Using the Data Wizard in Reporting Software -

The data wizard contains 'sections' - an important feature in InetSoft's reporting software that allows users to sort multidimensional information at the push of a button. View the example below to learn more about the Style Intelligence solution.

A section is a very useful element in report design. A section consists of bands. Each band is a container that holds fixed position elements. In the simplest case, a section can display the same data as a table but give you control over the position and size of each cell. An advanced user may create a section that contains tables and charts to create a master-detail or subreport.

A crosstab wizard (pivot table) is a very useful way to summarize information in a tabular format. Records can be grouped vertically and horizontally, creating a grid of data.

To create a section or a crosstab table, follow the steps below:

1. Choose ‘Crosstab Wizard’. In Step 1, select ‘Order details’ within ‘Orders’. Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

2. In Step 2, select ‘Company’ as a row header. Note that you can also derive new columns from existing columns.

3. In Step 3, select ‘Product’ as a column header.

4. In Step 4, select ‘Total’ as the Summary column and select ‘Sum’ as the aggregation function.

5. In Step 5, add a condition for “Discount is greater than 0,” and click ‘Append’ to insert the condition.

6. In Step 6, choose ‘Subtle1’ as the Table Style.

7. Click ‘Finish’.

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InetSoft Viewpoint

Visualization refers to the visual representation and exploration of large data sets where graphical views of the data can lead to the observation of trends or aberrations in the data. Common office applications such as Microsoft Excel serve a purpose of self-service analysis and charting of data, particularly when the datasets of interest and the questions asked of them are well understood. Visual analysis, on the other hand, lends itself to data exploration, finding answers to unanticipated questions, discovering patterns in data, and suggesting areas for further statistical analysis. Furthermore, visualization enables multi-dimensional analysis that reveals hidden relationships among multiple variables.

Sophisticated visual analysis software can be out of reach for some users, or can be overly complicated for business users who are not statisticians or analysts. Visualize Free has been designed for a person of average analytic skills to use with an easy data import step, a drag and drop visualization designer, and a simple point-and-click interface to filter and sort as they explore his/her data. Users have the option to keep their data and visualizations private, or share them with colleagues.

“Visualization software is the perfect tool for sifting through multi-dimensional data to spot trends and outliers or slice and dice data with simple point-and-click methods,” pointed out Mark Flaherty, Vice President of Marketing at InetSoft. “If you are looking for a way to visually explore and present data that standard office charting software cannot handle, Visualize Free is a great option. It’s also a good way for people to evaluate some of the capabilities of InetSoft’s commercial business intelligence software, before requiring the involvement of technical resources.”

Read the top 10 reasons for selecting InetSoft as your BI partner.

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