Business objects DASHBOARD DESIGN 2010-11-05, PRESENTATION DESIGN 2010-11-05 INSTALLATION GUIDE

Dashboard Design and Presentation Design User's Guide

■ Dashboard Design and Presentation Design User's Guide

2010-11-16

© 2010 SAP AG. All rights reserved.SAP, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign, SAP Business ByDesign, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. in the United States and in other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.These materials are subject to change without notice. These materials are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies ("SAP Group") for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

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Getting Started........................................................................................................................7Chapter 1

1.1

1.1.1

1.1.2

1.2

1.3

1.3.1

1.4

1.4.1

2.1

2.1.1

2.1.2

2.1.3

2.1.4

2.1.5

2.1.6

2.1.7

2.1.8

2.1.9

2.1.10

2.2

2.2.1

2.2.2

2.2.3

About Dashboard Design and Presentation Design..................................................................7

Product editions.......................................................................................................................7

File formats and object types...................................................................................................9

About this document..............................................................................................................10

Sample models......................................................................................................................10

To view the sample models ...................................................................................................11

Importing files created in earlier versions of the software.......................................................11

To import XLF files created in Xcelsius 4.5 or Xcelsius 2008..................................................12

Working in Dashboard Design and Presentation Design.....................................................15Chapter 2

Understanding the workspace ...............................................................................................15

Toolbars and buttons.............................................................................................................15

Using the context menu.........................................................................................................18

Setting document properties..................................................................................................18

Using the Components Browser............................................................................................19

Using the Canvas...................................................................................................................22

Using the Object Browser......................................................................................................29

Using the Query Browser.......................................................................................................33

Using Quick Views.................................................................................................................34

Using Auto Hide.....................................................................................................................35

Docking and undocking panels...............................................................................................35

Customizing with add-ons......................................................................................................35

To download add-ons.............................................................................................................36

To install add-ons...................................................................................................................36

To remove add-ons................................................................................................................37

3.1

3.1.1

3.1.2

3.1.3

Working with Components....................................................................................................39Chapter 3

Using the Properties panel.....................................................................................................39

Setting properties for multiple components............................................................................40

Setting colors for component elements..................................................................................41

Formatting text for component elements................................................................................43

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Contents

3.2

3.2.1

3.2.2

3.2.3

3.2.4

3.2.5

3.2.6

3.2.7

3.2.8

3.2.9

3.2.10

3.2.11

3.2.12

3.2.13

3.2.14

4.1

4.1.1

4.1.2

4.2

4.2.1

4.2.2

4.3

4.3.1

4.3.2

4.3.3

4.4

4.4.1

4.4.2

4.4.3

Using components.................................................................................................................46

Using Chart components.......................................................................................................46

Using Container components.................................................................................................83

Using Selector components...................................................................................................88

Using the Single Value components.....................................................................................116

Using Map components.......................................................................................................130

Using the Text components..................................................................................................135

Using the Other components...............................................................................................143

Using Art and Background components...............................................................................158

Using the Web Connectivity components.............................................................................165

Using Universe Connectivity components............................................................................178

Deleting components ..........................................................................................................183

Understanding Alerts...........................................................................................................183

Managing the visibility of components..................................................................................186

Disabling User Input.............................................................................................................189

Working with Models..........................................................................................................191Chapter 4

Using templates...................................................................................................................191

To open templates...............................................................................................................192

To create a template............................................................................................................193

Using themes.......................................................................................................................193

To set the default theme......................................................................................................194

To apply a theme..................................................................................................................194

Using color schemes............................................................................................................194

To set a default color scheme..............................................................................................195

To change the color scheme................................................................................................195

To create a custom color scheme........................................................................................196

Previewing models...............................................................................................................197

To preview models...............................................................................................................197

To export model previews....................................................................................................197

To take snapshots of models...............................................................................................198

5.1

5.1.1

5.1.2

5.1.3

5.1.4

5.1.5

5.1.6

Working with Data..............................................................................................................199Chapter 5

Understanding the embedded spreadsheet..........................................................................199

Preparing Excel spreadsheets..............................................................................................200

To set preferences for the embedded spreadsheet .............................................................201

Synchronizing data between Excel and the embedded spreadsheet.....................................202

Linking components and spreadsheet data...........................................................................204

To export data to Excel.........................................................................................................206

Supported Excel functions....................................................................................................206

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Contents

5.2

5.2.1

5.2.2

6.1

6.1.1

6.1.2

6.1.3

6.1.4

6.1.5

6.2

6.2.1

6.2.2

6.2.3

6.2.4

6.2.5

6.2.6

6.2.7

6.2.8

Using external data sources.................................................................................................212

Managing data connections..................................................................................................212

Using Universe queries........................................................................................................245

Integrating with the SAP Data Sources...............................................................................263Chapter 6

Integrating with SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise.................................................................263

Using Live Office Data Connections.....................................................................................263

Embedding Flash objects and Dashboard Design objects in models.....................................267

Embedding SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise documents in models.....................................271

Storing models in SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise systems...............................................274

Translating and globalizing models on SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise...............................277

Integrating with SAP NetWeaver BW...................................................................................280

Before connecting to SAP NetWeaver BW systems............................................................280

To connect to SAP NetWeaver BW systems.......................................................................281

To disconnect from the SAP NetWeaver BW system..........................................................281

To configure SAP NetWeaver BW connections...................................................................281

To publish models to SAP NetWeaver BW systems............................................................288

To preview Dashboard Design models with SAP NetWeaver BW data................................288

To open XLF files from SAP NetWeaver BW servers...........................................................289

Translating and globalizing Dashboard Design models on SAP NetWeaver BW systems.....289

Exporting and Deploying Models........................................................................................293Chapter 7

7.1

7.1.1

7.1.2

7.1.3

7.1.4

7.2

7.2.1

7.2.2

Index 305

Adobe Flash Player Security Restrictions.............................................................................293

Running models locally.........................................................................................................293

Running models from a web server......................................................................................294

FS Command restrictions.....................................................................................................295

Flash Player Error Numbers and Messages .........................................................................296

Exporting models.................................................................................................................296

To export models.................................................................................................................297

To setup your system for Adobe AIR ...................................................................................302

More Information.................................................................................................................303Appendix A

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Contents

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Getting Started

1.1 About Dashboard Design and Presentation Design

Dashboard Design is a data visualization software that enables users to create dynamic and interactive dashboards that access live data and can be added to web-based dashboards.

Presentation Design is a presentation tool that enables users to create dynamic, interactive presentations from Excel spreadsheets.

Both products have much in common and are documented in this single user guide. Both products use the term 'model' to describe the presentation or dashboard that is being worked on.

Both products also include a fully functioning Excel spreadsheet. Data and formulas can be imported or entered directly into the embedded spreadsheet and then modified, as required, without reimporting the spreadsheet. In addition, Dashboard Design includes the ability to link external data sources to the embedded spreadsheet or, for data stored in SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repositories, directly to components in the model.

To design a visual model of your data, you simply place components onto the canvas and link them to the data in the spreadsheet. The software includes a wide range of components, such as dials, gauges, charts, maps, picklists, and sliders. You can configure these components to display data directly from the spreadsheet or external data source (Dashboard Design only), to write data to the spreadsheet so it can be used by other components, or to accept data entered by users when the model is running.

Models can be exported to a variety of formats, such as PowerPoint, Flash, PDF, AIR, Outlook, and the web (using HTML). These models retain their full interactivity and require only Adobe Flash Player to run. The desktop design software and Microsoft Excel are required only during the design phase.

Depending on your software edition, you can configure your model to work with live data updates from external sources, such as XML, Portals, Web Services, SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise (Live Office and Web Service query), and SAP Business Explorer Queries.

1.1.1 Product editions

Presentation Design is available in a single edition while Dashboard Design is available in several editions to address different needs. All editions have the same basic functionality. The primary differences

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Getting Started

between editions are the formats that models can be exported to and the ability to access and configure external data connections.

The software is available in the following three editions:

• Presentation Design enables users to create models with Microsoft Excel data. These models cannot

• Dashboard Design Personal edition enables users to create models and connect them to a maximum

• SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design enables users to create models with an unlimited number

The following table summarizes the features available in each edition of the software:

be exported to Flash.

of two external data sources. These models can also be exported to Flash.

of data sources and deploy them as standalone models or to to SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, SAP BusinessObjects Edge Series, or SAP NetWeaver BW environments. Throughout this guide, SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design is referred to as Dashboard Design Enterprise Edition.

EnterprisePersonalPresentFeature

Export to Microsoft Excel, PDF, Microsoft Word, Acrobat 9, Microsoft PowerPoint

Saves as Dashboard Design object format

Numerous components including charts, selectors, single value, maps, text

Additional components; Play button, Play Selector, Source Data, Accordion Menu, Interactive Calendar, Panel set, History, Trend Analyzer

Web Connectivity options including Slideshow and Connection Refresh button

Universe Connectivity components include Query Refresh button and Query Prompt Selector

Supports external data connections to Web Services, XML Data, Flash Variables, Excel XML Maps, FS Commands, Crystal Reports Data Consumer, External Interface

XXX

XXExport to Flash (SWF), Adobe AIR, HTML, Microsoft Outlook

XXX

XXXURL button

XXConnect to external data sources

XXData Connection Manager

Supports external data connections to web portals and reporting services.

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Getting Started

Supports external data connections with the SAP BusinessObjects platform, including Web service query (Query as a Web Service), Live Office, and SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise

Supports external data connections to SAP Business Explorer (BEx) queries

EnterprisePersonalPresentFeature

Supports connections to Relational CSL Universe queries through Query Panel and Query Browser

Supports direct data binding from SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repositories to components

Supports globalization features (regional text formatting and text translation) for models saved to SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repositories

1.1.2 File formats and object types

Dashboard Design and Presentation Design models conform to Adobe Flash file format (SWF). SWF is the vector-based graphics format designed to run in the Adobe Flash Player. Because a Flash file is vector-based, its graphics are scalable and play back smoothly on any screen size and across multiple platforms. Also, a vector-based file usually has a smaller file size than other animations.

When saved locally, Dashboard Design and Presentation Design files are stored in a zipped format with an XLF extension. The XLF file format contains the model information and its associated embedded spreadsheet file. This file must be opened in the designer (Dashboard Design or Presentation Design).

XSupports Lifecycle Manager SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise

Note:

To use the designer, Adobe Flash version 9 or later must be installed on your system. Newer Flash versions have security features that may prevent models from connecting to an external data source when running them outside the designer.

When saved to an SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repository, Dashboard Design models are saved as Dashboard Design objects. These objects contain both the design document (XLF) and the Flash file (SWF) in a single object.

If the object is opened in Dashboard Design or in the translation management tool and modified, the SWF cached in the Dashboard Design object is automatically updated to reflect the changes. You do not need to re-export the Flash object separately for users to receive the latest changes.

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Getting Started

Note:

The SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise repository may also contain Xcelsius objects and Flash objects created in earlier versions of the software. For more information about using and migrating these objects to Dashboard Design, see Importing files created in earlier versions of the software.

Related Topics

• Adobe Flash Player Security Restrictions

1.2 About this document

Since Dashboard Design and Presentation Design share many of the same features, they are documented together in this User Guide. If a feature or function is available only in a specific product edition, a note at the beginning of the procedure indicates those restrictions. In addition, the table in the Product editions section outlines the features and functions available in each edition.

This document includes procedures for creating models including: adding and configuring components, linking components to data, configuring external data sources, and exporting models to different formats. Use this document as a reference for creating basic and advanced models.

Locate information quickly

• Access online help from the Dashboard Design or Presentation Design Help menu.

Use the Contents tab to view all major sections in the online help and drill down to specific headings within each section, the Index tab to view topics in alphabetical order, and the Search tab to enter a keyword to view all the sections that relate to the keyword.

• Access a PDF version of the Dashboard Design and Presentation Design documentation on the

SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com.

1.3 Sample models

As you are learning how Dashboard Design and Presentation Design work and what they can do, it can be helpful to examine sample models as they appear during runtime, as well as their underlying configuration and formatting.

The software includes several sample models that illustrate how some of the components and functions work. Each sample includes its own embedded spreadsheet data, so you can see how the components are bound to the data in the spreadsheet. Use these samples to help you understand how to configure similar functions in your own model, or even use them as a starting point and customize them for your own needs.

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Note:

Opening a sample file overwrites any data currently in the embedded spreadsheet.

1.3.1 To view the sample models

Click File > Samples.

The "Samples" dialog box opens.

In the Category list, click User Guide Samples.

A list of the available samples opens in the Items list.

In the Items list, click a sample.

An illustration of the model displays in the "Preview" pane.

Click OK.

The sample file opens.

To view the model as a user would see it, click Preview.

1.4 Importing files created in earlier versions of the software

If you have models (XLF files) created in Crystal Xcelsius 4.5 or Xcelsius 2008, you can import them into Dashboard Design or Presentation Design and take advantage of new features and functionality.

You cannot import files created in Xcelsius 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0. To use these files in Dashboard Design or Presentation Design, you must first import them into Crystal Xcelsius 4.5 and then import the files into Dashboard Design or Presentation Design.

