Business Intelligence Through Data Visualization

Transform raw business data into actionable insights with Elementum’s comprehensive analytics capabilities. Create interactive charts, build performance dashboards, and monitor key metrics in real-time to drive data-informed decision making across your organization. Core Analytics Features:
  • Interactive Charts - Seven chart types for comprehensive data visualization
  • Real-Time Dashboards - Live data updates as your business changes
  • Custom Aggregations - Count, sum, average, and advanced calculations
  • Time-Series Analysis - Track trends and patterns over time
  • Cross-Data Source - Combine data from Apps, Elements, Tasks, and CloudLinks

Chart Types and Business Applications

Bar Charts

Compare categories and analyze distributions across different business segments. Business Applications:
  • Sales performance by region or product line
  • Employee productivity metrics by department
  • Customer acquisition by marketing channel
  • Revenue analysis by time period

Line Charts

Track trends and changes over time to identify patterns and forecast future performance. Business Applications:
  • Monthly recurring revenue growth
  • Customer satisfaction scores over time
  • Support ticket volume trends
  • Project completion rates by quarter

Pie and Donut Charts

Visualize parts of a whole to understand proportional relationships in your data. Business Applications:
  • Market share breakdown by product
  • Budget allocation across departments
  • Customer distribution by geographic region
  • Resource utilization by project type

Single Bar and Single Line

Highlight individual metrics or simplified trend analysis for focused insights. Business Applications:
  • Current month revenue vs. target
  • Team performance against goals
  • Single KPI tracking for executive dashboards
  • Progress indicators for strategic initiatives

Single Value

Display critical metrics as standalone indicators with contextual information. Business Applications:
  • Total active customers
  • Current month revenue
  • Support ticket response time
  • System uptime percentage

Creating and Configuring Charts

Chart Creation Process

  1. Navigate to Target View - Access your table or dashboard where you want to add analytics
  2. Select Chart Type - Choose from the seven available chart types based on your data story
  3. Configure Data Source - Select fields and metrics from your connected data
  4. Set Aggregation Method - Choose how to process your data (count, sum, average, etc.)
  5. Apply Filters - Focus on specific data subsets for targeted analysis
  6. Customize Display - Add titles, adjust colors, and configure legends

Data Aggregation Options

Count Operations:
  • Record count for volume analysis
  • Unique value counting for diversity metrics
  • Conditional counting based on field values
Mathematical Operations:
  • Sum for total calculations (revenue, quantities, hours)
  • Average for performance metrics and rates
  • Minimum/Maximum for range analysis
Advanced Aggregations:
  • Include other values as single aggregated group
  • Percentage calculations for proportional analysis
  • Custom calculations using field combinations
For complex calculations beyond basic aggregations, use the Calculations feature to create custom formulas before charting. See Calculations Reference for advanced mathematical operations.

Time-Based Analytics Configuration

Time Interval Selection:
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly intervals
  • Custom date ranges for specific analysis periods
  • Rolling windows for trend analysis
Date Grouping Options:
  • Group by specific time units (day of week, month, quarter)
  • Compare time periods (current vs. previous month)
  • Seasonal analysis with year-over-year comparisons
Time Range Management:
  • Select specific date ranges for focused analysis
  • Set relative time periods (last 30 days, this quarter)
  • Create dynamic ranges that update automatically

Dashboard Integration

Widget Management

Charts integrate seamlessly with Elementum dashboards through dedicated widgets: Chart Widgets:
  • Embed any chart type directly into dashboard layouts
  • Configure widget sizing and positioning
  • Set refresh intervals for real-time updates
Metric Cards:
  • Display single values with contextual information
  • Show trend indicators (up/down arrows with percentages)
  • Apply color coding based on performance thresholds
Summary Views:
  • Combine multiple related metrics in unified displays
  • Create executive summary cards for high-level insights
  • Build department-specific overview widgets

Real-Time Data Updates

Analytics automatically refresh as underlying data changes:
  • Live Data Sync - Charts update when source data changes
  • Scheduled Refresh - Configure automatic update intervals
  • Manual Refresh - Force updates when needed for immediate insights
  • Change Indicators - Visual cues when data has been updated

Advanced Analytics Features

Filtering and Segmentation

Dynamic Filtering:
  • Apply filters to focus on specific data subsets
  • Use saved filters for consistent analysis approaches
  • Create filter combinations using AND/OR logic
Data Segmentation:
  • Segment by categories, status, or custom field values
  • Compare performance across different segments
  • Create cohort analysis for customer behavior
Conditional Display:
  • Show/hide chart elements based on data values
  • Apply conditional formatting for threshold alerts
  • Create dynamic legends based on data presence

Interactive Elements

User Interactions:
  • Click chart elements to drill down into detailed data
  • Hover for additional context and exact values
  • Zoom functionality for time-series analysis
Export Capabilities:
  • Export charts as images for presentations
  • Download underlying data for external analysis
  • Share chart configurations with team members

Customization Options

Visual Styling:
  • Custom chart titles and descriptions
  • Color scheme configuration for brand consistency
  • Legend positioning and formatting options
  • Axis label customization and number formatting
Layout Controls:
  • Chart sizing and positioning within dashboards
  • Responsive design for mobile viewing
  • Grid layouts for organized dashboard displays

Business Use Cases

Sales Performance Analysis

Revenue Tracking:
Chart Type: Line Chart
Data Source: Sales Records
Aggregation: Sum of Deal Value
Time Interval: Monthly
Filters: Status = "Closed Won"
Result: Monthly revenue trend analysis
Sales Pipeline Health:
Chart Type: Donut Chart
Data Source: Opportunities
Aggregation: Count of Records
Grouping: By Stage
Result: Distribution of deals across pipeline stages

Customer Success Monitoring

Customer Satisfaction Trends:
Chart Type: Line Chart
Data Source: Support Surveys
Aggregation: Average of Rating
Time Interval: Weekly
Result: Customer satisfaction score trends
Support Ticket Analysis:
Chart Type: Bar Chart
Data Source: Support Tickets
Aggregation: Count of Tickets
Grouping: By Priority Level
Result: Support volume by priority distribution

Operations Dashboard

Team Performance:
Chart Type: Single Value
Data Source: Task Records
Aggregation: Average of Completion Time
Filters: Assigned Team = "Engineering"
Result: Average task completion time for engineering team
Resource Utilization:
Chart Type: Pie Chart
Data Source: Project Assignments
Aggregation: Sum of Hours Allocated
Grouping: By Project Type
Result: Resource allocation across project types

Financial Reporting

Budget vs. Actual Analysis:
Chart Type: Bar Chart
Data Source: Financial Records
Aggregation: Sum of Amount
Grouping: Budget vs. Actual
Result: Comparison of planned vs. actual spending
Cost Center Performance:
Chart Type: Single Bar
Data Source: Expense Records
Aggregation: Sum of Amount
Grouping: By Department
Result: Spending comparison across departments

Performance Optimization

Chart Performance Best Practices

Data Volume Management:
  • Limit chart data to essential time periods
  • Use aggregation to reduce individual data points
  • Apply filters to focus on relevant data subsets
  • Consider pagination for large datasets
Refresh Strategy:
  • Set appropriate refresh intervals based on data volatility
  • Use manual refresh for infrequently accessed charts
  • Batch multiple chart updates for efficiency
  • Monitor dashboard load times with multiple charts
Query Optimization:
  • Use indexed fields for grouping and filtering
  • Avoid complex calculations in chart queries
  • Pre-calculate values using the Calculations feature
  • Optimize data source queries for better performance
Charts with excessive data points or complex aggregations can impact dashboard performance. For optimal user experience, limit individual charts to essential data and use summary views for comprehensive analysis.

Integration with Elementum Features

Data Source Integration

Tables Integration:
  • Convert table data into visual insights
  • Apply existing table filters to chart data
  • Use table calculations as chart inputs
  • Sync chart updates with table changes
Automation Integration:
  • Trigger automation based on chart thresholds
  • Generate reports automatically when metrics change
  • Send alerts when chart values exceed limits
  • Create automated dashboard updates

Workflow Integration

Approval Processes:
  • Track approval metrics and bottlenecks
  • Monitor approval times and success rates
  • Analyze approval patterns by type or department
  • Create approval performance dashboards
Data Mining:
  • Visualize discovered patterns and relationships
  • Chart data quality metrics over time
  • Monitor data mining process performance
  • Display data source health indicators

Advanced Implementation Patterns

Multi-Chart Dashboards

Executive Dashboard Pattern:
Layout: 2x2 Grid
Top Row: Revenue (Single Value) + Growth Rate (Single Value)
Bottom Row: Sales Pipeline (Donut) + Monthly Trends (Line)
Purpose: High-level business performance overview
Department Dashboard Pattern:
Layout: Vertical Stack
Header: Department Performance Score (Single Value)
Middle: Team Metrics (Bar Chart) + Trend Analysis (Line Chart)
Footer: Resource Allocation (Pie Chart)
Purpose: Detailed department performance analysis

Comparative Analysis

Time Period Comparison:
  • Year-over-year performance analysis
  • Quarter-over-quarter growth tracking
  • Month-over-month trend identification
  • Custom period comparisons
Segmentation Analysis:
  • Performance by customer segment
  • Regional comparison analysis
  • Product line performance comparison
  • Team or department benchmarking

Predictive Analytics Foundation

Trend Analysis:
  • Identify seasonal patterns in your data
  • Track moving averages for stability
  • Monitor growth rates and acceleration
  • Establish baseline performance metrics
Threshold Monitoring:
  • Set up visual indicators for performance thresholds
  • Create color-coded alerts for metric ranges
  • Monitor SLA compliance through visual indicators
  • Track progress toward goals and targets

Best Practices for Business Intelligence

Chart Design Principles

Clarity and Focus:
  • Use descriptive chart titles that explain the business insight
  • Choose chart types that best represent your data story
  • Limit colors to essential categories (3-5 maximum)
  • Include units and context for all numeric displays
Business Context:
  • Always include relevant time periods in chart titles
  • Provide context for what constitutes good vs. poor performance
  • Use business terminology that stakeholders understand
  • Include brief descriptions for complex metrics

Dashboard Organization

Logical Flow:
  • Arrange charts to tell a coherent business story
  • Place most important metrics prominently
  • Group related metrics in dashboard sections
  • Use consistent styling across related charts
Stakeholder Alignment:
  • Design different dashboard views for different roles
  • Include metrics that drive business decisions
  • Balance detail with high-level overview information
  • Ensure mobile accessibility for on-the-go insights

Data Governance

Metric Definitions:
  • Document clearly what each metric represents
  • Maintain consistent calculations across charts
  • Establish data quality standards for analytics
  • Regular review and validation of metric accuracy
Access Control:
  • Configure appropriate permissions for sensitive data
  • Create role-based dashboard access
  • Monitor analytics usage and engagement
  • Provide training for effective analytics utilization
Transform your business data into actionable insights with Elementum Analytics. Start with simple charts and progress to comprehensive dashboards that drive data-informed decision making across your organization.