NetCharts Performance Dashboards Enterprise -> Launch NCPD
 
If you are connecting to an instance of NCPD running on a seperate server, launch a web browser and point at the installed version of NetCharts Performance Dashboards. Note however, that the process of establishing an initial connection to the Excel spreadsheet will require additonal steps, as the Excel file must also be accessible from the machine where NCPD is installed, not the machine where the web browser connecting to NCPD is running.
 
Once NetCharts Performance Dashboards has launched a browser will show the login page. Enter your user name and password.
 

 
After logging in, NCPD will present a Getting Started page.
 

 

The 4 Steps for Building a Dashboard

There are 4 steps to building your first dashboard using NetCharts Performance Dashboards. Not all four are required for each dashboard as some or all of the earlier steps can be shared. The four steps are:

1. Choose your data sources – here you will be connecting the Excel file to NetCharts Performance Dashboards
2. Choose your tables – you will skip this step by using our Auto-generate tables feature to get you moving to your dashboard
3. Create KPI Collections – here you will build the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Excel spreadsheet
4. Start building dashboards! – this is where you get see all the action

NetCharts Performance Dashboards has wizards that walk the user through the entire process. The Getting Started page links them all together, simplifies initial interaction with the system and displays progress status as each step is completed.
 
To get started configuring NetCharts Performance Dashboards simply click the arrow button under Step 1 on the Getting Started screen

Step 1: Choose Your Data Source

Using the Getting Started dialog is on method to launch the dialogs for each step in the process. Alternatively, use the Administration menu at the top of the page, and select Data Sources.
 

 

NOTE: If there are already data sources defined, click the icon, , in the upper left of the screen to launch the Add Data Source dialog.

The Add Data Source dialog will be presented automatically.

1. Give your data source a name, for example “Sunshine-Coffee“
2. For the Desktop and Enterprise Editions only, select Excel from the Data Source Type drop down menu.
    
   

   Click the Add button.

3. Once the new data source has been added the Configure Data Source screen will be presented. Beside the field for the file name is a button, , used to select the Excel file. Press the button to open the file dialog. Now locate and select the “SunshineCoffee.xls” Excel spreadsheet.
    
   
    
4. Once you have selected the Excel file click the Test button to confirm access.
5. Ensure the “Auto-generate Data Entities” box is checked (By selecting Auto-generate, NetCharts Performance Dashboards will automatically complete Step 2).
6. Click “Continue”.

At this point you have completed Step 1 by adding an Excel spreadsheet as a data source for NetChart Performance Dashboards.

Step 2: Choose Your Tables

By checking the “Autogenerate Data Entities”, in Step 1 above, this step has been automatically completed. NetCharts Performance Dashboards created the data entities based on interpreting the data source structure.

You will be taken directly to Step 3.

Step 3: Create KPI Collections

You are ready to define a KPI Collection so a user can view the information from the data. A KPI Collection defines the roles different columns assume. The roles are:

• Measures – values derived from calculations against columns in the spreadsheet
• Dimensions – the groupings or buckets through which the Measures are viewed
• Filters – to limit what’s being displayed in the KPIs
• Drilldown Fields – used to organize the data that populate the drilldown tables

1. Click the green plus button, , to create a new KPI collection based on the data source. In the Add KPI Collection dialog make the following selections:
    
   

   Make sure your Data Source is Sunshine-Coffee, the Data Entity is Revenue and name the KPI Collection is Sunshine Coffee.

   Ensure the Auto-Generate check box is checked and click the Add button.

2. The Revenue KPI Collection will be configured automatically and the Configure KPI Collections screen is displayed:
    
   

   In this screen you can edit the Measures, Dimensions, Filters and Drilldown Fields.

3. Hint: Double click on any field in the Name column, in the Selected Items section at the bottom, you can edit the name of the field. A small red arrow in the upper left hand corner will appear to indicate the name has been changed for display purposes.

   Click the Finish button to save the KPI Collection.

