Glossary Terms and Definitions

Band

A horizontal area in the Layout tab of Designer used to position report elements. The four main bands are Title, Header, Detail and Summary. The following report elements can be positioned on a band: column, label, image, button, rectangle, subreport.

Bar Chart

A chart that displays series values as sets of horizontal bars grouped by categories. It requires at least one category and one series. Bar charts are useful for comparing two or more values.

Bookmark

Saves filter settings, column and view selections, added and removed columns, and the report layout changes of a dashboard for future retrieval.

Bubble Chart

A chart that displays series values as a set of bubbles. It is similar to a scatter plot, with the addition that a third series supplies the size of the bubbles. It requires at least one category and three series (x and y coordinates and size).

Bucketed Measure

A defined range of values used to group the values.  Normally, attributes are values that are provided directly in the source data. Attributes in general can be used to group metrics. Sometimes, however, it is useful to define groups based on metrics. Bucketed measures allow you to take a given metric and define ranges of values or buckets. These buckets can then be used like any other attribute to group other metrics.

Canvas

The blank area, or work area, on the right side of a Designer or Visualizer page. This is where you design your reports.

Categories

The values on the domain axis of a chart.

Chart

A graphic representation of your data. A chart can usually be read more quickly than the tabular data that it is based upon.

Chart Layer

A single chart that can be combined with other charts. Each type of chart exits in a layer. For example, you can combine a column chart with a line chart.

Column

A data source is a table with columns and rows. Each column in a row contains a data value.

Column Chart

A column chart displays series values as sets of vertical columns grouped by categories. It requires at least one category and one series. Column charts are useful for comparing two or more values.

Dashboard

Displays pre-defined reports in one or more dashlets. A dashboard page usually contains one or more charts and tables focused on a number of metrics of interest (KPIs) and tailored to the needs of a user group.

Dashlet

A container for a single report or prompt with optional controls for modifying the report and exporting its content. Dashlets exist inside of dashboards.

Data Source

Contains data arranged in columns and rows. Insights can be linked to one or more data sources using key column relationships.

Dimension

A natural grouping of data. Dimensions and hierarchies are closely related. Data elements in a dimension are usually grouped onto separate levels in a corresponding hierarchy.

Domain Axis

The horizontal axis or x-axis in a chart.

Expression

Used to define custom measures and calculations based on one or more base measures, to specify the condition that drives a conditional format rule, and to define a query that returns choices for a dashboard prompt.

Filter

Restricts the result set in a report. Only records that satisfy the filter conditions are used. Filter conditions can be defined on any of the chosen columns in a report. For example, you could filter data based on region or year.

Flex Grid (Table Display)

An alternative table display. Can only be applied to reports that have not be had layout changes applied (via the Layout tab or pivot table control).

Funnel Chart

A chart that displays series values as horizontal bars formed as a funnel grouped by categories. It requires at least one category and one series.

Geo Map

A chart that provides visualization of geographic related data.

Group Bands

Used to group values in a report so that the report is more comprehensive. For example, you can use group bands to groups products into categories without rewriting the category name for each product.

Heat Map

A chart that displays series values in a matrix of two categories. It is a graphical representation of data where the values taken by a measure in a two-dimensional map are represented as gradations of a color. Large values are represented by darker shades. This chart type requires at least two categories and one series.

Hierarchy

Defines the levels of analysis and aggregation along a dimension. A hierarchy is usually defined by multiple levels and the columns that belong to each level. A defined hierarchy allows you to drill from higher levels into lower levels of detail.

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Key

A column or set of columns that uniquely identifies a record in a data source.

Line Chart

A chart that displays series values as a set of markers connected by a line with category labels. It requires at least one category and one series. A line chart is most useful to represent measures that change over a period of time.

Measure

A column in a data source that contains measurement values, and is also sometimes referred to as a fact. It typically measures a quantity or provides a count.

Meter Chart

A chart that displays a single value in the form of a needle on a dial. It is most useful on an executive dashboard to track a key performance metric against defined thresholds. It requires at least one category and one series.

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Pie Chart

A chart that displays series values as percentage slices of a pie. It requires at least one category and one series. Pie charts are most effective if the intent is to compare the size of one slice to the whole pie rather than comparing the slices to each other.

Pivot Table

A pivot table allows you to examine data from a different perspective and more easily identify interesting facts. Standard tables are flat, meaning that the table consists of only columns and rows. A pivot table can help you quickly summarize the flat data, giving it more depth.

Prompt

Another word for filter.

Pyramid Chart

A chart that displays series values as horizontal bars formed as a pyramid grouped by categories. It requires at least one category and one series.

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Range Axis

The vertical axis or y-axis in a chart.

Report

A combination of tables and charts. A report can contain sub-reports, images and labels. Any report can be saved and published to a dashboard.

Row

A single data record that usually contains several columns. A table is made up of columns and rows.

Scatter Plot

A chart that displays series as a set of points specified by x and y coordinates. A scatter plot is useful for showing nonlinear relationships between variables. It requires at least one category and two series (representing the x and y coordinates).

Series

The value reported in the chart on the range axis.

Special Character

Non-alphanumeric value, space, hyphen, and underscore characters.

Stacked Area Chart

A chart that displays all series stacked in a single area for each category. It requires at least one category and one series.

Stacked Bar Chart

A chart that displays all series stacked in a single horizontal bar for each category. It requires at least one category and more than one series.

Stacked Column

A chart that displays all series stacked in a single vertical column for each category. It requires at least one category and one series.

Subject Area

The area in Visualizer that provides access to all of the attributes and measures in your data sources. Used to build reports.

Table

Contains one or more columns and rows.

Time Attributes

A set of commonly used time attributes added to the subject area. Time attributes are used like any other attribute in the subject area.

Tree Map

A way of organizing a hierarchy that branches to sub-nodes.

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