Business Intelligence, Analytics, Data

Science, and AI
Fifth Edition

Chapter 4: Topic 1

Business Reporting,
and Visualization

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Learning Objectives

4.1 Define business reporting, and understand its historical

evolution
4.2 Understand the importance of data visualization
4.3 Learn different types of visualization techniques
4.4 Appreciate the value that visual analytics brings to
business analytics
4.5 Know the capabilities and limitations of dashboards

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Business Reporting Definitions and
Concepts
• Report = Information → Decision
• Report?
– Any communication artifact prepared to convey specific
information

• A report can fulfill many functions

– To ensure proper departmental functioning
– To provide information
– To provide the results of an analysis
– To persuade others to act
– To create an organizational memory…

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What is a Business Report?
• A written document that contains information regarding business
matters.
• Purpose: to improve managerial decisions

• Source: data from inside and outside the organization (via the use of
ETL)
• Format: text + tables + graphs/charts

• Distribution: in-print, email, portal/intranet

Data acquisition → Information generation → Decision making →

Process management

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Business Reporting

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Types of Business Reports
• Metric Management Reports
– Help manage business performance through metrics
(SLA s for externals; KPI s for internals)
– Can be used as part of Six Sigma and/or TQM
• Dashboard-Type Reports
– Graphical presentation of several performance
indicators in a single page using dials/gauges
• Balanced Scorecard–Type Reports
– Include financial, customer, business process, and
learning & growth indicators

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Data Visualization

“The use of visual representations to explore, make sense of,

and communicate data.”

• Data visualization v s. Information visualization

ersu

• Information = aggregation, summarization, and

contextualization of data
• Related to information graphics, scientific visualization,
and statistical graphics
• Often includes charts, graphs, illustrations, ...etc.

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Different Types of Charts and Graphs
• Basic Charts and Graphs
– Line chart
– Bar chart
– Pie chart
▪ Donut chart
– Scatter plot
▪ Bubble chart
• Specialized charts
– Histogram, Gantt chart, PERT chart, Geographic charts,
Buller chart, Heat map, Highlight table, Tree map,…….etc

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Line Chart

• The line chart is one of the most frequently used chart types,
typically used to show trends over a period of time.
• In this example we have shown the revenue trend of of xyz and
abc over a period of three years.

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 Bar Chart
• Displays data by using bars of equal width on a grid
• The bars may be vertical or horizontal
• Bar graphs are used for comparisons.
• Categorical Variables

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Pie Chart

• Another frequently used chart is the pie chart.

• A pie chart represents the distribution or proportion of each data

item over a total value (represented by the overall pie).

• In this Example we are comparing the quarterly revenue of ABC

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Scatter Plots

• A graph of data that is a set of points.

• Examine the relation between variables

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Which Chart or Graph Should You
Use?

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An Example Gapminder Chart Wealth
and Health of Nations

• See gapminder.org for Interesting animated visualizations.

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The Emergence of Data Visualization
and Visual Analytics
• Magic Quadrant for
Business Intelligence
and Analytics Platforms
(Source: Gartner.com )
• Many data visualization
companies represented
• There is a continuous
move towards visualization
in analytics

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The Emergence of Data Visualization
and Visual Analytics
• Emergence of new companies
–Tableau, Spotfire, QlikView, …
• Increased focus by the big players
–MicroStrategy improved Visual Insight
–SAP launched Visual Intelligence
–SAS launched Visual Analytics
–Microsoft bolstered PowerPivot with Power View
–IBM launched Cognos Insight
–Oracle acquired Endeca

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Visual Analytics
• A recently coined term
– Information visualization + predictive analytics
• Information visualization
– Descriptive, backward focused
– “what happened” “what is happening”
• Predictive analytics
– Predictive, future focused
– “what will happen” “why will it happen”
• There is a strong move toward visual analytics

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Performance Dashboards (1 of 4)
• Performance dashboards are commonly used in BPM
software suites and BI platforms
• Dashboards provide visual displays of important
information that is consolidated and arranged on a
single screen so that information can be digested at a
single glance and easily drilled in and further explored

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Performance Dashboards (2 of 4)

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Performance Dashboards (3 of 4)
• Dashboard design
– The fundamental challenge of dashboard design is to
display all the required information on a single screen,
clearly and without distraction, in a manner that can be
assimilated quickly
• Three layer of information
– Monitoring
– Analysis
– Management

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Performance Dashboards (4 of 4)
• What to look for in a dashboard
– Use of visual components to highlight data and
exceptions that require action
– Transparent to the user, meaning that they require
minimal training and are extremely easy to use
– Combine data from a variety of systems into a single,
summarized, unified view of the business
– Enable drill-down or drill-through to underlying data
sources or reports
– Present a dynamic, real-world view with timely data
– Require little coding to implement, deploy, and
maintain

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Best Practices in Dashboard Design

• Benchmark KPI s with Industry Standards

• Wrap the Metrics with Contextual Metadata
• Validate the Design by a Usability Specialist
• Prioritize and Rank Alerts and Exceptions
• Enrich Dashboard with Business-User Comments
• Present Information in Three Different Levels
• Pick the Right Visual Constructs
• Provide for Guided Analytics

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Copyright

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