   NOTE: It is normal for the Configure KPI Collections panel to gray out and be overlaid with a Please wait… message box.

   NOTE: Any red exclamation points, , on the tabs signify that the requisite number of fields has not been chosen. Once the appropriate number of fields has been chosen, the red exclamation point will disappear

Once your configuration has been saved the Home page will be displayed indicating a KPI collection has been completely configured:
 

Step 4: Step 4: Start building dashboards

To begin creating your first dashboard click the arrow button under Step 4 on the Getting Started screen.

1. The first step is to give your dashboard a name. It is best to use a name that will describe the type of KPI information that will be displayed. Here enter Sunshine Coffee Page for the Dashboard Name,
    
   
2. Click the “Finish” button.

Edit Dashboard

The “Edit Dashboard” screen will be displayed. Here we will begin the processes of laying out our dashboard.

1. Update the column size of the dashboard so both the Wide Column and the Narrow Column widths is set to 550.
2. Under the section “Add Dashboard Content”, click the Select KPI from KPI Collection button to display the available KPI collection.
3. Select the “Sunshine Coffee” KPI Collection to display the KPI Types available. Next we’ll begin adding the KPI Types to our dashboard.
4. Click “Filters” KPI Type, once, to add dashboard filters
5. Click “Multiple Measures, No Dimension” KPI Type, once
6. Click “One Measure, One Dimension” KPI Type, twice
7. Finally, click “Multiple Measures, One Dimension” KPI type once

When you are complete the Edit Dashboard screen should look as follows:

Renaming KPIs

You will notice in the “Alter Dashboard Layout” section each of the KPI Types you added. By default the name of the KPI Types is a combination of the KPI Collection and the KPI Type.
 
To make your dashboard more user friendly you can change the names of the KPI Types by double clicking on the KPI Type in the “Alter Dashboard Layout” section.
 
In the Narrow Column on the left:

1. Rename “Sunshine Coffee Filters” to “Filter the data“
2. Rename “One Measure, One Dimension” to “How do the sales regions compare?“
3. Rename “Multiple Measures, One Dimension” to “How do actual sales compare to budget?“

In the Wide Column on the right:

1. Rename “Multiple Measures, No Dimension” to “How is sales performance?“
2. Rename “One Measure, One Dimension” to “How do product sales compare?“

The “Alter Dashboard Layout” section will now appear like this:
 

 
Click the Finish button, and the Sunshine Coffee Page dashboard is generated in its native form.
 
At this point you created your dashboard. Next we will look at configuring each KPI.
 

Configuring the KPIs in a Dashboard

At this point your dashboard has been created, but in the default state. It should look something like this:
 

 
Each KPI on the dashboard is contained within a panel, featuring up to 7 controls, at one time, in the upper right hand corner. The controls are

1.  Deletes the KPI from the page
2.  Enlarges the KPI to occupy a page by itself (Disappears when the KPI is enlarged, and is replaced by the #4 control below)
3.  Collapses the KPI so only the title bar above is displayed (Disappears when the KPI is collapsed, and is replaced by the #4 control below)
4.  Returns the KPI to share a page with other KPIs.
5.  Repositions the KPI below the KPI beneath it (Disappears if the KPI is at the bottom of the column)
6.  Repositions the KPI over the KPI above it (Disappears if the KPI is at the top of the column)
7.  Opens the Preferences panel for the KPI (Appears when the Preferences panel is closed)
8.  Collapses the Preferences panel. (Appears when the Preferences panel is open)
9.  Download the KPI data to Excel

To edit each of the KPIs individually, click the Edit Preferences icon, , in the upper right hand corner of the KPI panel.

Configure the Filters

We want to limit the available filters.

1. Open the preferences panel on the Filter the data KPI
2. uncheck the Coffee Brand and Region filters
3. Click the Apply button
    
   

When you are done, collapse the Preferences panel. The filters can now be used to isolate particular Coffee brands or Regions for all the related KPIs on the dashboard.