The product minimizes the impact of migrating models from earlier versions; however, some models or components may appear to be different than they were in the original file.

The following differences are the most common:

• Component size. In most cases, the size difference is a few pixels.

• Custom colors may appear to be slightly different.

• The Spreadsheet Table component size and formatting.

In addition, if you are importing and XLF file created in Xcelsius 4.5 and it contains an external data connector (XML Data Button, Excel XML Map, Web Service Connection, Live Office, FS Command, or Web service query (Query as a Web Service)), the following actions occur for each connector or button:

• A connection is created in the "Data Manager" with the previous Refresh Options and Load Status

settings.

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• A Connection Refresh Button is added to the canvas and the Trigger Behavior settings are

In addition, for Web Service and Web service query (Query as a Web Service) connections, refresh options, and trigger behaviors are mapped as described in the following table:

mapped to it.

Name

Refresh on Load

Setting in Dashboard DesignOption in Xcelsius 4.5

In the Data Manager, the connection name for migrated connections is set as follows:

• For Web Services: SOAP

• For Web Service query: Query as a Web Ser-

vice

• For versions prior to Xcelsius 2008 SP3, Re-

fresh on Load is selected on the Usage tab in the "Data Manager" for the connection.

• For Xcelsius 2008 SP3 and later, Refresh

Before Components are Loaded is selected on the Usage tab in the "Data Manager" for the connection.

Refresh on Interval

Refresh Every is selected on the Usage tab in the "Data Manager" for the connection.

In the "Properties" panel for the Connection Re-

Trigger on Change Only

fresh Button, the value in Trigger Cell maps to Trigger Cell on the Behavior view, and When Value Changes is selected.

In the "Properties" panel for the Connection Refresh Button, the value in Trigger Cell maps to

Trigger On Any Insert

Trigger Cell on the Behavior view, and When Value Changes is selected. At run-time, when a

new value is inserted into the trigger cell, the data refreshes.

1.4.1 To import XLF files created in Xcelsius 4.5 or Xcelsius 2008

Caution:

Backup your current XLF, JPEG, and external SWF files before upgrading your model.

Click File > Open.

Navigate to the file you want to import and click Open.

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The model opens on the canvas. Some components in the model may look slightly different from the original file.

If the components appear to be formatted differently, select the component and open the "Properties" panel. Re-bind any properties that are tied to the cells in the spreadsheet.

The software detects that the file is from the previous version of the product and a warning dialog box opens.

Caution:

After you import and save your model with Dashboard Design or Presentation Design, the model cannot be opened using an earlier version of the product.

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2.1 Understanding the workspace

Before you begin designing models, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the interface. The workspace includes a canvas, an embedded spreadsheet, Component, Object, and Query browsers, a Properties panel, a menu bar, and multiple toolbars. You can show or hide these items as required.

2.1.1 Toolbars and buttons

The software includes four toolbars that you can use when working with models: Standard, Theme, Export, and Format.

To show or hide toolbars

• To toggle between showing and hiding a toolbar, click View > Toolbars and click the toolbar name.

A checkmark beside a toolbar name indicates that the toolbar is currently showing.

Standard toolbar

The standard toolbar contains buttons for completing general tasks. The following table describes the available buttons:

DescriptionButton

New Document icon

Open File icon

Save icon

Print icon

Cut icon

Copy icon

Past icon

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DescriptionButton

Undo icon

Redo icon

Selection Tool icon

Component Tool icon

Import Spreadsheet icon

Manage Connections icon

Increase Canvas icon

Decrease Canvas icon

Fit Canvas to Components icon

Fit Canvas to Window icon

Quick Views

Preview icon

Themes toolbar

The Themes toolbar contains the following buttons for working with themes:

DescriptionButton

Change Theme icon

Change Color Scheme icon

Export toolbar

The Export toolbar contains the following buttons for exporting your model to specific formats:

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Format toolbar

The Format toolbar contains the following buttons for adjusting components on the canvas:

DescriptionButton

Export to PowerPoint icon

Export to Microsoft Word icon

Export to Microsoft Outlook icon

Export to Adobe PDF icon

DescriptionButton

Group Components icon

Ungroup Components icon

Align Left icon

Center Horizontally icon

Align Right icon

Align Top icon

Center Vertically icon

Space Evenly Across icon

Space Evenly Down icon

Make Same Width icon

Make Same Height icon

Make Same Size icon

Bring to Front icon

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2.1.2 Using the context menu

Display a context menu by right-clicking any component in the browser or on the canvas.

The context menu provides access to many of the functions that are available in the "Object Browser".

DescriptionButton

Send to Back icon

Bring Forward icon

Send Backward icon

2.1.3 Setting document properties

The document properties allow you to customize the canvas size, specify how fonts are used, and enter a description for the file. If you save the file as a template, these settings apply to all models created from that template.

You can also enter a brief description of your model, the author, the date, and its intended functionality. When other designers use your model or when you save your model as a template, this information is available.

Related Topics

• To set the canvas size

• To set global font options

2.1.3.1 To set global font options

By default, you can specify different fonts for different components. These fonts are based on device fonts (the fonts available on your machine) and are not embedded in the exported Flash file. If, when the model runs, the specified fonts are not available, another similar font is substituted for the missing font and the model may appear different than when it was created.

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You can set up a global font so the same font is used for all components. The global font can be based on device fonts or on embedded fonts. When device fonts are used, the exported file is smaller, but the text cannot be rotated and does not use anti-aliasing. When fonts are embedded, you can rotate text and the text uses anti-aliasing, but the exported file size is larger and the model takes longer to load.

Click File > Document Properties.

The "Document Properties" dialog box opens.

In the "Document Properties" dialog box, select Use Global Font.

The options for setting up global fonts are enabled.

From the list, select the font you want to use for all components.

Select one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Use Device Fonts

Use Embedded Fonts

Click OK.

Fonts are not embedded in the exported file. Device fonts use the Flash player to render the specified TrueType fonts. If a specified font is not available at the time the model runs, another similar font is used. By default, the software uses device fonts.

Tip:

If a model requires the extended character set defined by Unicode, it is recommended that you use device fonts.

Fonts used in models will always be available when the model runs, text can be rotated, and anti-aliasing is used.

Note:

Embedding the fonts will increase the file size and the amount of time required to load the model.

To change the text characters that are embedded in the exported file, click Advanced, select the characters you want to embed, and click OK.

Restriction:

Asian characters sets cannot be embedded.

2.1.4 Using the Components Browser

The "Components Browser" lists all the components that are available to add to your model. From this list you can drag components onto the canvas to add them to your model.

You can view the list of components grouped into functional categories ("Category" or "Tree" view) or as an alphabetical list ("List" view). Components are grouped into the following functional areas:

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DescriptionCategory

Favorites

Charts

Containers

Selectors

Single Value

Maps

A list of components you added to this list.

Note:

Favorites is available only in "Category" and "Tree" views.

• To add components to the favorites list, in "Category" or "Tree" view, right-

click the component and select Add to Favorites.

• To remove components from the favorites list, in the favorites list, right-click

the component and select Remove From Favorites.

Chart components allow you to create visual representations of data to make it easy for users to see comparisons, patterns, and trends.

Container components group and display other components.

Note:

Container components are not available in Presentation Design.

Selector components allow users to choose options when running the model. They allow you to create interactive, dynamic models.

Single-value components can be linked to a single cell in the spreadsheet and can either allow users to change the value in that cell or display the product of a formula from that cell.

Map components provide geographical representations that allow you to display data by region.

Text

Text components can be used to add labels to your model or to allow users to enter text when the model runs.

Other

The Other category includes various components that can enhance your model, such as calendars, trend icons, panel sets, and print buttons.

Art & Backgrounds

Art & Backgrounds components allow you to enhance models by adding images and backgrounds.

Web connectivity components allow you to link your models to the Internet.Web Connectivity

Universe Connectivity

Universe connectivity components allows users to interact with Universe connections such as refreshing data and entering prompt values.

Note:

Universe Connectivity components require a connection to SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise and are not available in Presentation Design.

Category view

In "Category" view, the components are grouped in a sliding accordion menu. To navigate to the components, click a category title or scroll down to open each category in sequence. Each category displays a visual representation of the components.

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Tree view

In "Tree" view, the components are organized in folders according to their category. To navigate to components, click the folders to expand the categories and see the list of available components.

List view

In "List" view, all components are organized alphabetically and are not grouped by functionality.

To navigate to components in this view, click anywhere within the window, and type the first letter of the component or scroll up or down to find the desired component.

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2.1.5 Using the Canvas

The canvas area is the main work area where you place and manipulate components to create models.

You can change the color of the canvas background and add a grid to help you arrange items on the canvas. You can also adjust the size of the canvas to give you more space to work or to reduce the overall size of a saved model.

2.1.5.1 To set the canvas background

Depending on the current theme, the canvas has a solid or gradient background.

Note:

If you want a transparent background, you must set the "Canvas Appearance" Type to None.

Open or create a model.

If the "Canvas Properties" panel is not open, click the canvas and then click View > Properties.

On the "Canvas Properties" panel, set the following options:

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DescriptionOption

Type

Background Color

Select one of the following types of background:

DescriptionOption

A single solid colorSolid

Gradient

Image

Two colors that fade together from top to bottom

A JPG or SWF file. Select the file to import as the background

A transparent background. This setting can be used in conjunction with

None

the WMODE parameters in HTML to create a transparent background for your Flash movie.

If you selected the Solid or Gradient type, click the Background Color box to set the colors to use in the background. For Solid backgrounds, select a single color. For gradient backgrounds, in Background Color 1, select the color to use at the top of the model and in Background Color 2, select the color to use at the bottom.

Import

If you selected the Image type, click Import to select the image file to use.

2.1.5.2 To display a grid on the canvas

When you are arranging components on the canvas, it can be helpful to line items up along grid lines. You can use the grid manually to position each component or you can have components snap to the closest gridlines automatically when they are placed on the canvas.

Click File > Preferences.

The "Preferences" dialog box opens.

On the left side of the dialog box, click Grid.

In the "Grid" area, set the following options:

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DescriptionOption

Show Grid

Snap To Grid

Width

Height

Click OK.

Select to display a grid on the canvas.

Select to have components automatically align to the nearest gridlines.

Specify the spacing between grid columns in pixels.

Specify the spacing between grid rows in pixels.

Tip:

To reset all grid options to their default setting, click Restore Defaults.

2.1.5.3 Changing the canvas size

You can change the size of your work area by changing the canvas size. The software provides three options for changing the canvas size: set a specific size in pixels, fit to components, and fit to window. When you are working on a model, you might want to expand the canvas size as much as possible to allow for more room to add and arrange the various components. When your model is complete, you might want to reduce the canvas size around the components before publishing the model to reduce the overall size of the file.

Note:

When you export your model, the software embeds the entire canvas in the exported file. The canvas size might affect your ability to size and position your embedded model, as well as the time required to load the model.

2.1.5.3.1 To set the canvas size

If you want to set a specific size for the canvas, adjust the document properties.

Click File > Document Properties.

The "Document Properties" dialog box opens.

In the "Document Properties" dialog box, in the "Canvas Size in Pixels" area, do one of the following:

• Select Preset Size then, from the list, select one of the available sizes.

• Select Custom Size then, in the Width box, enter the desired canvas width in pixels and in the

Height box, enter the desired canvas height in pixels.

Click OK.

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2.1.5.3.2 To fit the canvas to the components

After you complete your model, you can adjust its final size by eliminating the surrounding canvas area. You can fit the canvas tightly around all the components and then fine-tune the size by increasing or decreasing the canvas size in small increments.

Click View > Canvas Sizing > Fit Canvas to Components.

The canvas size is reduced to the minimum size around the components.

Adjust the canvas size, as required.

• From the View menu, click Canvas Sizing > Increase Canvas.

• From the View menu, click Canvas Sizing > Decrease Canvas.

Note:

You can also use the toolbar buttons (Fit Canvas To Components), (Increase canvas), and

(Decrease canvas) to adjust the canvas size.

2.1.5.3.3 To fit the canvas to the window

If you want to increase the size of your work area, you can expand the size of the canvas to fit the window.

Click View > Canvas Sizing > Fit Canvas to Window.

The canvas size is expanded to the maximum size available in the window.

Adjust the canvas size, as required.

• From the View menu, click Canvas Sizing > Increase Canvas.

• From the View menu, click Canvas Sizing > Decrease Canvas.

Note:

You can also use the toolbar buttons (Fit Canvas To Window), (Increase Canvas), and (Decrease Canvas) to adjust the canvas size.

2.1.5.4 Arranging components on the canvas

The software offers several options for aligning and positioning components relative to the page or to other components. You can also move components between different layers on the canvas while you are working or to allow components to overlap.

If you have numerous components on the canvas, you can group them and work with those components as though they were a single item.

2.1.5.4.1 To place components on the canvas

You can place components on the canvas using the following two methods:

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• From the "Components" browser, drag the component and drop it on the canvas where you want it

to be.

The component is placed on the canvas.

• In the "Components" browser, click the component and then click the canvas where you want to

place the component.

The component is placed on the canvas.

Note:

If you set a grid on the canvas and have selected the Snap to Grid option, components are automatically aligned with the nearest grid lines when you place them on the canvas.

