How Three Graphs Can Tell Us Where to Focus our Attention
A while back, SEO guru Glenn Crocker and I were talking about how visual analytics can help with search engine optimization. Getting useful SEO information usually requires crunching data for...
View ArticleLean Six Sigma Applies Not Only to Manufacturing
I am happy to report that I can now call myself a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. While I consider this a worthwhile achievement, some friends and colleagues have questioned why I was spending...
View ArticleThe Power of In-House Analytics
A business associate recently forwarded a white paper by one of the global BI software companies with the comment “… it all sounds so simple, yet we both know the complexities are just under the...
View ArticleDashboards vs. Scorecards: Technical Hair Splitting?
Years ago my Communications 101 professor told us in class that we should care about the proper definition of words and use words properly “lest we confuse the people who actually do know the...
View ArticleMixed Metaphor: Line Graph + Bar Chart
Many charting tools allow us to combine bar charts and line graphs in the same graphic – but should we? This question came up when I did a double take the other day while reading a market research...
View ArticleDual Axis Graphs: Are They Useful?
I have to admit that even after reading Stephen Few’s article on dual axis graphs, I am not quite ready to rule them out entirely. As is so often the case with data visualization, what we use depends...
View ArticleDouble Take on Dual Axis Graphs: Part III
This quick follow-up on dual axis graphs shows another take on their potential use. The first suggestion comes from Naomi Robbins in her book “Creating More Effective Graphs.” 1 She suggests that dual...
View ArticleFiscal Period Calculations in Tableau
For the most part it’s fairly easy to calculate fiscal periods in Tableau. Here is one approach that requires two parameters and two date functions. This approach allows us to create custom Fiscal...
View ArticleBridging the Dashboard Communication Gap
The term “dashboard” provides a convenient metaphor because everyone has at least some idea of what a dashboard looks like – and therein lies the problem: our own idea of a dashboard may differ wildly...
View ArticleA Short Exploration of Physician Practice EHR/EMR Adoption
According to recent estimates by the CDC, the use of electronic health and medical records in physician offices continues to climb. According to data from the November 2011 NCHS Data Brief, around 57...
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