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This document describes how to present Versago report information in a variety of graphic formats (charts).
This document is intended for Versago administrators. End-users do not have access to this function.
The following documents contain additional information that may be helpful with understanding these processes.
In most cases you will create the underlying Versago report and confirm that the expected values are correct before configuring charts for the report. This is not mandatory but is highly recommended.
There are currently eleven chart formats available in Versago.
The type of chart used is partly based on visual preference and, in some cases, the type of information being presented. For example, relative “size” values are easily compared in a Pie, Donut, Bar, and Column charts; where values over time may be more easily viewed using a Line or Area chart. Other chart types, such as bubble, Scatter, Polar, and Radar, may be used when appropriate as well.
Following are general samples of each type of chart. The information being reported is the total number of invoices issued for each customer.
Pie, Donut, and Funnel charts are similar in that each value being reported is presented as a colored segment. The colors of the segments are determined by Versago and, with one exception, cannot be controlled by the report designer.
Column and Bar charts are essentially the same presentation. The only difference is that in Column the numeric values are represented vertically and in Bar the numeric values are represented horizontally. The color used for presentation can be selected by the report designer. With one exception, all the columns/bars are presented with the same color.
Line and Area charts are essentially the same presentation. The only difference is that the numeric values for the Line chart are represented by a single line while the Bar chart fills the area below the line. The color used for presentation can be selected by the report designer.
Radar and Polar charts are similar in that the numeric values are presented as elements radiating outward from a center point. In the Radar chart, the numeric values are a single line for each reporting element. The space between the lines is filled in. This is like the difference between Line and Area charts. In a Polar chart, the numeric values are a “pie” wedge for each reporting element. In both charts the distance from the center point indicates the relative size of the value.
Scatter and Bubble charts are similar in that they present the relationship of two numeric values. In the Scatter chart, the intersection of each of the two values is represented by a single point. In the Bubble chart, the intersection is the same, but each Y-axis value is represented as a circle (bubble) whose size varies in relationship to the other Y-axis values.
Charts are defined in the last step of a report definition. Multiple charts can be defined for a single report. When this is done, the various charts are accessed via buttons at the top of the report.
The example above illustrates nine charts associated with one report. In most cases, only one or two chart types will be used. And the name will be more descriptive than shown here.
A chart will always have at least two values: the “X-axis” value and the “Y-axis” value.
Certain charts can have multiple Y-axis (numeric) values. Chart types that support multiple Y-axis values are Column, Bar, Line, and Area. Multiple Y-axis charts commonly done to present values for comparison for a single reporting element. Examples include current year vs. prior year sales for a customer, order count vs. invoice count for a customer, purchase vs. sales for an item, etc. And while these examples indicate two numeric values, more than two values can be used if appropriate. More details about multiple Y-axis charts can be found later in this document.
The “Charts” section of the definition page lists the chart(s) defined for this report in the upper area and the Y-axes defined for the highlighted chart in the lower area.
Click [Define New] in the appropriate area to define a new chart in the “Chart” section to add a new chart.
The “General Information” section describes some basic information about the chart.
The “Dynamic Chart Settings” section provides a way for the charting function to summarize numeric data rather than having to do it in the underlying data. There are two approaches to using this functionality, defined by the “Group Type” selection.
The first option is to use the Fixed group type. In this case the values in the chart will always be summarized using the Group Field value, even if the grouping in the report grid is different or is changed at execution.
The Ad Hoc grouping function is no longer supported beginning in Versago v2 and should not be used.
The “X-axis Details” section defines the data value to be used for the x-axis of the report. The value is selected from the “X Value” drop-down list. Use of the [Color] option is described below.
The [Color] button in the X-axis Details section opens a new dialog to specify colors for specific values in a chart. In the following example, the x-axis is based on the data element ‘Group Name.” If the Group Name is “Construction,” the color used in the chart will be red. If the Group Name is “Production,” the color used in the chart will be green. If the Group Name is neither of these, the color in the chart will either be the default color scheme for the chart type OR the “Series Color” value defined in the Y-axis Details section.
The “Y-axis Details” section defines the data value to be used for the y-axis of the report. A chart, depending on the type, may have multiple y-axis values defined.
Here are examples of different label values in a pie chart.
In this example, the label is the value of the segment.
In this example, the label is name of the grouping element.
In this example, the value in the circle is the tool tip, showing the value of the associated segment.
The Color Picker Tool is used to identify specific colors to be used at various places in Versago. The tool works in the same way no matter where it is used.
A color can be selected in two ways. First, it can be defined directly using the standard Hex Color code. The value can be entered directly in the area marked 2 in the image below. Note that the code must include a “#” symbol as the first character.
Another tool to identify the hex color codes can be found here http://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_picker.asp. As a quick reference, the hex code for white is #ffffff and the code for black is #000000. All other colors are defined within this range.
Occasionally the [Apply] and [Cancel] buttons do not display at the bottom of the tool as shown. If this occurs simply “grab” the bottom of the window and “drag” it down until the buttons are displayed.
The second way to select a color is to use the basic color bar (4 in the image above) and the color pallet (3 in the image above). Use the slider in the color bar to display the basic color range you need. You can also just click directly on the desired color area in the bar. The color pallet is displayed in the main area in the center of the window. Drag the small circle icon around the color pallet to get to the specific color you want.
In all cases the currently selected color is displayed in the upper left corner of the window (1 in the image below.
Click [Apply] to select the currently selected color and close the color picker tool.
Click [Cancel] if you do not wish to change the color. If you select [Cancel] or close the color picker without clicking [Apply], any changes you have made will be discarded.