SQL Track: Get more out of your data visualizations

Get More Out Of Your

Data VisualizationsKoen Verbeeck

WHO AM I?

AGENDA

• guidelines on data visualization

• showing off with SSRS

AGENDA

• guidelines on data visualization


GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION

• what’s the story you want to tell?

• choose the correct chart type

• use visual perception wisely

• reduce data/ink ratio



x y

10 8,04

8 6,95

13 7,58

9 8,81

11 8,33

14 9,96

6 7,24

4 4,26

12 10,84

7 4,82

5 5,68


• different kind of stories

– explanatory: (static) reports / dashboards

• strategic – high level overview

• operational – detail level

– analytical: pivot tables / interactive

visualizations

– exhibition: usually pretty visualizations


• example: strategic dashboard

Information Dashboard Design p. 177 – Stephen Few


• example: operational dashboard



• example: analytical dashboard



• example: exhibition

http://www.biodiaspora.com http://seekshreyas.com/beerviz/



– comparing categories

– bar/column chart, dot plot, Gantt, histogram, …



– showing changes over time

– line chart, sparklines, area chart, candlestick chart, barcode chart…

DEMOCREATE SPARKLINES AND DATA

BARS IN EXCEL



– hierarchies and part-to-whole relationships

– pie chart, waffle chart, stacked bars, tree map, …


• careful with pie charts!

DEMOCREATE A DECENT PIE CHART IN

SSRS



– plotting connections and relationships

– Scatter plot, bubble plot, heat map, network diagram



– plotting geo-spatial data


• remember: correlation does not imply

causation


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• 138924567897132165498713218945642315156032

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– not all can be used quantitatively

length width orientation shape enclosure

size hue intensity 2D position



– an example

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FrancePopulationDensity1968.png

http://www.theusrus.de/blog/the-good-the-bad-22012/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FrancePopulationDensity1968.png

http://www.theusrus.de/blog/the-good-the-bad-22012/


• Gestalt principles

– principle of proximity



– principle of similarity



– principle of enclosure



– principle of closure/continuity



– remove non-data pixels

• no 3D effects. EVER. No seriously, don’t.

• no backgrounds, shadows or gradients

• remove grid lines, decoration, borders, fill colors



– reduce unnecessary data pixels

• display only what is really needed to tell your story



– highlight most import pixels



– KPIs

DEMOCREATE BULLET GRAPH IN SSRS


• don’t forget the 10%







• resources

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=show me the numbers&sprefix=show+me+,stripbooks&rh=i:stripbooks,k:show me the numbers

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=show me the numbers&sprefix=show+me+,stripbooks&rh=i:stripbooks,k:show me the numbers

AGENDA

• guidelines on Data Visualization


SHOWING OFF WITH SSRS

• to watch: Dataviz you thought you could

not do with SSRS by Jason Thomas

• 24 hours of PASS business analytics edition

• http://www.sqlpass.org/bac/2014/Sessions/

SneakPeeks/Details.aspx?sid=5907

SHOWING OFF WITH SSRS

DEMOSHOW SOME FUN STUFF IN SSRS

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SQL Track: Get more out of your data visualizations

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SQL Track: Get more out of your data visualizations