Related Topics

• To display a grid on the canvas

2.1.5.4.2 To align multiple components

You can align the edges or centers of components or groups of components relative to the first component in the selection.

Select a component.

Hold the CTRL key and select the components you want to align with the first component.

Click Format > Align and then click one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Left

Aligns the left edge of the selected components with the left edge of the component that was selected first.

Center

Aligns the center of the selected components vertically with the center of the component that was selected first.

Right

Aligns the right edge of the selected components with the right edge of the component that was selected first.

Top

Aligns the top edge of the selected components with the top edge of the component that was selected first.

Middle

Aligns the center of the selected components horizontally with the center of the component that was selected first.

Bottom

Aligns the bottom edge of the selected components with the bottom edge of the component that was selected first.

The selected components are aligned according to your selection.

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2.1.5.4.3 To center components on the canvas

You can center components or groups of components on the canvas horizontally, vertically, or both.

Select a component or multiple components.

Tip:

To select multiple components, hold the CTRL key and click each component.

Click Format > Center in Canvas and then click one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Vertically

Centers the selected components between the top and bottom margins of the canvas.

Horizontally

Centers the selected components between the left and right margins of the canvas.

Both

Centers the selected components both between the top and bottom margins and the left and right margins of the canvas.

The selected components are centered on the canvas according to your selection.

2.1.5.4.4 To space components evenly on the canvas

To complete this procedure, two components must have been placed on the canvas.

You can distribute multiple components on the canvas to have the same amount of space between their center points either vertically (down) or horizontally (across).

Note:

The Space Evenly option adjusts the space between the center points of components, not between their edges.

Select the components you want to space evenly on the canvas.

Tip:

To select multiple components, hold the CTRL key and click each component.

Click Format > Space Evenly and then click one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Across

Adjusts the component positions so there is an equal amount of horizontal space between their center points.

Down

Adjusts the component positions so there is an equal amount of vertical space between their center points.

The space between the selected components is adjusted according to your selection.

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2.1.5.4.5 To group and ungroup components

Multiple components have been placed on the canvas.

When you are working on a complex model with multiple components, you may want to group some components together so they are not accidentally separated as you design the layout. Grouped components act as a single item and retain their relative positions when moved.

Note:

Components can also be grouped and ungrouped through the "Object Browser". For more information, see Using the Object Browser.

Select the components you want to group or ungroup.

Do one of the following:

• Click Format > Group.

• Click Format > Ungroup.

The selected components are either grouped so a single set of boundary markers surround all the grouped components and the group can be moved as a single item, or ungrouped so each component has boundary markers around itself and can be moved independently of the other components.

2.1.5.4.6 To move components between design layers

On the canvas, components and grouped components are in layers. Components on a front layer cover or overlap any components that are on the layers behind. When you are designing your model, you may want to move components from back to front so you can focus on each one.

Note:

You can also move components between layers from the "Object Browser". For more information, see

Using the Object Browser.

Select a component.

Click Format > Order and then click one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Bring to Front

Bring Forward

Send Backward

Send to Back

The selected components are moved to a layer according to your selection.

Moves the selected components to the top layer.

Moves the selected components one layer closer to the top from its current position.

Moves the selected components one layer closer to the bottom layer from its current position.

Moves the selected components to the bottom layer.

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2.1.5.4.7 To copy size settings to other components

To quickly adjust the size of multiple components, you can copy the height and width settings of one component to other components on the canvas.

Select a component.

Hold the CTRL key and select the components you want to make the same size as the first component.

Click Format > Make Same Size and then click one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Width

Height

Both

The size of the selected components is adjusted according to your selection.

Sets the width of each selected components to the width of the first component.

Sets the height of each selected components to the height of the first component.

Sets both the height and the width of each selected components to the height and width of the first component.

2.1.6 Using the Object Browser

The "Object Browser" provides a list of the components that are currently part of your model. You can use the "Object Browser" to select and manipulate these components, as well as to lock or hide them on the canvas.

2.1.6.1 Selecting components

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To select a component in the "Object Browser", click the component name or icon to make it the active component on the canvas.

To select multiple components, click a component name or icon, and then hold down the CTRL key while you click additional components. To select a range of components, hold down the SHIFT key while selecting the range in the "Object Browser", or click the canvas and drag the cursor over a group of components.

Combine methods by selecting a group of components first with SHIFT+click and then other separate components using CTRL+click. Always select using SHIFT+click first; this method will not work in reverse.

Select all components by selecting any component, then pressing CTRL+A.

Note:

On the canvas, you cannot select components that are marked as hidden or locked. You can select those components only in the "Object Browser".

2.1.6.2 Hiding components

When you are designing a model, you may have many components on the canvas and it can be helpful to move some out of the way while you focus on others. However, it would be inconvenient to delete them or move them to the side. In the "Object Browser", you can temporarily hide components on the canvas. Hidden components are still part of the model and retain all their formatting, but they are not visible in design mode.

Note:

If you preview or export the model, the exported file shows hidden components.

To hide or show components on the canvas, in the "Object Browser", do any of the following:

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Do thisTo

Hide a component

Beside the component, click the dot in the column under the Hide icon ( ).

Hide a group

Hide all components

Show a hidden component or group

Show all hidden components and groups

Beside the group, click the dot in the column under the Hide icon ( ).

In the toolbar, click the Hide icon ( ).

Beside the hidden item, click the check mark in the column under the Hide icon ( ).

If all items are hidden, in the toolbar, click the Hide icon ( ).

If some items are hidden, in the toolbar, click the Hide icon to hide all components and then click it again to show all components.

2.1.6.3 Opening properties panels

In the "Object Browser", you can open the "Properties" panel for components or groups in one of the following ways:

• Double-click the icon or label for the component.

Note:

Double-clicking a group icon or label expands or collapses the group within the tree.

• Select the component or group and press ALT + ENTER.

• Right-click the component or group and click Properties.

Note:

Once the "Properties" panel is open for one component, you can navigate to the "Properties" panel of another component or group by clicking the item in the "Object Browser".

2.1.6.4 To rename components

When you place a component on the canvas, it is automatically assigned a name. This name appears in the title bar of the "Properties" panel and in the "Object Browser". You can rename components as required.

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In the "Object Browser", click the component you want to rename.

Click the name of the component.

The name is highlighted and the cursor is in the name text box.

Type a name for the component and press Enter.

2.1.6.5 Grouping components

Objects in the "Object Browser" can be grouped in the following ways:

• Select several components, then right-click any of the components and select Group from the context

menu.

•

Select several components, then click the Group Components button ( ) on the Format toolbar.

Once grouped, the components will appear in the browser in tree form with a folder representing the group. Expand the group folder by clicking the + button or double-clicking the folder icon or the group label. Components can be dragged into and out of the group by dragging them to a different location in the browser tree.

To ungroup selected components, click the Ungroup Components button( ) on the Format toolbar or right-click the group to access the context menu, then select Ungroup.

2.1.6.6 Locking Components

Components and groups can be locked on the canvas to prevent any interaction with them. This can be helpful when there are many components laid out on the canvas. The component or group will be selectable only in the "Object Browser".

To lock or unlock components on the canvas, in the "Object Browser", do any of the following:

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Do thisTo

Lock a component

Beside the component, click the dot in the column under the Lock icon

( ).

Lock a group

Lock all components

Unlock a component or group

Unlock all components and groups

Beside the group, click the dot in the column under the Lock icon ( ).

In the "Object Browser" toolbar, click the Lock icon ( ).

Beside the locked item, click the check mark in the column under the Lock

icon ( ).

If all items are locked, in the "Object Browser" toolbar, click the Lock icon

( ).

If some items are locked, in the "Object Browser" toolbar, click the Lock

icon ( ) to lock all components and then click it again to unlock all components.

2.1.6.7 Moving Components Forward/Back

Click and drag a component in the browser to change the image layer it appears in. Moving a component higher in the list moves the component to a higher layer; moving the component down places it in a lower layer.

Component layers can also be changed by right-clicking the component name in the "Object Browser" and selecting one of the following options:

• Bring To Front

• Send To Back

• Bring Forward

• Send Back

2.1.7 Using the Query Browser

When Dashboard Design is connected to SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise, the Query Browser provides a list of the existing queries and the metadata for each query. You can use the Query Browser to manage queries, run queries, and set query sequencing.

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The Query Browser includes the following tools:

DescriptionButton

New Query button.

Open Query button.

Query Edit button.

Delete Query button.

Related Topics

• Using Universe queries

2.1.8 Using Quick Views

2.1.8.1 To use Quick Views

You can use Quick Views to quickly access different configurations of the workspace.

• Access Quick Views by clicking View > Quick Views. The Quick Views are as follows:

• My Workspace

Refresh Query button.

Move Up button.

Move Down button.

Select this Quick View to view the workspace as you last configured it.

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• Canvas Only

Select this Quick View to view the canvas only.

• Spreadsheet Only

Select this Quick View to view the spreadsheet only.

• Canvas and Spreadsheet

Select this Quick View to view the canvas and spreadsheet only.

2.1.9 Using Auto Hide

The Auto Hide feature automatically collapses panels when they are not being used, providing more screen space. The Auto Hide function is available for the Properties, Object Browser, Components, and Query Browser panels.

Click Auto Hide at the top of a panel to enable Auto Hide and collapse the panel. Expand a collapsed panel by clicking or pointing to the panel name on the left or right side of the workspace. When Auto Hide is enabled for a panel, the panel will automatically collapse when you click outside the panel.

2.1.10 Docking and undocking panels

You can move the Properties, Object Browser, Components, and Query Browser panels from their default locations and dock them in other areas.

When you move your cursor over a docking icon, for example, , an area is highlighted that shows where the panel will dock. Each icon has a unique docking location. To dock a panel in another area of the workspace, click the top of the panel and drag it onto one of the docking icons that appears.

To undock a panel so it is in a window that is seperate from the workspace, drag the panel to any place away from a docking icon.

2.2 Customizing with add-ons

A variety of model components and feature extensions are available for Dashboard Design and Presentation Design. These items (called add-ons) have been created by SAP partners and customers

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and are available for sale or free from the SAP EcoHub (http://ecohub.sdn.sap.com/). You can download charts, maps, and other model and feature extensions and use them to customize your models.

2.2.1 To download add-ons

Before you can install an add-on, you must download it to your system.

Click File > Manage Add-ons.

The "Manage Add-ons" dialog box opens.

Click Get More Add-ons and, in the security dialog box, click OK.

The "SAP Ecohub" website opens.

Under "Find an Add-on", click Visit the Marketplace to View All Add-ons.

The Information OnDemand website lists the available add-ons. Click the one you want to download.

Click Check Out.

The "Sign In" dialog box opens.

In the "Sign In" dialog box, do one of the following:

• Enter your sign-in information and click Sign In.

• To register, click Create New Account and follow the instructions.

Read the terms of the offering and select I agree to the Terms of Use checkbox. Click Checkout and follow the online instructions to download the file.

The add-on is available for installation.

If the add-on was in a zipped folder, extract the files, and then install the downloaded add-on.

2.2.2 To install add-ons

After you download an add-on, you must install it before you can use it.

Click File > Manage Add-ons.

The "Manage Add-ons" dialog box opens.

Click Install Add-on.

Navigate to the location where the add-in files were saved and extracted. Select the XLF file and click Open.

The add-on is installed and available for use.

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2.2.3 To remove add-ons

Click File > Manage Add-ons.

The "Manage Add-ons" dialog box opens.

From the list on the left, select the add-on you want to remove. Click Remove Add-On.

The "Confirm Add-on Removal" dialog box opens.

Click Remove.

The add-on is removed from the software.

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3.1 Using the Properties panel

The "Properties" panel contains the setting and format options for the selected component. After you place a component on the canvas area, you can access the "Properties" panel is several different ways:

• Double-click the selected component.

• Right-click the component and select Properties.

• Press ALT+ENTER.

• In the "Object Browser", right-click the component and select Properties.

• In the "Object Browser", select the component and press ALT+ENTER.

In general, the "Properties" panel has the same structure for all components, but the options available are specific to each individual component.

The "Properties" panel may include the following views:

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Descriptionview

Use the General view to set the basic configuration for components, such as titles, labels, and the location of the source and destination data.

The Insertion view is available for some charts. Use this view to configure charts to act as selectors, so that clicking a chart element inserts more detailed information into the embedded spreadsheet, which can then be used by another component to create drill down behavior. For information about configuring chart drill down behavior, see Configuring drilldown behavior.

Use the Behavior view to set up how the component will work within the model. For example, setting limits, interactivity, and visibility.

Use the Appearance view to format the look of components, including font size, title locations, legends, colors, and so on.

Use the Alerts view to set up notifications regarding the data. You can turn alerts on, set the number of colors, and the target limits. For information about using alerts, see Understanding Alerts.

3.1.1 Setting properties for multiple components

By selecting multiple components on the canvas, you can simultaneously edit properties for the selected components. To access properties for multiple components, select the components and double-click the selection. You can also access the properties by right-clicking the selection and selecting Properties from the context menu.

If the components are of the same type, you can edit properties specific to that component type. For example, if your current selection contains three Line Chart components, you will be able to access the properties specific to the Line Chart. Any change made to the properties will apply to all components in the selection. The "Properties" panel selections with components of mixed types or groups are limited to the Dynamic Visibility parameters on the Behavior view. When a number of components are grouped, the properties for individual components within that group may be accessed by right-clicking that sub-group component in the "Object Browser". For more information, see Using the Object Browser.

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3.1.2 Setting colors for component elements

You can select specific colors for almost every element of every component in the software. Colors are specified on the "Properties" panel for each component on either the Appearance view or the Alerts view.

To set the color for an element, you click the Color Selector button ( ) or the Bound Color Selector

button ( ) beside the element name.

When you specify a color for an element, you can select from a number of common color definitions, create your own definitions, or bind the color to a cell in the embedded spreadsheet to allow the color to be dynamically set during run-time.

3.1.2.1 To specify element colors

To set the color for a component element, you can select from a number of predefined colors.

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, select the Appearance or Alerts view and beside the element you want

to define, click the Color Selector button ( ).

The "Color" dialog box opens.

To assign a predefined color, click a color from one of the following sections:

DescriptionOption

Theme Colors

Standard Colors

Recent Colors

More Colors

These colors are in the currently assigned theme.

These are a selection of basic colors settings.

These are colors that you have recently used for another element.

Use this option to display a larger color wheel with a greater selection of colors. When you select a color on the wheel, it is displayed in the New block next to the Current color so you can compare the difference. When you have selected the color you want, click OK.

The selected color is applied to the component element and the Color Selector icon is updated to display the current color.

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3.1.2.2 To create a custom color for elements

If you want to assign a specific color to component elements, you can specify the RGB or HSL values to define the color precisely. Custom colors can then be assigned to component elements in the same way predefined colors are assigned.

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, select the Appearance or Alerts view and beside the element you want

to define, click the Color Selector button ( ).

The "Color" dialog box opens.

In the "Color" dialog box, click More Colors.

Click the Custom tab.

In the Color Model list, select either RGB or HSL and then set the applicable color setting levels, that is, for RGB, set the Red, Green, and Blue levels and for HSL, set the Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity levels.

The resulting color is displayed in the New block next to the Current color so you can see the difference.

To save and apply the custom color to the selected element, click OK.

The custom color setting is applied to the selected component element and the Color Selector button

( ) is updated to display the current color.

3.1.2.3 To dynamically set colors at run-time

If you want to configure a component or component element to change colors at run-time based on user input or a setting for another component, you can bind the color setting to a cell in the embedded spreadsheet.

When the color is bound to a spreadsheet cell, it uses whatever value is entered in that cell to set the color. You can then configure the value in the cell to be set by user input, another component, an external data source, and so on.

Note:

Colors that are bound to a cell are not affected by changes to the color theme applied to the model.

The following color formats are supported:

• HEX (For example, FFFFFF, #FFFFFF, 0xFFFFFF)

• RGB (For example, (255,255,255) )

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• VGA Color names (For example, Aqua, Black, Blue, Fuchsia, Gray, Green, Lime, Maroon, Navy,

Olive, Purple, Red, Silver, Teal, White, Yellow)

• Decimal Color Equivalent (For example, F00FF becomes 16711935)

Caution:

If the value in the specified cell is not a valid color setting or the cell is empty, the component element color is set to Black.

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, select the Appearance or Alerts view and, beside the element you want

to define, click the Color Selector ( ) button.

The "Color" dialog box opens.

In the "Color" dialog box, click Bind to a Color.

In the "Select a Range" dialog box, select the cell you want to bind the color to. Click OK.

The element color is updated based on the value in the selected cell and the Color Selector button

( ) changes to a Bound Color button ( ) to indicate that the setting is bound to a cell.

3.1.3 Formatting text for component elements

For each component element (titles, labels, button text, mouse-over text, legends, and so on), you can choose to display or hide the text. If the text is displayed, you can specify how the text will look and, for numbers, what format they will use.

In Dashboard Design, if you save the model to the platform as a Dashboard Design object, you can also select default options that will be updated at runtime to use the regional format associated with the user's viewing locale.

Note:

Models saved locally use the text format defined when the model is created and are not changed at runtime.

Related Topics

• Translating and globalizing models on SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise

3.1.3.1 To display text elements in a model

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The text elements available to display for a component depends on the type of component, as well as on the component configuration. If a text element is listed but cannot be selected, that element may not be enabled for the component. For example, Range Labels can be displayed only if the Range Slider is enabled on the Behavior tab.

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, select the Appearance view.

Click the Text tab.

The "Text" tab shows a list of text elements available for the selected component. Text elements that are currently set to display in the model have a checkmark in the left column.

Do either of the following:

• To display a text element in the model, select the element.

• To hide a text element in the model, deselect the element.

3.1.3.2 To format text elements

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, select the Appearance view.

Click the Text tab.

The "Text" tab shows a list of text elements available for the selected component. Text elements that are currently set to display in the model have a checkmark in the left column.

Select a text element that is currently displayed in the model.

In the "Format Selected Text" section, select the font, font size, format, justification, and text color settings.

Note:

If a global font is set, the font type cannot be set in the component properties. For more information, see To set global font options.

If available, in the "Position" section, select where the label should be in relation to the component and, in Offset, adjust the label position by setting a distance to move it relative to its position.

Note:

Applies only to legend, series labels, start value, low value, high value, end value, data labels, and series sublabels text elements.

In the "Number Format" section, select one of the following number formats:

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DescriptionOption

General

Numeric

The data has no specific number format.

The data is treated as numbers only. Additional settings are available for setting the number format.

Currency

The data is displayed as monetary values. Additional settings are available for setting the currency format.

Percent

Date

The data is displayed as a percentage.

The data is displayed as a date value. Additional settings are available for setting the date format.

Time

The data is displayed as a time value. Additional settings are available for setting the time format.

Boolean

Text

The data is displayed as a two value option (on/off, true/false, yes/no).

The data is displayed as text only.

Depending on the selection, additional formatting options may be available.

If additional formatting options are available, set them. The following options might be available:

DescriptionOption

Default Number Format

Applies to Numeric format when the model is saved to the platform as a Dashboard Design object.

Default Currency Format

Negative Values

Decimal Places

Select this option to use the regional number format associated with the user's locale. If this option is selected, other number formatting options are not available.

Applies to Currency format when the model is saved to the platform as a Dashboard Design object.

Select this option to use the regional currency format associated with the user's locale. If this option is selected, other currency formatting options are not available.

Applies to Numeric and Currency formats.

Specify the format to use for negative values. If Default Number Format or Default Currency Format are selected, this option is not available.

Applies to Numeric, Currency, and Percent formats.

Specify the number of decimal places to display. If Default Number Format or Default Currency Format are selected, this option is not available.

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DescriptionOption

Prefix

Suffix

1000 Separator

Type

Applies to Currency format.

Specify the currency symbol to show before the number. If Default Currency Format is selected, this option is not available.

Applies to Currency format.

Specify the currency symbol to show after the number. If Default Currency Format is selected, this option is not available.

Applies to Numeric and Currency formats.

Specify the symbol to use between the hundreds and thousands numerals. If Default Number Format or Default Currency Format are selected, this option is not available.

Applies to Date and Time formats.

Specify the type of date or time format to use from a list of common formats.

Note:

For Time formats for models saved to the platform as Dashboard Design objects, you can also select Default Time to use the regional format associated with the user's locale.

Related Topics

• Translating and globalizing models on SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise

• Setting up models for regional formatting

3.2 Using components

3.2.1 Using Chart components

Charts allow you to represent data visually to make it easy for users to see comparisons, patterns, and trends. The software includes the following types of charts.

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Area Chart

A standard chart with vertical and horizontal axes. Each point along the horizontal axis represents a data point. The actual values for each data point are plotted against the vertical axis. For each series, colored areas are created by connecting the plotted points against the horizontal axis. Use this chart in models that emphasize a trend line, such as Stock Prices or Revenue History.

Bar Chart and Column Chart

A single- or multi-bar chart that shows and compares one or more items over a period of time or in a specific range of values. You could, for example, use a column chart in models that contain the quarterly headcount by region.

Bubble Chart

The bubble chart is one of the most powerful analytic tools available. It lets you compare a group or series of items based on three different parameters. It has an X-axis and Y-axis to represent the item location over the chart area, and a Z value to represent the item size.

You could, for example, use this chart to represent the market composition with the X-axis representing the Return On Investment (ROI) by industry type, the Y-axis representing the Cash Flow, and the Z-axis representing the Market Value.

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Bullet charts

This chart component provides a method to display information in a condensed, less-distracting format and is available with either a vertical or horizontal orientation.

The Bullet chart components have a single primary measure (for example, current year-to-date revenue) that is displayed as a vertical or horizontal bar. A marker indicates a target or performance goal and changing color hues behind the bar indicate qualitative ranges of performance (for example, poor, satisfactory, and good).

Designers can configure the Bullet chart to display multiple series and can configure the scale, axis, and ticks separately for each series. For example, the chart can be configured to show revenue in thousands of dollars, profit in dollars, and order size as a count.

Combination Chart

A combination column and line chart ideal for displaying a range of values and a trend line for those values. You can use the combination chart in models examining stocks. A line series might show the historical stock price over the year, and a column chart might show the volume of trading for that stock.

Line Chart

A single- or multi-line chart is ideal for showing tendency over a period of time. Use this chart in models that emphasize a trend or a continuing sequence of data, such as Stock Prices or Revenue History.

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OHLC Chart and Candlestick Chart

The open-high-low-close (OHLC) and candlestick charts are primarily used to display stock data. Each marker corresponds to the values, which are represented as lines attached to the marker on the OHLC chart and as colors on the candlestick chart. The open value displays the opening price of the stock. The high value displays the highest price the stock achieved on that day. The low value displays the lowest price the of the stock on that day. The close value displays the closing price of the stock.

Pie Chart

A circular chart that represents the distribution or participation of each item (represented by a slice) of a certain total that is represented as the overall pie value. The pie chart is appropriate for models such as Revenue Contribution by Product. In that example, the overall pie size would represent the total revenue, and each slice would represent a different product.

Radar Chart and Filled Radar Chart

Radar charts have axes that radiate outwards from the center of the chart. These charts can have several axes. They are useful for plotting multi-dimensional sets of data. In the filled radar chart, the shape created by connecting the points along each axis is filled in with color. You could use the radar charts to compare aspects of stocks. One axis could display the price, another the volume, another the Price to Earnings ratio, and any other relevant data.

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Sparkline

The Sparkline chart is based on the Sparkline chart created by Edward Tufte. It provides a method for displaying a one-dimensional series (or multiple series) of numeric data in a way that is dense, takes up a small space, and can be quickly interpreted.

Designers can set key data points (start value, end value, low value, and high value) that are displayed as markers on the Sparkline chart. They can also define a normal range that is displayed as a colored background behind the chart.

Stacked Area Chart

This standard chart has vertical and horizontal axes. Each point along the horizontal axis represents a data point. The actual values for the data points are plotted against the vertical axis, with each series adding to the total value. You could use the stacked area chart to compare the revenue for multiple products as well as the combined revenue of all the products and the contribution of each product to the combined revenue.

Stacked Column Chart and Stacked Bar Chart

Stacked bars compare one or more variables, with each series adding to the total value. This chart compares several variables over a period of time, for example, Marketing Cost and Administrative Cost. Each one of the cost components is presented in a different color and each bar represents a different time period. The total bar size represents the Total Cost.

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Tree Map

This chart displays hierarchical data in a small area. Each data point is represented by a rectangle. The tree maps display two parameters, represented by size and color intensity and can be used to compare two sets of data.

For example, a tree map could be used to represent the size and interest rate of loans. You can set the size of the rectangle as the loan amount; a large loan would be represented by a larger rectangle. The color of the rectangle would represent the interest rate; a higher interest rate would be represented by a brighter color value.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with a Tree Map component, click File > Samples and open the sample file Tree Map.

XY Chart

This chart displays data that encompasses two dimensions. The XY chart shows each data point as a result of the intersection of X values and Y values. You can, for example, use the XY chart in models that compare ROI (on the X axis) against Market Value (on the Y axis) for a group of companies.

3.2.1.1 To set up a chart

Select the chart and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, click the General view and enter the titles and labels for the chart elements, then link the chart to the data in the spreadsheet.

The chart is updated with the changes. For more information about the available options, see Chart

General properties.

If applicable, click the Insertion view and set the required options.

The insertion feature allows you to set up a chart to act as a selector and insert specific information into the embedded spreadsheet. That information could then be used by another component. For example, you could set up a pie chart to show the annual sales in different regions and when the

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user clicks a pie section, the monthly sales information for that region is inserted into the embedded spreadsheet, another chart displays that information in the model. For more information about the available options, see Chart Insertion properties.

Click the Behavior view and set the options for how the component functions in the model including handling variable amounts of data, scaling, and animations. For more information about the available options, see Chart Behavior properties.

Click the Appearance view and set the visual characteristics for each chart element and, if desired, add a legend. For more information about the appearance options, see Chart appearance properties.

If applicable, click the Alerts view to set up notifications of when specified values have been reached. For more information about alerts, see Understanding Alerts.

Click File > Save and enter a location and filename for the model. Click OK.

The chart is added to the model and configured. To see how the model will look at run-time, on the Toolbar, click Preview.

Related Topics

• Using the Properties panel

3.2.1.2 Chart General properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Chart component properties on the General view. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

DescriptionOption

"Titles"

All

Chart

Subtitle

Category (X) Axis

Category (Y) Axis

The main title for the chart. By default, it is centered at the top of the chart.

All

A secondary title for the chart. By default, the subtitle is centered at the top of the chart below the chart title.

Line, Pie, OHLC, Candlestick, Column, Stacked Column, Combination, Area, Stacked Area

The label for the data categories displayed along the X axis.

Bar, Stacked Bar, Bubble, XY

The label for the data categories displayed along the Y axis.

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DescriptionOption

Horizontal (X) Axis

Vertical (Y) Axis

Value (Y) Axis

Value (X) Axis

Secondary Value (Y) Axis

Horizontal Bullet Chart

The label for the data along the X axis.

Vertical Bullet Chart

The label for the data along the Y axis.

Line, Pie, OHLC, Candlestick, Column, Stacked Column, Combination, Area, Stacked Area

The label for the values displayed along the Y axis.

Bar, Stacked Bar, Bubble, XY

The label for the values displayed along the X axis.

Line, Column, Combination, Area

The label for the secondary Y axis displayed on the right of the chart.

Note:

This option is available only if By Series is selected and Plot Series On is set to Secondary Axis.

Bar

Secondary Value (X) Axis

"Data"

By Range

The label for the secondary X axis displayed at the top of the chart.

Note:

This option is available only if By Series is selected and Plot Series On is set to Secondary Axis.

All except Pie

Select this option to display a range of values for a single series.

Select one of the following options:

• If the data series is from the columns of the worksheet, select Data in

Columns.

• If the data series is from the of rows the worksheet, select Data in Rows.

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By Series

DescriptionOption

Line, Column, Stacked Column, Bar, Stacked Bar, Bubble, XY, Stacked Area, Radar, Filled Radar

Select this option to display multiple series of values.

To add a series to the chart, click the Plus icon ( ).

Then, select each series and set the following options:

DescriptionOption

The name for the series.Name

The X or Y data points from the spreadsheet or query. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values

Values

to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind but-

ton shows a spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button

By Series

Category Labels

shows a query ).

The axis you want to plot the series on.Plot Series On

The label displayed on the X axis to identify each category in the series.

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DescriptionOption

OHLC, Candlestick

Select this option to display multiple series of values. For each of the value options, you can link the value to a spreadsheet cell or to query data objects. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a

spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind

button shows a query ).

Set the following options:

DescriptionOption

The name of the series. For reference only.Series Name

The range for the opening value.Open

The range for the high value.High

By Series

The range for the low value.Low

The range for the closing value.Close

Category Label

The label displayed on the X axis to identify each category in the series.

Tree

spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind

button shows a query ).

To add a series to the chart, click the Plus icon ( ).

Then, select each series and set the following options:

DescriptionOption

The name of the series. For reference only.Display Labels

Values (size)

The range of values represented by the size of squares on the chart.

Values (color intensity)

The range of values represented by the color intensity on the chart.

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DescriptionOption

Horizontal and Vertical Bullet

spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind

button shows a query ).

To add a series to the chart, click the Plus icon ( ).

Then, select each series and set the following options:

By Series

Values

DescriptionOption

The name of the series. For reference only.Label

Sublabel

Performance Value

A secondary label for the series that appears below the series label.

The range of values that represent actual performance.

The range of values for the target performance.Comparative Value

Scale Value

The range of values that define the scale for performance, for example, poor, fair, good.

Pie

The range of values represented by each color on the chart. You can link the value to a spreadsheet cell or to query data objects. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells

in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a query

Select one of the following options:

• If the data series is from the columns of the worksheet, select Data in

Columns.

• If the data series is from the of rows the worksheet, select Data in Rows.

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Labels

Header Labels

DescriptionOption

Pie

The labels displayed beside each color in the chart key. You can link the value to a spreadsheet cell or to query data objects. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the

embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet ) or Query

Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a query ).

Sparkline

The labels displayed beside each series in the chart. You can link the value to a spreadsheet cell or to query data objects. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embed-

ded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet ) or Query Data

to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a query ).

Related Topics

• To set up a chart

• Chart Behavior properties

• Chart Insertion properties

• Chart appearance properties

• Connecting query data to models

• Linking components and spreadsheet data

3.2.1.3 Chart Insertion properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Insertion properties for charts that contain a series. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

Note:

Insertion options are not available for Area, Stacked Area, Vertical and Horizontal Bullet, Sparkline, Radar, or Filled Radar charts.

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DescriptionOption

All

Enable Data Insertion

Series Name Destination

Insertion Type

Series

Allows the chart to behave as a selector and insert data into a cell. This option is available only to charts that contain a series. For more information about setting up a series, see Chart General properties.

All except Pie charts

The cell in the embedded spreadsheet where the currently selected series name will inserted. This option is used to identify the series of data that is inserted.

All

Select the structure of the data that will be inserted into the embedded spreadsheet when a selection is made. For more information, see To

configure charts to drill down .

Line, Column, Stacked Column, Bar, Stacked Bar, Combination, Pie

For each series the chart contains, select the series and, then, set the Source Data, Value Set (when Insertion type is Value), and Destination values.

For Pie charts, the Series list is not available. Define the Source Data and Destination values.

The Value Set value is only available for Bubble, XY, and Tree Map charts.

For each destination value, you can link the value to a spreadsheet cell or to query data objects. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embed-

Interaction Options

Default Selection

Related Topics

• To set up a chart

ded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a query

All

Specifies how selections are made on the component. Select either Mouse Click or Mouse Over.

All

Specifies the item or series that will be selected when the model is loaded.

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• Configuring drilldown behavior

• Chart General properties

• Chart Behavior properties

• Chart appearance properties

3.2.1.4 Chart Behavior properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Behavior properties for charts. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

Common Tab

DescriptionOption

All

Ignore Blank Cells

Normal Range Area

Auto

Note:

The In Series option is not available for Pie, Candlestick, OHLC, or Tree Map charts.

Specifies whether blank cells at the end of the data are displayed on the chart or ignored.

Set any of the following options:

• In Series — The chart does not display empty series past the last non-

empty series in a range.

• In Values — The chart does not display empty values past the last

non-empty value in a series.

For more information about using this option, see Working with variable

amounts of data.

Sparkline Chart components only

Select this option to enable an area of color behind the sparkline to indicated the range of normal values for the given data.

Sparkline Chart components only

Select this option to set the normal range area based on the variance of the data.

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DescriptionOption

Sparkline Chart components only

Manual

Enable Run-Time Tools

Enable Range Slider

Select this option to set the normal range area based on specific low and high values. Enter the low and high values or click the Cell Selector icon

( ) to select a source data location for these values.

All except Pie, Tree Map, Horizontal and Vertical Bullet charts

Specifies whether users are able to adjust the chart scale during runtime. If this option is selected, when the model runs, a set of runtime tools are available and allow users to adjust the chart scale. You can also select which tools are available in the runtime tool set. For more information about using this option, see Allowing users to adjust chart scales.

Line, Bar, Stacked bar, Column, Stacked column, Candlestick, Combination, OHLC, Area, Stacked Area charts

Adds a range slider to allow users to focus on a particular data set rather than viewing the entire chart at once. Users can change the size of the range by adjusting control handles on either side of the range slider. For more information about using this option, see Adding Range Sliders to

charts.

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DescriptionOption

Line, Pie, Column, Stacked column, Bar, Stacked bar, Combination, Area, Stacked area, Radar, Filled Radar charts

Sorts the chart values according to specified data series or chart labels.

Select one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Sort according to the data values.

Enable Sorting

By Data

By Category Labels

All

Dynamic Visibility

This option allows you to specify conditions that control when the chart is visible in the model. For more information about using dynamic visibility, see Managing the visibility of components.

Scale Tab

Scale

Use these options to specify how the scale looks on the chart. For more information, see Configuring Scales.

Animations and Effects Tab

All except Tree Map

If the chart has multiple series, in the Series list, select the series to sort on. In the Order list, select Ascending or Descending.

Sort by category axis labels.

Labels are sorted alphanumerically in ascending order. To sort in descending order, select the Reverse Order check box.

Enable Data Animation

Entry Effect

When enabled, data animations add movement to chart components. For example, in Bar charts the bars gradually increase or decrease in size and, in point-based charts, the points slide to their new position as the data changes. When not enabled, the value markers jump to their new position when the data changes.

If dynamic visibility is enabled, select how you want to the chart to appear on the canvas when triggered. You can select an entry effect and specify how long you want to components appearance to take. For more information about dynamic visibility, see Managing the visibility of components.

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Related Topics

• To set up a chart

• Chart General properties

• Chart Insertion properties

• Chart appearance properties

3.2.1.4.1 Configuring Scales

The scale controls how data is plotted on the chart and how the chart axes adjust as the data values change.

Note:

Scales do not apply to Pie, Tree, or Sparkline charts.

You can allow chart scales to adjust automatically based on the data. However, depending on what the data is showing, the auto-created scale may not be appropriate and you may want to control the scale manually. If you set a manual scale, the scale will not change to accommodate the data and if data values exceed the chart range, they will not show on the chart. For example, if your data is represented as a percentage of a specific quantity, it may not be appropriate to include 120%.

You can also specify the scale format as either linear (based on addition) or logarithmic (based on multiplication). In general, you should try using a logarithmic scale for larger number ranges or for data that contains a wide variation of values.

Note:

If you want to allow users to adjust the scale at runtime, enable runtime tools on the Behavior > Common tab.

Related Topics

• Allowing users to adjust chart scales

• Chart Behavior properties

To configure chart scales

A chart has been placed on the canvas and linked to cells in the embedded spreadsheet.

Select the chart and open the "Properties" panel.

In the "Properties" panel, click Behavior > Scale.

If you are configuring a Bullet Chart component, to configure a different scale for each series, select the Configure Scale by Series option. Then select the series you want to configure from the list.

Use this option when you need to display metrics that are not closely comparable within a single scale or when the series use different scale measures, for example, percent, count, dollars.

Under "Scale", select one of the following options:

• Manual Axis

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Select this option to set fixed scale limits that will not change to accommodate the data values. If the data values exceed the specified scale range, the markers do not show the outlying values. Users can see the values when in a tooltip when they move the mouse over the marker. If you select this option, set the Maximum and Minimum Limits for each scale axis.

• Auto Axis

Select this option to allow the scale limits to change to accommodate the data values, then set the following options:

Allow Zoom Out Only

Zoom Sensitivity

DescriptionOption

Select this option if you want the scale to grow as data values increase, but not shrink when the values decrease. This option minimizes the number of times the chart must rescale and is useful to reduce the impact on performance when the chart is included in an animation.

If Allow Zoom Out Only is selected, adjust the amount the axis scale will change. Move the slider to the right to increase the amount the axis scale will increase when the chart scale increases.

In the Axis Scale list for each chart axis, select one of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Linear

A linear scale increases by adding a set amount to each scale marker (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4). This is the most commonly used scale and works well when the data value range is fairly small.

Logarithmic

A linear scale increases in multiples. This scale is helpful when the data value range is broad or includes some values that are much larger than others. For example, if you had quantities like 10, 100, and 60,000, these values would not fit well on a linear scale and the smaller values would be lost. A logarithmic scale may reveal structured relationships over many orders of magnitude.

To lock the width of the axis labels and prevent them from being resized if the scale changes, select

Fixed Label Size.

If Fixed Label Size is selected, to define the axis scale labels, click the Manual Edit icon ( ) beside Label Abbreviations and then edit the abbreviations.

If the Manual Axis option is selected, under "Divisions", select one of the following options:

Note:

If a scale is defined for more than one chart axis, the division settings apply to all of them and can't be set differently for each axis.

• Number of Divisions

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To set the number of scale markers to show on the axis. The value of the markers is determined by the range of the scale. If the scale changes, the values of the markers are adjusted to maintain the same number of markers.

• Size of Divisions

To set the values of the markers based on a specific amount between markers. The value of the markers is determined by adding this amount to the previous marker. If the scale changes, the number of markers may change, but the values of the markers remain the same.

In the Minor Divisions list, select the number of grid lines to show between chart markers.

Note:

If Show Major Ticks or Show Minor Ticks are not selected on the Appearance > Axes menu, division markers do not show on the chart.

Related Topics

• Allowing users to adjust chart scales

• Chart Behavior properties

• Chart appearance properties

3.2.1.4.2 Adding Range Sliders to charts

When you add a range slider to a chart, a miniature version of the chart displays below or beside to the chart. A slider on the miniature chart allows users to select a portion of the data to show in the main chart.

Note:

For Bar and Stacked Bar charts, the range slider appears to the left of the chart.

When you configure the range slider, you can specify the size and location of the range slider by setting the beginning and end range values. By default, these values are set to 0 (zero) and the maximum value, so the range spans the entire chart range. You can set the values to a specific data position or, if category axis labels are defined for the chart, to specific category labels. You can also bind the range values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet that are set by another source, such as a selector component in the model.