Setting up Regions

We want to see how each region’s sales compare. Here we will configure the “How do my Regions compare?” KPI panel.

1. Click the Open Preferences menu icon on the “How do the sales regions compare?” KPI
2. First lets change the dimension, select Region from the Dimension drop down list
3. Next we want to represent the KPI as a Pie Chart, not a Bar Chart. Select Piechart from the Visualization drop down list
4. Finally we want to customize the Piechart. To do this open the Visualization options by clicking on the pencil icon, , to the right
5. In the Visualization Option dialog box, adjust the Chart Height to 240 pixels
6. Next uncheck Autogenerate for the Chart Title and enter “Sales by Region“
7. Click the OK button to complete the customization

 
When you are done, collapse the Preferences panel.

Actual vs. Budget KPI

Next we want to compare our sales against our budget.

1. Click the Open Preferences Menu icon on the “How do actual sales compare to budget?” KPI
2. Change the Name of the Series to Actual
    
   
3. Click the Copy button in the upper right, and name the new Series Budget
4. Change the Measure in the new Series to be Sum of Budget
5. Now we want to view this Barchart horizontally. To do this click on the pencil icon, , to the right to customize the Visualization
6. In the Visualization Options, General tab, dialog select “Horizontal” from the Chart Layout drop down list
7. Set the chart height to 240 pixels
8. Next click the “Value Axis” tab. Here we will format of the axis to a currency.
9. Next click the “Bar” tab. Here we will format the bars such that the Actual bar is drawn over the Budget bar to create a thermometer-like comparison of Actual to Budget. Set the Grouping menu to “Rows”. Click the green plus button,  to add a Bar style entry. Edit the first bar style to use a width of 60 and a label style of Top.
    
    
10. Click the OK button to complete the customization

 
When you are done, collapse the Preferences panel.

Sales performance KPI

Next we want to display overall sales performance in a dial chart. In this case, sales performance will be measured as a ratio of actual sales to budgeted sales. The chart will contain four data series, one for actual sales, one for budgeted sales, a ratio of actual to budget, and a variance (ratio *100). Only the variance series will be displayed on the dial.

1. Click the Open Preferences Menu icon on the “How is sales performance?” KPI.
2. Rename the iniital series to Actual and set the measure to Sum of Actual Sales.
3. Add a series called Budget that uses the measure Sum of Budget.
4. Add a calculated series called Ratio that has Actual as Left Data, Divide as the function and Budget as the Right Data.
5. Add a calculated series called Variance that multiplies Ratio by the constant 100. The Left Series should be Ration, the function should be Multiply and the Right Data should be the constant 100.
6. Uncheck the visible checkbox for the three series, Actual, Budget and Ratio.
7. Select Dial as the Visualization.
8. Now we want to customize the Dial. To do this click on the pencil icon, , to the right to customize the Visualization.
9. In the Visualization Options, General tab, set the Dial Format to Custom, with 0 decimal places and a % suffix.
10. Under Chart Title, uncheck Autogenerate and set the title to “Sales Performance”.
11. Open the Dial Scale and Colors tab.
12. Set the Dial scale. Uncheck Autogenerate and set the range from 0 to 120 in steps of 20.
13. Add three sector definitions to visually classify (red, yellow, green) the possible values.
     
    
14. Click the OK button to complete the customization

When you are done, collapse the Preferences panel.

Comparing Product Sales KPI

Next we want to see how sales are doing by product.

1. Click the Open Preferences Menu icon on the “How do the sales of my products compare?” KPI.
2. We will use the default, Barchart, but we will want to make some customizations. To do this click on the pencil icon, , to the right to customize the Visualization
3. In the Visualization Options, General tab, set the Chart Height to 390 pixels
4. Under Chart Title, uncheck Autogenerate and set the title to “Sale by Product”
5. Check the Grid option and select Horizontal from the drop down list
6. Click the OK button to complete the customization

 
When you are done, collapse the Preferences panel.
 

Sunshine Coffee Dashboard

The completed dashboard will appear like this: