In the world packed with the big amount of the data we face each moment, visual information plays an important role in comparison to text and tables. Data visualization makes it easier to perceive information as it better attracts the attention of users.
In our article we will discuss the most common and accessible types of data visualization in SAP Analytics Cloud: graphs and charts.
One of the difficulties that significantly slows down the user’s analytical work is the choice of the right type of a diagram. To avoid incorrect data interpretation you should consider the use cases for different types of diagrams available in SAP Analytics Cloud.
Pie chart
A pie chart type is perfect if you need to show the ratio of a part to the whole (for example, market share), to focus on the percentage of several significant values.
But with a large amount of input data, an unreadable diagram is obtained, which is difficult to analyze and make correct conclusions. Therefore, you must either limit the data or use a different type of chart.
Stacked bar chart
An accumulated chart displays data using rectangular columns, where their length is proportional to the value of the data. In this chart type the columns overlap, grouping the data from the same category.
As a rule, accumulated charts are built vertically, but it is also possible to display data in a horizontal format. The choice of the format depends on what you want to show with this chart.
If you have negative values, avoid using this type of graph, as these values do not appear on it.
Trend
A trend chart illustrates data changes within some period of time. The line is used to connect data points on the graph. This graph is most useful for showing trends and for determining how the variables correlate with each other.
Line charts can also be used to track more than one row of data. There is also the possibility of forecasting data.
Correlation
This type of a chart is used to show whether the value of one indicator affects another. The relationship between two indicators can be represented in the scatterplot and the cluster bubble diagram. Bubble chart allows you to see the relationship between three indicators, where the third indicator is displayed in the size of the bubble.
Histogram
The histogram is a bar chart. It is sometimes called frequency distribution, as the histogram shows the frequency of the value occurrence in the interval.
The height of each column indicates the value frequency of occurrence in the selected ranges, and the number of columns indicates the number of selected ranges.
Heat Map
A heatmap is a two-dimensional representation of the data in which values are represented by colors. As a rule, the lines define one dimension, and the columns define another one. The color on the map changes depending on the value of the indicator. On the heat map you can set limits for values and set the corresponding colors for them.
As an example let’s take a heat map to compare clothing style preferences in several countries. The heat map allows to identify which style is preferred and in which countries. The rows may contain clothing styles to compare, the columns may contain a list of countries, and the cells – the number of people who have chosen one of the two styles.
Waterfall
The waterfall chart is used to show changes in the initial value, leading to the accumulation of the total value. Columns have different color coding to define positive and negative values.
In addition, you can use two dimensions in a chart: show subtotals and the ability to choose a representation of intermediate or actual values, which will improve data analysis.
Input Controls
Input controls let you filter data, compare numbers and explore relationships. It can be applied to features, temporal analytics and indicators (allows you to quickly switch between the corresponding indicators depending on what information you want to see in your chart).
Have questions about visualizing data in SAP Analytics Cloud?