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Note:

If the beginning range value is larger than the end range value, the range slider will select the entire chart range and the main chart will show the entire range by default.

To change the data displayed in the main chart, users drag the range slider across the miniature chart. Users can also expand the size of the range in the main chart by dragging the control handles on either side of the range slider.

Related Topics

• Using Chart components

• Chart Behavior properties

To configure range sliders

Select the chart and open the "Properties" panel.

In the "Properties" panel, click Behavior > Common.

Select the Enable Range Slider checkbox.

In the Beginning Range Value list, select one of the following options:

• Position — to specify a data position in the chart. For example, if 30 points are being plotted in

the chart, a value of 2 would refer to the second point in the data set.

• Category Label — to specify a category axis label. For example, if category axis labels are set

to the days of the month, you could specify March as the beginning range value.

Note:

If category axis labels are not defined, this option is not available.

In the Beginning Range Value box, type a range value or select the Cell Selector button ( ) to select a cell in the embedded spreadsheet.

Note:

To have the value set by another component, select an empty cell and then configure another component to enter a value in that cell.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 to set the End Range Value.

Beside the Range Labels box, do one of the following:

•

Select the Cell Selector button ( ) to select cells in the spreadsheet.

•

Select the Manual Entry button ( ) to type in the names of the labels.

The range labels are distributed across the miniature chart. The placement of the labels depends on the number of data points and the total number of labels. For example, if there are 36 data points plotted on the chart and 4 labels, a range label is displayed every 8 data points.

A range slider is added to the chart as defined.

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3.2.1.4.3 Working with variable amounts of data

If the amount of data available for a chart may vary, for example, to accommodate the number of days in a month, you can configure the chart to display only the values that are available and to ignore blank cells at the end of a range. For example, if data is entered for each day in a month, when the month has 31 days, you want the chart to include the data for each of those days. When a month has 30 days, the chart should not display an empty value for day 31. You must set the range to include 31 days, but if the last cells are empty, you do not want them to appear on the chart.

Note:

Although the chart does not display all the data within the data range, the size of the range still affects the model's performance.

To configure a chart for variable amounts of data

Select the chart and open the "Properties" panel.

Click the Behavior view.

On the Common tab, select Ignore Blank Cells.

To prevent the chart from displaying empty series past the last non-empty series in a range, select

In Series.

To prevent the chart form displaying empty values past the last non-empty value in a series, select In Values.

Empty cells at the end of a range for the series and/or values are not included in the chart.

3.2.1.5 Chart appearance properties

Layout view

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for chart layout. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

DescriptionOption

Layout Tab

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DescriptionOption

All

Select this option to include a solid background behind the chart. If this option is not selected, the chart is transparent. If you include a background, set the following options:

DescriptionOption

Show Chart Background

Margin

Horizontal Gap

Vertical Gap

Select the amount of space to allow between the edge of the background and the data.

For Sparkline charts, set the amount of space between the series labels and the plot area.

For Sparkline charts, set the amount of space between each series of data.

Tip:

You can set a color for the chart background on the color tab.

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DescriptionOption

All except Tree Map charts

For the plot area (the area bounded by the chart axes), set the following options:

DescriptionOption

Plot Area

Title Area

Enable Legend

Applies a background to the plot area.Show Fill

Applies a border around the plot area.Show Border

Border Thickness

If Show Border is selected, select a thickness for the border.

All

For the area behind the title, set the following options:

DescriptionOption

Applies a background to the title area.Show Fill

Applies a border around the title area.Show Border

Border Thickness

If Show Border is selected, select a thickness for the border.

All except Sparkline, Vertical Bullet, and Horizontal Bullet charts

Select this option to display a legend for the chart. For more information about configuring legends, see Adding legends to charts.

Series tab

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for chart series. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

Note:

The Series tab is not available for Area, Stacked Area, and Filled Radar Chart components.

DescriptionOption

Series Tab

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Series column

DescriptionOption

All except Sparkline charts

Lists the series that have been defined for the chart.

Note:

If, on the General view, the By Series option is not selected and set up for the chart, this column is empty.

Combination chart only

Type column

Data Point column

Shape column

Line column

Select the type of marker to use for this series:

• Column

• Line

Pie chart only

Select each data point and specify a color. This sets the colors of the wedges in the Pie chart.

Line, Combination, Radar, and XY chart components only

Select one of the following marker symbols to appear on the series data points:

• circle

• diamond

• star

• triangle

• X

Line, Combination, and Radar chart components

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color for the line that connects the data points.

Fill column

Performance Color column

All except Bullet, Tree Map, Candlestick, and Line charts

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent each series.

Bullet charts only

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent the actual performance values.

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Comparative Marker Color column

Scale High Color column

Scale Low Color column

DescriptionOption

Bullet charts only

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent the target data values.

Bullet charts only

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent high value marker color.

Bullet charts only

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent low value marker color.

Tree map only

High Color column

Low Color column

Line Thickness

Enable Markers

Enable Series Markers

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent the color for high values.

Tree Map only

Click the Color Selector button ( ) and select a color to represent the color for low values.

Combination and Radar charts only

Select a series and set the thickness for the lines that connect the data points.

Note:

For Combination charts, this option is available only when Line is selected in the Type column for the selected series.

Combination charts only

Select this option to show data point markers on the line graph.

Line charts only

Select this option to show the data point markers on the line graph.

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Marker Size

Marker Gap

Marker Overlap

DescriptionOption

XY, Radar, Bubble, Bar, Column, Line, and Combination charts only

Specify the size of the data point marker.

Note:

For Combination charts, marker size is set for both the Column Settings and the Line Settings.

Stacked Bar and Stacked Column charts only

Specify the amount of space between the markers for each series.

Stacked Bar and Stacked Column charts only

Specify how much the bars or columns for each series overlap the bars or columns of the other series. If set to 100, they appear in the same bar or column space to make a single bar or column that changes color to show the second series.

Transparency

Performance Marker Size

Comparative Marker Size

Show Lines

Positive Color

XY, Radar, Bubble, Bar, Column, Line, Filled Radar, Stacked Area, Area, Stacked Bar, Stacked Column, Candlestick, OHLC, Pie, and Combination charts only

Set the visibility of objects behind the chart or chart markers.

Note:

For Combination charts, transparency is set for both the Column Settings and the Line Settings.

Bullet charts only

Specify the size of the marker that indicates the actual performance value.

Bullet charts only

Specify the size of the marker that indicates the target value.

Tree Map and Pie charts only

Specify if lines should be visible between the sections that show different series values. If this option is selected, specify the line thickness.

Candlestick and OHLC charts only

Specify a color for positive values.

Negative Color

Candlestick and OHLC charts only

Specify a color for negative values.

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Axes tab

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for chart axes. Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

Note:

The Axes tab is not available for Pie and Sparkline charts.

Axes Tab

DescriptionOption

All except Horizontal Bullet charts

Enable Vertical Axis

Select this option to include a line along the vertical axis. If selected, you can specify the thickness and line color, and whether to show ticks to indicate major or minor values.

All except Filled Radar and Radar charts

Enable Horizontal Axis

Select this option to include a line along the horizontal axis. If selected, you can specify the thickness and line color, and whether to show ticks to indicate major or minor values.

All except Bullet, Bar, Stacked Bar, and Stacked Column charts

Horizontal Gridlines

Select this option to display gridlines for the horizontal axis. If selected, you can choose to display Major or Minor gridlines and set the thickness for the lines.

XY, Bar, and Bubble charts only

Vertical Gridlines

Select this option to display gridlines for the vertical axis. If selected, you can choose to display major or minor gridlines and set the thickness for the lines.

Text tab

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for chart text. In the Show column, select the checkbox for each text item you want to display on the chart. Then, select the text item and format the text appearance. For more information about formatting text, see Formatting text

for component elements.

Note that some options are available only for specific chart types.

Note:

The Text tab is not available for Area, Stacked Area, and Filled Radar charts.

DescriptionOption

Text Tab

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Chart Title

Sub Title

Header Labels

Series Labels

Series Sublabels

DescriptionOption

All

Displays a main title for the chart.

All

Displays a secondary title for the chart.

Sparkline chart only

Displays labels above the columns in the chart.

Sparkline, Vertical Bullet, and Horizontal Bullet charts only

Displays the name for each data series.

Vertical Bullet and Horizontal Bullet charts only

Displays a secondary label beside the series label for each data set.

Start Value

Low Value

Vertical Axis Title

Horizontal Axis Title

Vertical Axis Labels

Horizontal Axis Labels

Vertical (Value) Axis Title

Sparkline charts only

Displays the first value in the data set to the right of the plot area.

Sparkline charts only

Displays the lowest value in the data set to the right of the plot area.

Vertical Bullet charts only

Displays a title along the vertical axis.

Horizontal Bullet charts only

Displays a title along the horizontal axis.

Vertical Bullet charts only

Displays value labels along the vertical axis.

Horizontal Bullet charts only

Displays value labels along the horizontal axis.

Stacked Area, Area, XY, Bubble, Column, Candlestick, OHLC, and Line charts only

Displays a title for the value scale along the vertical axis.

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Vertical (Value) Axis Labels

DescriptionOption

Stacked Area, Area, XY, Bubble, Column, Candlestick, OHLC, Radar, Filled Radar, and Line charts only

Displays labels for values along the vertical axis.

Horizontal (Value) Axis Title

Horizontal (Value) Axis Labels

Vertical (Category) Axis Title

Vertical (Category) Axis Labels

Horizontal (Category) Axis Title

Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels

XY, Bubble, Stacked Bar, Bar charts only

Displays a title for the value scale along the horizontal axis.

XY, Bubble, Stacked Bar, Bar charts only

Displays labels for values along the horizontal axis.

Stacked Bar and Bar charts only

Displays a category title along the vertical axis.

Stacked Bar and Bar charts only

Displays a label for categories along the vertical axis.

Stacked Area, Area, Stacked Column, Column, Candlestick, OHLC, and Line charts only

Displays a category title along the horizontal axis.

Stacked Area, Area, Stacked Column, Column, Candlestick, OHLC, Radar, Filled Radar, and Line charts only

Displays labels for categories along the horizontal axis.

All except Sparkline charts

Mouse Over Values

Legend

Data Labels

Displays values when the user moves the mouse pointer over a data marker.

All except Sparkline, Vertical Bullet, and Horizontal Bullet charts

Displays a legend that defines the symbols and markers in the chart. For more information about using legends, see Adding legends to charts.

All except Sparkline, Vertical Bullet, and Horizontal Bullet charts

Displays data labels on or around the chart markers. If the chart contains multiple series, you can specify if data labels are displayed for each series. For more information about using data labels, see Displaying data labels

on charts.

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DescriptionOption

Stacked Area, Area, Stacked Bar, Bar, Stacked Column, Column, Candlestick, OHLC, and Line charts only

If the Range Slider is enabled on the Behavior view, this option displays labels on the Range Slider. For more information about using the Range Slider, see Adding Range Sliders to charts.

Range Labels

Note:

The Range Labels ignore duplicate, sequential values in the label data. For example, if the labels are bound to cells in the spreadsheet where year values for the data are inserted, on the Range Slider the first occurrence of a year appears in a label and subsequent occurrences of that year are ignored. The next year value is displayed and subsequent occurrences for that year are ignored.

Color tab

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for chart colors. For more information about using the "Color" dialog box to set component colors, see Setting colors for component

elements.

DescriptionOption

Color Tab

All

Background Color

Set the color for the background area behind component elements.

Radar, Bullet, Tree Map, Bubble, Bar, Candle, and OHLC charts only

Applies to the color of the markers that represent the data. You can also

Series

set the color for specific series values such as Performance, Comparative Marker, Scale High and Low for Bullet charts and High and Low values for Tree Map charts.

Slices

Title Area

Area, Combination, Column, Pie, and Line charts only

Applies to the color of the markers that represent the data.

All

Applies to the area around the title

You can set a different color for the fill and border.

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DescriptionOption

All

Plot Area

Legend Area

Axes and Gridlines

Line Color

Related Topics

• To set up a chart

• Chart General properties

• Chart Insertion properties

• Chart Behavior properties

Applies to the area where the data is plotted.

You can set a different color for the fill and border.

All

Applies to the area behind the legend.

All except Tree Map and Pie charts

Applies to the chart axes lines and gridlines.

You can set a different color for horizontal and vertical axes and gridlines, as well as for major and minor gridlines as appropriate for the chart.

Pie charts

Applies to the lines between the slices of the pie.

3.2.1.5.1 Adding legends to charts

If you use a chart to show multiple series of data, you might want to add a legend to define the various markers used in the chart. When you add a legend, you can define the appearance and location of the legend. In addition, you can allow users to hide or show the data for a specific series at run-time. With this ability, users can choose to view all the data on the chart at once or to simplify the chart and view only some of the series data.

To add a legend

Select the Chart component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, click Appearance > Layout.

Select Enable Legend and set the following options:

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DescriptionOption

Position

Vertical Offset

Horizontal Offset

Show Fill

Show Border

Border Thickness

Enable Hide/Show Chart Series at Run-Time

Interaction

Specify a position for the legend in the Chart component. Select from the following options: Top, Left, Right, Bottom.

If Left or Right is chosen in Position, you can shift the legend vertically relative to its position. Type or select a value. Negative numbers shift the legend down and positive numbers shift it up.

