With data you can tell important and compelling stories, if done right. In this session, we will review a few guidelines on how to create communicative visualizations and how this can be implemented in Excel and Reporting Services. Because SSRS is often underestimated, we'll finish off with some eye-catchers.

1. Get More Out Of Your
Data Visualizations
Koen Verbeeck

2. WHO AM I?

3. AGENDA
• guidelines on data visualization
• showing off with SSRS

4. AGENDA
• guidelines on data visualization
• showing off with SSRS

5. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• what’s the story you want to tell?
• choose the correct chart type
• use visual perception wisely
• reduce data/ink ratio

6. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• what’s the story you want to tell?
x y
10 8,04
8 6,95
13 7,58
9 8,81
11 8,33
14 9,96
6 7,24
4 4,26
12 10,84
7 4,82
5 5,68

7. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• different kind of stories
– explanatory: (static) reports / dashboards
• strategic – high level overview
• operational – detail level
– analytical: pivot tables / interactive
visualizations
– exhibition: usually pretty visualizations

8. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• example: strategic dashboard
Information Dashboard Design p. 177 – Stephen Few

9. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• example: operational dashboard
Information Dashboard Design p. 199 – Stephen Few

10. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• example: analytical dashboard
Information Dashboard Design p. 201 – Stephen Few

11. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• example: exhibition
http://www.biodiaspora.com http://seekshreyas.com/beerviz/

12. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• choose the correct chart type
– comparing categories
– bar/column chart, dot plot, Gantt, histogram,
…

13. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• choose the correct chart type
– showing changes over time
– line chart, sparklines, area chart, candlestick
chart, barcode chart…

14. DEMOCREATE SPARKLINES AND DATA
BARS IN EXCEL

15. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• choose the correct chart type
– hierarchies and part-to-whole relationships
– pie chart, waffle chart, stacked bars, tree map,
…

16. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• careful with pie charts!

17. DEMOCREATE A DECENT PIE CHART IN
SSRS

18. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• choose the correct chart type
– plotting connections and relationships
– Scatter plot, bubble plot, heat map, network
diagram

19. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• choose the correct chart type
– plotting geo-spatial data

20. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• remember: correlation does not imply
causation

21. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• use visual perception wisely
• 138924567897132165498713218945642315156032
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• 138924567897132165498713218945642315156032
165425648745000512173654502345435102154545
4987840579218600479333470

22. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• use visual perception wisely
– not all can be used quantitatively
length width orientation shape enclosure
size hue intensity 2D position

23. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• use visual perception wisely
– an example
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FrancePopulationDe
nsity1968.png
http://www.theusrus.de/blog/the-good-the-bad-
22012/

24. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• Gestalt principles
– principle of proximity

25. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• Gestalt principles
– principle of similarity

26. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• Gestalt principles
– principle of enclosure

27. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• Gestalt principles
– principle of closure/continuity

28. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• reduce data/ink ratio
– remove non-data pixels
• no 3D effects. EVER. No seriously, don’t.
• no backgrounds, shadows or gradients
• remove grid lines, decoration, borders, fill colors

29. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• reduce data/ink ratio
– reduce unnecessary data pixels
• display only what is really needed to tell your story

30. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• reduce data/ink ratio
– highlight most import pixels

31. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• reduce data/ink ratio
– KPIs

32. DEMOCREATE BULLET GRAPH IN SSRS

33. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• don’t forget the 10%

34. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• what’s the story you want to tell?
• choose the correct chart type
• use visual perception wisely
• reduce data/ink ratio

35. GUIDELINES ON DATA VISUALIZATION
• resources

36. AGENDA
• guidelines on Data Visualization
• showing off with SSRS

37. SHOWING OFF WITH SSRS
• to watch: Dataviz you thought you could
not do with SSRS by Jason Thomas
• 24 hours of PASS business analytics edition
• http://www.sqlpass.org/bac/2014/Sessions/
SneakPeeks/Details.aspx?sid=5907

38. SHOWING OFF WITH SSRS

39. DEMOSHOW SOME FUN STUFF IN SSRS

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42. THANKS FOR LISTENING

43. Belgium’s biggest IT PRO Conference