Over the past 6 Months, analysts and developers here at Altek Solutions have been vigorously working on putting together specifications for a new component add-on that could be utilized by dashboard designers to provide a new data visualization for end users. It has been a long and hard road but we have finally have a product that can do exactly that. RangeFinder is the first component in a new line of SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard plugins that Altek Solutions will be creating and constantly updating moving forward.
What is RangeFinder?
RangeFinder is a component that allows the dashboard developer to easily visualize how a value compares to what is typical for a specific metric. RangeFinder is flexible by design, so it can be used to perform a variety of analyses across almost any type of data or industry. Some metrics that can easily be created using RangeFinder are:
- Inventory Analysis
- Call Center Scorecard
- Sales Projections and Analysis
- Manufacturing Production Analysis
- Distribution Analysis
Calculating the ‘Typical’ Range
Typical Range
RangeFinder incorporates a proprietary algorithm to calculate a ‘typical’ range for a population of data. A departure from the way most other SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard/Xcelsius components work, RangeFinder incorporates this logic directly into the plugin so you don’t need to create lengthy calculations in the Excel model to derive these metrics.
Excel Data
Customizing the Component
ToolTip Customization
As SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard/Xcelsius developers ourselves, we know how important it is to have complete control over how your dashboard looks and feels. That’s why we built so much design flexibility into the RangeFinder Plugin.
Nearly every aspect of RangeFinder can be configured through either hardcoding values in the Properties sheet or through binding to a dynamic data cell. Here are some of the properties that can be changed:
- Fonts, sizes and colors
- Customize colors for background, typical range, target, indicator, border and trend
- Enable and disable text and visualizations
- Change the look and feel of tooltips
RangeFinder in Action!
Manufacturing Production Analysis
You can see some more examples of RangeFinder being utilized in the following dashboards on the RangeFinder product page (http://www.alteksolutions.com/software/plugins/rangefinder/examples.asp):
- Call Center Scorecard
- Sales Analysis Application
Getting RangeFinder
Not quite sure that RangeFinder can provide the analysis that is needed for your dashboard project? Try a fully functioning version free for 30 days by going to http://www.alteksolutions.com/software/plugins/rangefinder/trial.asp.
To purchase RangeFinder at a discount during the introductory offer phase that will expire on March 31, 2012, please go to http://www.alteksolutions.com/software/plugins/rangefinder/purchase.asp
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This post was written by:
Mike Allison - who has written 25 posts on the Altek Solutions Business Intelligence Blog.
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