If Top or Bottom is chosen in Position, you can shift the legend horizontally relative to its position. Type or select a value. Negative numbers shift the legend to the left and positive numbers shift it to the right.

Adds a solid background color behind the legend. Click the Color

Selector button ( ) to specify a color for the background.

Adds a border around the legend. Click the Color Selector button

( ) to specify a color for the border.

If Show Border is selected, type or select a value to change the border thickness.

Select this option to allow users to select specific series to show on the chart. If selected, users can click a checkbox beside the series name or the series name to display or hide the series values in the chart.

If Enable Hide/Show Chart Series at Run-time is selected, select one of the following user interaction options:

• Checkbox - adds a checkbox in front of each series label in the

legend. Users click the checkbox to show or hide the series.

• Mouse Click - Users click the series name to show or hide the

series data on the chart.

A legend is added to the Chart.

Related Topics

• Setting colors for component elements

3.2.1.5.2 Displaying data labels on charts

Data labels allow you to display data values or labels directly on or around the data markers. To show data labels overlaid on the markers, you first mark them to be displayed on the Appearance > Text tab. Then, you can configure their position, contents, and label separators as required.

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To configure data labels

Select the chart component and open the "Properties" panel.

Click Appearance > Text.

In the Show column beside Data Labels, select the checkbox.

If the chart contains multiple series, you can enable and configure data labels for each series individually. For Combination charts, you must configure the data labels individually since Line and Bar markers have different properties.

In the "Format Selected Text" area, set the text appearance properties.

In the Position list, select where you want the label to appear relative to the data marker.

The options available depend on the type of chart and may include Center, Inside End, Outside End, Best Fit, Left, Right, Above, Below, Inside Base, and Outside with Leader Lines (Pie charts only). For Combination charts, if you select the Data Label option (instead of selecting the series), the Position list is not available. You must set the label position for each series in the

Combination chart individually.

In the Offset lists, select values to adjust the label location more specifically by setting the X and Y offsets.

Depending on the type of chart, you can also specify what data to include in the label including the series name, Category Name, Value, Percentage, X Value, Y Value, Bubble Size, Size Value, and Color Intensity Value.

For some charts you can also choose a separator value to separate data in the label. In the Separator list, select a value or select Custom and, in the Custom box, type the value to use.

Data labels are displayed on or near the data markers as defined.

3.2.1.6 Chart alerts properties

You can set up alerts for the following Chart components:

• Bar

• Bubble

• Column

• Combo

• Line

• Radar

• Stacked Bar

• Stacked Column

• XY

To set up alerts, select the component and open the "Properties" panel. Then click the Alerts view, select the Enable Alerts checkbox and set the alert options. For more information about setting alert options, see Understanding Alerts.

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Related Topics

• To set up selectors

• Selector general properties

• Selector behavior properties

• Selector appearance properties

3.2.1.7 Configuring drilldown behavior

The chart insertion capability allows charts to behave as selectors, that is, when users click a part of the chart, it writes specific data to the embedded spreadsheet. That data can then be used by another component to display more detailed information, that is, to drill down into the data.

For example, a Pie chart that shows annual sales could be configured to insert the monthly sales totals into specified destination cells. Then a Bar chart could use that data to display the monthly totals each time a piece in the Pie chart is clicked.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with drilldown behavior, click File > Samples and open the sample file Chart - Drilldown.

Related Topics

• To set up a chart

• Chart Insertion properties

3.2.1.7.1 To configure charts to drill down

When a chart is configured and bound to a series of data and the spreadsheet or data source contains more detailed information that can be drilled down to from the chart, you can configure the chart to display the additional data when a point on the chart is selected.

Note:

Area, Stacked Area, Horizontal and Vertical Bullet, Sparkline, Radar, or Filled Radar charts do not have insertion options and cannot be configured to drill down in this way.

Select the chart you want to use to drill down and open the "Properties" panel.

Click the Insertion view.

On the Insertion view, select Enable Data Insertion.

Note:

If the Enable Data Insertion checkbox is not available, verify that the chart is bound to a range of data.

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If the chart contains a series, in the Series Name Destination box, select a cell in the spreadsheet where the name of the series will be inserted.

In the Insertion Type list, select one of the following options to specify the structure of the data that will be inserted into the embedded spreadsheet when a selection is made:

DescriptionOption

Position

When a series is selected, the position of the value within the series is entered in the target cell. For example, if the series contains three cells, when the first one is selected, a 1 is entered in the destination cell. When the second is selected, a 2 is entered and for the final one, a 3 is entered.

Value

When a selection is made, the value in the source cell for that selection is entered in the destination cell.

For Bubble, OHLC, XY, Candlestick, and Tree Map charts, the value is based on the specified value set. For example, for a Tree Map chart, you might use the values for size or for color intensity.

Row

When a selection is made, the row of source data values corresponding to the selection is entered in the target row.

Column

When a selection is made, the column of source data values corresponding to the selection is entered in the destination column.

Status List

When a selection is made, a value of 1 is entered in the cell in the range representing that selection and a value of 0 is entered in the other cells of the target range.

For Pie charts, skip this step. In the Series list, select a series to configure.

If the Insertion Type is set to Row, or Column, beside Source Data, click the Cell Selector button

( ). Then, select the cells in the spreadsheet that contain the source data.

Note:

If the Insertion Type is set to Value, Position or Status List, the source data is determined by the selection in the chart.

For Bubble, XY, Candlestick, OHLC, and Tree Map charts, if Insertion Type is set to Value, in the Value Set list, select the value that will be inserted when a selection is made.

Beside the Destination box, click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a

spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a

query ).

Note:

The destination range must be blank and large enough to store all the cells in the source range.

10.

Under Interaction Options, in the Insert On list, select Mouse Click to insert the data when the user clicks the chart or Mouse Over to insert the data when the user moves the mouse pointer over the chart selection.

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11.

Under "Default Selection", in the Series list, select the series and, in the Item list, select the item that will be selected when the model loads.

The chart is configured to insert data into a destination range when a selection is made. The data in the destination range can now be used by another component in the model.

Place another chart on the canvas and configure it to display the data inserted into the destination range.

Related Topics

• Using Chart components

• Chart Insertion properties

• Configuring drilldown behavior

3.2.1.8 Allowing users to adjust chart scales

When you design a chart based on dynamic data that can be entered or adjusted by users at run-time, you don't have complete control over those values and it can be difficult to set a reasonable scale. For many charts, you can define a manual scale and, then include a toolbar to allow users to adjust the scale values at run-time. These run-time tools allow users to create a custom scale without dealing with the mechanics or mathematics of custom scaling.

Note:

Run-time tools are not available for Pie, Tree Map, Horizontal and Vertical Bullet, or Sparkline charts.

When Run-time tools are enabled, a Run-time Tool button ( ) is available in the upper left corner of the chart. When users move the mouse pointer over this button, the Run-time Tool menu opens.

Depending on which Run-time Toolbar options are selected, the menu can contain the following buttons:

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DescriptionButton

GROW

Sets the scale to Allow Zoom Out Only, which allows the scale to grow as data values increase, but doesn't' shrink when data values decrease. This setting minimizes the number of times the chart scale changes, but allows it to show all the data values when they increase.

This option is useful when users are trying different options that may push the scale limits and don't want to reset the scale each time, or when the chart is used in animations.

OFF

Turns off scaling so the chart uses the minimum and maximum data points as the minimum and maximum scale values. The chart continues using this scale even if the data changes.

AUTO

Sets the scaling behavior to Auto, so the minimum and maximum scale values automatically adjust to accommodate all data points.

When chart scaling is set to Off, the Focus Chart Data button forces the chart axes to rescale based on the current data. The chart then retains that scale even if the data subsequently changes.

The Reset Chart Scale button sets the scale values back to what they were when the model was opened.

Related Topics

• To display the Run-time Tools menu on charts

• Using Chart components

3.2.1.8.1 To display the Run-time Tools menu on charts

Click the chart component and open the "Properties" panel.

Click Behavior > Common.

Select the Enable Run-Time Tools checkbox.

To customize which buttons are available on the toolbar menu, select any of the following options:

DescriptionOption

Show Focus Button

Show Reset Scale Button

Show Scale Behavior Options

Note:

If you deselect all the tool options, the Run-time Tools button will not be available, even if Enable Run-time Tools is selected.

When the model runs, the Run-Time Tools button is available in the upper, right corner of the chart.

Displays the Focus Chart Data button.

Displays the Reset Scale button.

Displays the Grow, Off, and Auto buttons.

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Related Topics

• Using the Properties panel

• Allowing users to adjust chart scales

• Chart Behavior properties

3.2.2 Using Container components

Containers group and display other components.

Note:

Container components are not available in Presentation Design.

Container components can be nested within each other to create multi-layer models. To avoid decreasing the model's performance, use only one layer of nesting, for example, a parent Tab Set component on each tab with no container components within the child containers.

Canvas

The Canvas container component is similar to the Panel container component, but it does not have any art, for example, background, borders, heading bar, and so on.

In design mode, the container is visible to allow the designer to work with the component, but when the model is run, the container is invisible so components in the container appear to be free floating. If the components in the Canvas container extend beyond the container borders, scrollbars are added.

Panel Container

The Panel Container component acts as a smaller canvas within the main canvas and can hold one or more components. Components in the panel container can be moved, added, changed or deleted. In the "Object Browser" panel, to see the list of components within a panel container, click the Add button

( ) next to the Panel Container name.

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Note:

The Panel Container2 component has the same functionality as a Panel Container, but with a different look.

To explore a sample model that includes a Tab Set component, click File > Samples and select Panel Container.

Tab Set

The Tab Set component acts as a smaller canvas within the main canvas and contains multiple tab views. Each view can contain one or more components, which can be linked to different data sets. To display a view, users click its corresponding tab.

When you configure the Tab Set component, you can increase or decrease the number of tab views by selecting the Tab Set component, and then clicking the Plus or Minus icons above the row of tabs. When the model runs, the Plus and Minus icons are not visible.

Note:

The Tab Set component functions as a single grouping of tabs. You cannot create sub-groups of the tabs within the component.

To see an example of a model with a Tab Set component, click File > Samples and open the sample file Tab Set.

3.2.2.1 To set up a container

Open the "Components" browser and drag a container onto the canvas.

If you add a Tab Set component, add and label the required tabs.

Select the container and open the "Properties" panel.

On the "Properties" panel, click the General view and enter the titles and labels for the container elements, for the Tab Set component, also set the location for the tabs. For more information about the available options, see Container general properties.

The container is updated with the changes.

Click the Appearance view and set the visual characteristics of each container element. For more information about the appearance options, see Container appearance properties.

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From the "Components" Browser, drag components onto the container canvas and configure the components as you would for components on the main canvas.

Click File > Save and enter a location and filename for the model. Click OK.

The container is added to the model and configured. To see how the model will look at run-time, on the Toolbar, click Preview.

3.2.2.2 Container general properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Container component properties on the General view. Note that some options are available only for specific container types.

DescriptionOption

Tab Set only

Tab Alignment

Specify whether the tabs appear to the right, center, or left of the tab set canvas.

Tab Set canvases only

Type a label for the tab or click the Cell Selector button ( ) to link the label to a cell in the embedded spreadsheet.

Label

Note:

To select a Tab Set canvas, on the component, click the tab to select it and then click the canvas area.

Panel containers only

Type a title for the panel container or click the Cell Selector button ( ) to link the

Title

label to a cell in the embedded spreadsheet.

Note:

You can configure the title format on the Appearance view.

Related Topics

• To set up a container

• Container behavior properties

• Container appearance properties

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3.2.2.3 Container behavior properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Behavior properties for containers. Note that some options are available only for specific container types.

DescriptionOption

Common Tab

Tab Set component only

Selected Item

Select the tab that will be open when the model loads.

Tab Set canvases, Canvas, and Panel components only

Horizontal Scroll Bar

Specify whether a horizontal scroll bar is available on the canvas always (On), never (Off), or if the contents of the canvas exceeds its width (Auto).

Tab Set canvases, Canvas, and Panel components only

Vertical Scroll Bar

Specify whether a vertical scroll bar is available on the canvas always (On), never (Off), or if the contents of the canvas exceeds its height (Auto).

Tab Set, Canvas, and panel components

Note:

You cannot set Dynamic Visibility for individual subcanvases on the Tab Set

Dynamic Visibility

component.

This option allows you to specify conditions that control when the container is visible in the model. For more information about using dynamic Visibility, see Managing the visibility of components.

Animations and Effects Tab

Tab Set, Canvas, and Panel components only

Note:

You cannot set entry effects for individual subcanvases on the Tab Set component.

Entry Effect

If dynamic visibility is enabled, select how you want the container to appear on the canvas when triggered. You can select an entry effect and specify how long you want the components appearance to take. For more information about dynamic visibility, see Managing the visibility of components.

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Related Topics

• To set up a container

• Container general properties

• Container appearance properties

3.2.2.4 Container appearance properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Appearance properties for containers. Note that some options are available only for specific container types.

DescriptionOption

Text Tab

Show Text

Format Selected Text

Color Tab

Background Color

Panel Color

Tab Set and Panel containers

Lists the elements that can have text. To hide the text for an element, deselect it.

