Building a scorecard

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1. Overview

This walkthrough shows you how to use scorecards in Dundas BI to create a customized table, with complete control over layout and support for any visualization in its rows. This example displays a row for each product with a different visualization used for each measure.

A scorecard in Dundas BI is another type of view and is similar to a report. While both scorecards and reports allow you to customize the layout and contents of each row and repeat the design for different data, reports are laid out into pages including page headers and footers and are ideal for PDFs or printing, while scorecards are focused on the design of a table.

You can view a scorecard by itself or add it to a dashboard just like you would display a table visualization.

Tip
Table visualization columns can display data bars, bullet graphs and state indicators, and can be used instead of a scorecard view if it supports the type of scorecard you want to create.

Related video: Scorecards and Reports

2. Example preparation

This example uses a data connector pointing to the Adventure Works sample database for Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), but you can follow similar steps with any data source.

Data connector for Adventure Works OLAP cube
Data connector for Adventure Works OLAP cube

3. Designing the scorecard

3.1. Create a new scorecard

Go to the main menu, click New, and then click Scorecard.

Create a new scorecard from main menu
Create a new scorecard from main menu

The scorecard editor is displayed.

Scorecard editor
Scorecard editor

To change the width of the scorecard, click and drag the diagonal arrow icon to the bottom-right of the editor.

You can also set a precise width by clicking an empty area of the editor to select the scorecard canvas, opening the Properties window, and finding the Width property in the Layout tab.

Setting the scorecard Width property
Setting the scorecard Width property

3.2. Add a row grouping

Drag data that contains a value for each row you want the scorecard to display.

For our example, go to the Explore window, locate and expand the Adventure Works cube. Drag the Product dimension and drop it onto the row grouping area (Drag data here...). This will cause the body region we are designing to be repeated for each product.

Add a hierarchy for grouping
Add a hierarchy for grouping

For convenience, a pair of items are automatically added to the scorecard: a data label in the body region, which will display the product name, and a header in the header region.

Tip
When the data label and header elements are added, their position is linked, which means moving the header control will also move the body control.

Click View in the toolbar to see the scorecard with product names displayed in each row.

3.3. Display sales by date

In the Explore window, expand the measures in the Adventure Works cube and drag the Internet Sales Amount measure to the body region. The corresponding data label and header are created automatically.

The Data Analysis Panel for this data label opened automatically, showing that it currently displays the data from the scorecard group itself, e.g., data grouped only by each product. Click Select data separately if you want to create a separate metric set for this visualization that can display data grouped by additional hierarchies, such as by date in this example.

Create a separate metric set for the data label
Create a separate metric set for the data label

Now we can drag the Date.Calendar hierarchy from the Adventure Works cube to Rows in the Data Analysis Panel.

The data label would now normally automatically re-visualize to a sparkline, or you can choose Re-Visualize in the toolbar and then Sparkline.

A sparkline showing sales for each product, broken down further by date
A sparkline showing sales for each product, broken down further by date

Tip
A sparkline is a variation of a line chart meant to indicate just the historical trend while using a small amount of space. The visualization toolbars for scorecards include other visualizations configured for a small space, including Horizontal Plot, Data Bar, and Bullet Graph.

3.4. Display the order count

From the Explore window, drag the Order Count measure to the body region. The corresponding data label and header label are created automatically.

Use a data label to show the order count
Use a data label to show the order count

3.5. Display the sales by territory

In the toolbar, click Data Visualization and select Data Bar

Drag the Internet Sales Amount measure onto the empty visualization. Notice that Dundas BI automatically added the Product grouping hierarchy, but kept this as a separate metric set.

Drag the Sales Territory Group hierarchy from the Adventure Works cube to Rows.

Internet Sales Amount by Sales Territory Group data bar
Internet Sales Amount by Sales Territory Group data bar

Click the Visualization button in the Data Analysis Panel, and click More... to expand the options.

Click to add Sales Territory Group under Data Point Label, or drag it there from elsewhere in the Data Analysis Panel or the Explore window. 

To customize the data point label settings, click the paintbrush icon to the right of the Data Point Label heading to open the Properties window to the relevant section.

Open the data label settings
Open the data label settings

Set Placement to Inside and Inside Alignment to Toward Start.

Resize the visualization to be able to see the labels.

Internet Sales Amount by Sales Territory Group data bar labels
Internet Sales Amount by Sales Territory Group data bar labels

3.6. Adjust the group header area

The group header area appears only once for the list of products.

Set the background color of this area by clicking an empty spot inside it, opening the Properties window, and choosing the Look tab. In our example, we change Background to Gainsboro.

You can double-click the headers or use options in the toolbar or Properties window to customize their text.

Adjust the headers on the Group Header
Adjust the headers on the Group Header

3.7. Add an axis

An axis can be added to the header or footer of a scorecard to use as a reference for visualizations such as data bars in the rows, just like you would use an axis in a regular bar chart.

In the toolbar, click Data Visualization and select Axis.

Drag the axis visualization to the header area, above the data bar, and resize it to match the visualization.

In the toolbar, click Connect Axis and select dataBar 1: Bottom Axis 1 from the dropdown in the Properties window.

Add a header axis
Add a header axis

3.8. Add a line separator

To add a separator between each row (product) of the scorecard, select the body area and open the Properties window to the Look tab.

Click the + button under Row Separator Line to add one. Click the new item labeled 1px Black to customize those settings, expanding Stroke and setting Width to 2 pixels (2px).

Add a line separator between products
Add a line separator between products

3.9. View the final scorecard

Click View in the toolbar to see the completed scorecard.

Hover a header such as Sales by Date and click the AZ icon to open the sort and filter popup, and sort by Descending order, for example.

The completed scorecard
The completed scorecard

4. Using the scorecard in a dashboard

While editing a dashboard, drag the scorecard from the Explore window to your canvas. Then reposition and resize the scorecard as you would with any other visualization.

Embedding a scorecard view on an existing dashboard
Embedding a scorecard view on an existing dashboard

Tip
You can also drag separate elements from the scorecard, such as metric sets or visualizations.

5. See also

Dundas Data Visualization, Inc.
400-15 Gervais Drive
Toronto, ON, Canada
M3C 1Y8

North America: 1.800.463.1492
International: 1.416.467.5100

Dundas Support Hours:
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Email: 7am-6pm, ET, Mon-Fri