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Crystal Reports:
Chart Selection
We have been asked if you could use a
parameter to select different chart types in your report. The simple
solution is to have a chart of each type in your report.
Insert a section for each chart (e.g.,
Group Header 1a, Group Header 1b, etc) and place each chart in a different
section.
Then, format each section to conditionally to suppress the charts
you don’t want to display according to the parameter value.
You can produce highly effective, extremely
useful charts using these chart tools:
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Important tip: When selecting a chart type, do so based on the
point you want to make rather than how pretty the chart looks. Each chart type
exists for a particular reason.
Be sure to give considerable thought to the sequence of your values in the chart.
Select a sequence that best displays the data.
Some factors to consider for best readability:
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Point of the chart. Ask why this chart exists, and make
decisions based on your answer.
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Information focus. What information does the user most need?
Least need? Decide what's important and leave out everything else. Lasers
are powerful because they focus. Do the same, so your charts are powerful.
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Color contrast. Because your information is focused, you
don't need a large pallet of colors because there aren't many things to
color. Aid the eye by using contrasting colors.
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Font size. Don't reduce the font as a way of cramming more
onto the graphic. Instead, write less. Use short tags and labels, rather
than long ones.
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Amount of information (lean toward "less is more"). The key
points will get lost of there's too much information.
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Chart type. Use the chart type that best conveys your
central message or best permits a clear portrayal of the data. Most people
go straight to the pie chart, even though that's seldom the best chart type.
Don't forget some other basics, as well. Your
charts will be only as accurate as their underlying data. You must relentlessly
work on the quality of your data. That task may seem endless and even thankless,
but it's the best way to ensure that both you and your charts stay relevant to
your company.
The four general categories (layouts) of graphs are:
- Advanced. You plot X and Y values. You can specify summary fields,
perform TopN/Sort analysis, and control information grouping in the
display. You used advanced graphs with formulas, but you do not need
to insert a group or summary field into your report to use one.
- Group. This is likely the most commonly used form of graph. You use
this where there is a group inserted into your report and you have a
summary field (e.g., sum, average) based on that group. Such a graph
can appear once, or it can appear on the group level with a separate
graph for each group. You can use it to create a drill-down effect,
where you start with a graph of the highest data level (e.g., gross
sales) and then keep showing subsequently deeper levels of data (e.g.,
sales by region, sales by account, sales by product). A group graph,
unlike an advanced graph, requires a group or summary field.
- Cross-tab graphs. This is similar to a group graph, but you use a
cross-tab for the data source, instead.
- OLAP grid graphs. This is similar to a group graph, but you use OLAP
grids for the data source, instead.
You can create graphs in the various formats (most of them in both 2D
and 3D): bar, line, area, pie, doughnut,riser and surface, XY scatter,
radar, bubble, and stock. As with Excel, you may need to change the sort
order or XY fields for the graph to clearly convey the information.
This article is copyrighted by
Crystalkeen, Mindconnection, and Chelsea Technologies Ltd. It may be
freely copied and distributed as long as the original copyright is
displayed and no modifications are made to this material. Extracts are
permitted. The names Crystal Reports and Seagate Info are trademarks owned
by Business Objects.
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