Note:

You cannot deselect the tab labels on Tab Set components.

Tab Set and Panel containers

The settings in this area allow you to format the text for the selected text element.

Note:

If a global font is set for the document, you cannot change the font type. For more information about global fonts, see To set global font options.

All except Canvas containers

Set the color for the background area behind the sub-canvas.

Panel containers

Set the color for the sub-canvas on the panel.

Tab Backgrounds

Tab Set containers

Set the color for tabs on the container. You can set a different color for when the tab is not active (Default color), when the mouse pointer moves over the tab (Over color), and when the tab is active (Selected color).

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Scroll Bar

Labels

DescriptionOption

Tab Set sub-canvas, Canvas, and Panel containers

Set the color for the following parts of the scroll bar:

• Track

• Thumb

• Button

• Button Symbol

Tab Set container

You can set a different color for when the tab is not active (Default color), when the mouse pointer moves over the tab (Over color), and when the tab is active (Selected tab).

Note:

You can also set the label text color on the General view.

Related Topics

• To set up a container

• Container general properties

• Container behavior properties

3.2.3 Using Selector components

Selector components allow you to pick an item from many members or from a list and insert the selected item's row, position, value, label, and so on into another row or cell in the embedded spreadsheet. Other components can then retrieve that information to complete other tasks.

Note:

For information about the functionality of Selector components, on the component's "Properties" panel,

click the Information button ( ).

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Accordion Menu

The Accordion Menu is a two-level menu that lets users first select a category and then select from items within that particular category.

Note:

This component is not available in Presentation Design.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with an Accordion Menu component, click File > Samples and open the sample file Accordion Menu.

Check Box

A standard user-interface component where users toggle between two states: checked and unchecked.

Combo Box

A standard user-interface component that drops down a vertical list of items when it is clicked. Users can then select an item from the list.

Filter

The Filter component looks at a range of cells with multiple fields of data and categorizes them by unique data entries. The Filter sifts through the data range and inserts data corresponding to the list selections.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with a Filter component, click File > Samples and open the sample file Filter.

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Fisheye Picture Menu

With the Fisheye Picture Menu, users select from a set of pictures or icons. As the mouse is moved over each item in the menu, the item is magnified. The closer the mouse is to the center of the item, the more the item is magnified. This creates an effect similar to that of a fish-eye lens.

Note:

This component is not available in Presentation Design.

Icon

The Icon can be used as a selector or display component. As a selector, it functions similar to the Check Box component. It can represent the actual value contained in one cell and be compared to its target

value in another cell.

The Icon component can also be set to change color depending on its value relative to the target value, which is an Alert. For more information about alerts, see Understanding Alerts.

At the same time, you can use the Icon to activate and display other components. For more information about controlling component visibility, see Managing the visibility of components.

Note:

To configure the Icon component as a display-only component, click the Appearance view and deselect Show On/Off. User will not be able to select the icon.

Label Based Menu

The Label Based Menu component lets users select items from a vertical or horizontal grouping of buttons.

List Box

A standard user-interface component that lets users select items from a vertical list.

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List Builder

The List Builder provides a way for users to build their own set of data at run-time. This data set can then be used to populate another component. The List Builder consists of a "Source" list containing all possible selections, a "Destination" list containing the selected items, and an Update button. Users move items between the "Source" and "Destination" lists in one of the following ways:

• Double-clicking items in either the "Source" or "Destination" list to move the item to the other list.

• Dragging items from one list to another.

• Using the Add and Remove buttons.

When the Update button is clicked, the items in the "Destination" list are inserted into the destination range to be used by other components. To change the order of items in the "Destination" list, drag an item up or down in the list.

Note:

This component is not available in Presentation Design.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with a List Builder component, click File > Samples and open the sample file List Builder.

List View

The List View component has the same functionality as the Table component, but lets the user sort the columns and adjust the width of the columns in the exported SWF file.

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Play Selector

The Play Selector component sequentially inserts one row or column from a defined range into the destination cells you selected. You can link the destination cells to a chart so the chart data changes each time the play selector inserts a new row or column. The Play Selector component can display a large amount of data with a movie effect, which lets users view the data without clicking each selection.

Note:

This component is not available in Presentation Design.

Push Button

The Push Button component inserts specific data each time it is clicked. It can be used to allow users to restore Single Value components to their default values without resetting the values for the entire model or to create a pop-up window that appears when the button is pushed.

You can configure the Push Button to set the values of one or multiple cells to specific values when users click the button. The values change only when the user clicks the button, so users have more control over when the data is copied to the destination cells.

Radio Button

The Radio Button component lets users select from a vertical or horizontal group of selections.

Scorecard

The Scorecard component allows you to display visual alerts in a grid. At run-time, users can click column headings to sort the grid according to the column's data. This component is similar to a List

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View selector, but it includes options to enable and configure alerts in columns and to add headers that allow users to sort the columns at run-time.

Alert levels can be displayed with cell background colors, font colors, or alert icons with or without values.

Sliding Picture Menu

With the Sliding Picture Menu, users select from a set of icons or pictures. The users can use arrows to scroll through the icons or the menu can be configured to scroll through the icons as the user moves the mouse.

Note:

This component is not available in Presentation Design.

Tip:

To see an example of a model with a Sliding Picture Menu component, click File > Samples and open the sample file Sliding Picture Menu.

Spreadsheet Table

The Spreadsheet Table component is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) representation of any group of cells from your spreadsheet.

Note:

The Spreadsheet Table component can be used as a display component as well as a selector component. As a display component, the spreadsheet table is a graphic representation of a range of cells in the spreadsheet. To use the spreadsheet table as a display component, click the Cell Selector

button ( ) beside Display Data and select a range of cells to display from the spreadsheet. On the Behavior view, click Deselect All. Users will not be able to select rows in the table. To use the spreadsheet table as a selector component, after setting the Display Data range, set the Insert Option to rows.

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Working with Components

Ticker

The Ticker component displays horizontally scrolling text in your model. Scrolling stops when the user moves the mouse pointer over the labels.

Toggle Button

A standard user-interface component that lets users toggle between two states: on and off.

Related Topics

• To set up selectors

3.2.3.1 To set up selectors

Select the component and open the Properties panel.

On the "Properties" panel, click the General view and enter the titles and labels for the selector elements, then link the selector to the data in the spreadsheet. For more information about the available options, see Selector general properties.

The selector is updated with the changes.

Click the Appearance view and set the visual characteristics of each selector element. For more information about the appearance options, see Selector appearance properties.

If applicable, click the Alerts view to set up notifications of when specified values have been reached. For more information about alerts, see Selector alerts properties.

To create effects based on the setting for the selector, add other components to your model and link them to the cells where the selector stores data.

Click File > Save and enter a location and filename for the model. Click OK.

The selector is added to the model and configured. To see how the model will look at run-time, on the Toolbar, click Preview.

Related Topics

• Using the Properties panel

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3.2.3.2 Selector general properties

Use the following table as a guide for setting the Selector component properties on the General tab. Note that some options are available only for specific selector types.

DescriptionOption

"Titles "

All except Icon, toggle Button, spreadsheet Table, Play Selector, and Push Button components

The main title for the selector. For the List Builder component, you can also spec-

Title

ify titles for the "Source" list and "Destination" list.

Note:

You can change the location and format of the title on the Appearance view.

Labels

All except Accordion menu, Check Box, List View, Spreadsheet Table, Play Selector, Push Button, and Filter components

Sets the labels that identify selector elements. Do one of the following:

•

To type the label text, click the Manual Edit button ( ).

• To retrieve the label text from the spreadsheet or query result data, click the arrow

next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet

) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows

a query ).

For the List Builder component, you can also specify labels for the Add Button, Remove Button, and Update Button.

Note:

The Manual Edit button ( ) does not apply to the Icon component.

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Value Labels

Display Data

DescriptionOption

Ticker component only

The value labels display the values associated with each label. Click the Cell Selector

button ( ) to select the value labels from the embedded spreadsheet.

Sets the labels that identify selector elements. Do one of the following:

•

To type the label text, click the Manual Edit button ( ).

• To retrieve the label text from the spreadsheet or query result data, click the arrow

next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet

) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows

a query ).

Spreadsheet Table and List View components only

The range of data that appears in the component. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the

embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a spreadsheet ) or Query

Display Options: Number of Filters

Display Value

Images

Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind button shows a query ).

Filter component only

Specifies the number of drop-down selectors available for setting filters.

Icon component only

The selected value is displayed in a tooltip when the user moves the mouse pointer

over the component. Type a value or click the Cell Selector button ( ) to select the label text from the embedded spreadsheet.

Note:

The value must be numeric. If a non-numeric value is entered, a zero is displayed.

Fisheye Picture Menu and Sliding Picture Menu components only

Set the image files used in the component. Select one of the following:

• Embedded - stores a copy of the image files in the model. Click Import to select

the file to embed.

Note:

The order that images appear in the menu is determined by the order they are imported. Import the images in the order you want them to appear in the menu.

• By URL - references the specified URL to load the image files. Type the URL or

click the Cell Selector button ( ) to link to a cell in the spreadsheet.

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Working with Components

Data Insertion

DescriptionOption

All

The settings in this section define the type of data the selector controls, as well as the source and destination locations. When a selection is made, data is copied from the source location to the destination location. If the data in the source location changes after a selection is made, the data in the destination location is not automatically updated.

Note:

For the Scorecard component, the Rows are Selectable option must be selected on the Behavior view to allow users to select rows to insert. If that option is not selected, users cannot interact with the Scorecard.

Some selector components can be configured to insert multiple data items with a single selection. For more information about multiple insertions, see Configuring

selectors for multiple insertions.

Note:

The Ticker component can be set up as a display or selector component. To set it as a selector component, select the Data Insertion checkbox and set the options.

Insertion type

Source Data

All

Specifies the structure of the data that is inserted when a selection is made. Select one of the following options: Position, Label, Value, Row, Column, Filtered Rows, or Status Lists.

For a description of each Insertion Type, see Understanding insertion types .

All

Specifies the location of the source data for selections. Click the Cell Selector button

( ) to select the range in the spreadsheet.

For Check Box, Icon, and Toggle Button components, click the Manual Edit button

( ) to manually enter values.

Note:

If the Insertion Type is set to Position, Label, or Status List, source data cells are not available.

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Destination

Clear Destination When No Selected Item

DescriptionOption

All

Specifies the location in the spreadsheet where the source data will be inserted. Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows a

spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the Bind

button shows a query ).

Note:

The required size of the destination range varies according to the structure selected in Insertion Type. For structures that use columns or rows of data, be sure to select a range that is large enough to contain your largest column or row of data.

All except Play Selector, Push Button, Toggle Button, and Icon components

If a selector is in a "no selection" state, when this option is selected, any existing data in the destination location is deleted. If this option is not selected, the data remains in the destination location until another selection is made.

Insert On

Orientation

Related Topics

• To set up selectors

• Selector behavior properties

• Selector appearance properties

• Selector alerts properties

3.2.3.2.1 Configuring selectors for multiple insertions

The following selectors can be configured to retrieve source data from multiple locations and insert the data into multiple destination locations with a single selection:

• Spreadsheet Table

• Ticker

• Scorecard

• Radio button

• List Builder

• List Box

• Label Based Menu

• Sliding Picture menu

• Fisheye Picture menu

• Combo box

• Play Selector

When you set up a selector for multiple insertions, you specify the source and destination for each chunk of data the same way you would set up the data source and destination for a single insertion. For each chunk, you can define the insertion type (row, column, label, position, status).

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Note:

The insertion type, Filtered Rows, is not supported when a selector is configured for multiple insertions.

To set up multiple insertion behavior

Select the component and open the "Properties" panel.

On the General view, under "Data Insertion", click the Plus button ( ) to add the number of data items you want to insert with each selection.

In the list of insertion items, select the first item and set the following options:

DescriptionOption

Name

Insertion Type

Source Data

Destination

Enter a name for this data item

Select the insertion type for this data item.

For a description of each Insertion Type, see Understanding insertion types .

Note:

When multiple insertion is used, Filtered Rows is not available as an insertion type.

Click the Cell Selector button ( ) and select the source data location.

Note:

If the Insertion type is set to Label or Position, the source data is set as the selected item and this box is not available.

Click the arrow next to the Bind button beside the box and select Spreadsheet to bind the values to cells in the embedded spreadsheet (the Bind button shows

a spreadsheet ) or Query Data to bind the values to query results (the

Bind button shows a query ).

Note:

When a selection is made, if the source data location for a data item is empty, the destination location for that item will be blank.

Related Topics

• Using the Properties panel

3.2.3.3 Selector behavior properties

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Business objects DASHBOARD DESIGN 2010-11-05, PRESENTATION DESIGN 2010-11-05 INSTALLATION GUIDE

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Getting Started

Working in Dashboard Design and Presentation Design

• To set global font options

Working with Components

• Chart Insertion properties

• Chart Behavior properties

To configure chart scales

To configure range sliders

To configure a chart for variable amounts of data

To add a legend

To configure data labels

• To display the Run-time Tools menu on charts

• Container appearance properties

• To set up selectors

To set up multiple insertion behavior