Showing posts with label Graph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graph. Show all posts

Business Reporting: Chart and Graph


Learn about business reporting







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business reporting, pie graph, chart and graph







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Business reporting is not always easy. Too often we can get swamped down in paper work and long, exhaustive reports that offer entirely too much information. Your business reporting does not have to end up like that. If you find yourself caught in this trap of creating long boring reports that nobody wants to read then perhaps it is time you find a new way to present your findings.

Have you ever heard of a business intelligence tool? Chances are you haven’t and that is okay. I will explain exactly what a business intelligence tool is. Quite honestly, it is pretty simple. A business intelligence tool is a tool that allows you to present information in an intelligent and meaningful manner.

One such business intelligence tool that allows you to do this is known as a dashboard. A dashboard is simply a means of displaying information. There are a variety of different kinds of business dashboards that you can use to display the information compiled in your reports. The dashboard facilitates this process by making it extremely easy to convert information into charts and graphs.

When you display information in charts and graphs it is easier to understand and interpret the data. In turn this makes the business reporting process that much easier and meaningful. You can offer the information you have researched to your boss in a much more efficient manner than a 50 page report. We all know your boss isn’t really interested in reading that long boring report so why should you waste your time preparing it? The answer is you should not waste all that time writing a report. Rather, you should spend your time analyzing the numbers and preparing a short presentation using charts and graphs like a pie graph to present your findings on business aspects like the latest changes in market share. Certainly, your boss would much rather take a look at a pie graph and visually see how your market share has grown while the competition’s piece of the pie has shrunk.

Through a dashboard, making better use of a chart and graph is entirely possible. You can use a pie graph to display other vital information. For instance you might rely on a pie graph to show how the percentage costs of various components of your product compares. Such a pie graph could assist you in easily identifying the component costs that are out of line with the all the others. With this knowledge in hand you can then make the appropriate recommendation to your boss. He will appreciate the visual representation of the component costs displayed by the pie graph, and will be more likely to respond to your recommendations.

In this manner the business reporting process can be simplified and improved, through the efficient use of a great business intelligence tool such as a management dashboard. The incorporation of the visual aspect into your brief report, like charts and graphs, will prove more valuable and useful to your boss. So next time you have to prepare a report, think outside the box and impress your boss by taking advantage of informative charts and pie graphs to support your recommendations.

Create A Graph - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Numbers


You have all kinds of data. What does it mean? Graphs will give you the answer. By visualizing your data with graphs, you will make the meaning of the data understandable.







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create a graph, make a line graph, make a pie graph, make a bar graph, graph examples, making a graph







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Copyright 2006 Stellar Force

You have data! The problem is to pull meaning out of it. The data has no value if you can't understand it.

The solution is to visualize that data. One of the simplest ways to do just that is with graphs. Graphs have a way of letting you see the big picture that is hidden within the mass of numbers.

Types Of Graphs

There are several types of graphs. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The following list shows the more common graphs with their pros and cons:

Pros Cons

Line Graphs - Great for seeing trends and seasonality in data. - Not good with small amounts of data.

Pie Graphs - Good for showing the percentage of the whole. - One trick pony! No other uses.

Bar Graphs - Better with small amounts of data. - Not good with large amounts of data.

Uses For Graphs

Graphs have an amazingly wide number of uses. Some of these are listed below:

Show trend over time.

Illustrates data seasonality.

A visual indicator of volatility.

A predictor of future results.

What portion each part is of the whole.

A means of making comparisons between multiple sets of data.

Shows when a preset standard is being met.

Provides a starting point for regression analysis.

Initial analysis for curve fitting.

Helps visualize the relationship between two or more variables.

Simplifies reporting.

Identifies opportunities.

The Language Of Graphs

Graphs have a set of vocabulary that is necessary to know to fully understand their meaning. Most of the terms used come right outof your algebra textbook. If you know algebra, then you probably already know theses terms. If you don't know algebra then you needto learn these terms and their definitions.

X - It is common practice to call the horizontal x values.

Y - The vertical values are referred to as the y values.

X-axis - Separates the y positive values from the y negative values.

Y-axis - This is the vertical line which separates the x positive values from the x negative values.

Slope - This is simply the slant of the graph. A positive value says the graph is rising. A negative value says the graph is falling.

Variables - These are the two part values consisting of a dependent variable and an independent variable. An example might be a graph of monthly expenses. The x variable is the month and the y variable is the expense. A data point might be February for $3000. When March comes along, the value might be $2500.

How To Create A Graph

It used to be necessary to have graph paper to create a graph. Now we have computers. Spreadsheets, specifically Excel, are often used to create computer graphs. Online resources are available to create your graph and even print it on your own printer. These resources are shown below.

Summary

When you create a graph you have made your data visual. When it is visual, it is much more comprehensible to the human mind. You have transformed your data into something that communicates meaning more clearly.