ANLY482 AY2017-18 T2 Group15 Data Visualization Platforms

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DATA STRUCTURES

DATA VISUALISATION PLATFORMS

 

DATA VISUALIZATION PLATFORMS USED

Using the data which had been reformatted into Flat Table format, dashboards were created using three data visualization platforms - Excel Pivot Tables, Qlik Sense and Tableau. These platforms were chosen as they were suitable for the client's needs.

All charts presented in this wikipage have been created using randomised substitute data to protect our client's confidentiality.

EXCEL Microsoft Excel has been the most widely used data and spreadsheet modelling tool since its creation. Its interface and functions are familiar to most users including our client, hence it is one of our recommended dashboard tools.

QLIK Our second recommendation for a visualization tool is Qlik Sense. Qlik ranks as one of the top data visualization platforms and a choice solution for many large Multinational Corporations (MNCs), offering improved aesthetics and more user-friendly design processes than primitive visualization software.

TABLEAU Tableau is a popular beginner-friendly visualization software which is similar to Qlik but holds additional advantages for our client.

THE CURRENT DASHBOARD

Figure 3 is a snapshot of the client’s current dashboard for one of its main product brands, which was generated using their original data structure.

This dashboard is split into two graph segments, namely the input graphs and the output graphs. The two input graphs on the left are of pre-sales data and include the distribution of brands across the various distribution channels, and the prices of their products across those channels. The four output graphs on the right are of post-sales data and include the equity and imageries of the brand as provided by customers, the awareness, penetration and usage of the brand among customers, and the sales performance plotted against the sales volume.

This method of data visualization may not be ideal for several reasons.

1. As the data was neither in Relational nor Flat Table format, it is not possible to automatically load the files into visualization platforms requires the data to be input manually, which takes unnecessary time and effort.
2. The resulting visualizations are highly static and lack filter options, making it difficult for users to slice and dice, to view a specific segment of data – a function which is readily available in other visualization platforms.
3. Monthly addition of new data into the dashboard will be a time-consuming process due to the manual input method required.