Release 11i
Part Number A96138-01
 Contents |
 Index |
| Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide Release 11i Part Number A96138-01 |
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This chapter describes graphs and how to create, edit and maintain them.
You need to know the information in this chapter if you are an Administrator, Budget, or Analyst workstation user who is responsible for creating or maintaining graphs.
This chapter includes the following topics:
Graphs enable you to create visual representations of your financial data. You can use graphs to view your financial data from different perspectives, and you can format and print graphs for use in presentations.
Financial Analyzer provides a variety of graph types that enable you to represent data in many different ways. For example, some graphs let you emphasize trends over time while other graphs let you show part-to-whole relationships. The following list describes and shows samples of Financial Analyzer's basic graph types.
|
Graph Type |
Typical Use |
Sample |
|---|---|---|
|
Line Graph |
Shows trends over time and emphasizes rates of change |
Text description of the illustration U_14c001.gif |
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Vertical Bar Graph |
Like a horizontal bar graph, compares data associated with different dimension values |
Text description of the illustration U_14c002.gif |
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Horizontal Bar Graph |
Like a vertical bar graph, compares data associated with different dimension values |
Text description of the illustration U_14c003.gif |
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Bar-Line Graph |
Shows relationships between data measured in different units |
Text description of the illustration U_14c004.gif |
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Area Graph |
Shows trends and emphasizes degrees of change |
Text description of the illustration U_14c005.gif |
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Pie Graph |
Shows part-to-whole relationships |
Text description of the illustration U_14c006.gif |
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Scatter Graph |
Shows the relationship between two variables |
Text description of the illustration U_14c007.gif |
Graphs enable you view and format financial data based on the financial data items, dimensions, and dimension values that are defined in your personal database. Before you can create a graph, your personal database must contain the required database objects. Administrators typically define database objects and distribute them to users.
The graph window contains various elements that enable you to manipulate a graph's layout and format.
The following illustration shows a vertical bar graph with elements of the graph window labeled.
The following table describes each labeled element.
|
Element |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Dimension tiles |
Enable you rearrange the layout of a graph and access the Selector dialog box, where you can choose a different set of values for the dimension. There are three types of dimension tiles:
|
|
Edit bar |
Enables you to edit text such as titles, footnotes, and dimension labels. Select the text or data value you want to edit to make it appear in the edit bar. |
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Edit bar buttons |
The Cancel button clears text from the edit bar.
The Enter button moves text from the edit bar into the currently selected area.
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|
Page controls |
Enables you to move between pages in a multiple-page graph. |
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Title, subtitle, and footnote panes |
Enables you to specify a title, subtitle, and footnote for the graph. |
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Dimension labels |
Identifies currently selected dimension values. |
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Redisplay button |
Enables you to refresh a document manually after making format or selection changes. |
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X-axis |
A graph's horizontal axis. |
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Y-axis |
A graph's vertical axis. A graph can have either one or two Y-axes. |
|
Data markers |
Represent the data shown in a graph. Depending on the type of graph that you are viewing, data markers are either areas, bars, lines, points, or pie slices. |
|
Legend |
A key to the data represented in a graph. |
When you open a graph in the document window, the Graph menu becomes available on the menu bar.
The following table describes each item on the Graph menu.
When you create a graph, current financial data is automatically included in the graph. You can base a graph on the default graph template, or on an open graph or report.
Follow these general steps to create a new graph.
As part of creating a graph, you must specify which slices of data that you want the graph to include A data slice is defined by a financial data item, multiple dimensions, and a set of values of those dimensions.
For more information on the tools and techniques that are available for selecting data, see Chapter 7.
Suppose you want to create a graph that compares Actuals data with Budget data. Using the Selector, you would select:
For example, if the financial data items are dimensioned by Time, Line Item, and Organization, you would select a set of time periods, line items, and organizations for each financial data item.
Once you have created a graph and selected the data that you want to work with, you can arrange the dimensions according to how you want to view the data. You rearrange dimensions in a graph by changing the positions of the dimension tiles in the graph window. You can move dimension tiles to unoccupied locations or drop labeled tiles onto other labeled tiles to have the dimensions swap positions.
For more information about creating graphs, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
You can use a variety of formatting tools to make a graph attractive and easy to read.
As part of formatting a graph, you can add a title, subtitle, or footnote.
You can edit certain dimension value labels that the software automatically generates when you create a new graph. For example, you can edit X-axis labels and legend labels.
As an alternative to manually editing labels for a series of dimension values, you can choose from a set of labels that are already defined for those values. To do this, choose Dimension Labels from the Graph menu, then select a label type.
Legends serve as keys to data represented in graphs. If you have several data series depicted in a graph, with each series represented by a different marker, a legend helps you associate each marker with its corresponding data series.
When you create a new graph, the software includes a legend that is appropriate for the data shown in the graph. You can modify the legend's location, layout, and label orientation.
You can remove a legend entirely by choosing Graph Options from the Graph menu and deselecting the Show Legend option.
You can change the alignment of text elements such as titles, labels, or footnotes. The alignment options are left, center, and right.
As part of formatting a graph, you can make various choices that control the way numbers are represented. You can choose:
You can choose fonts, font styles, and point sizes for titles, labels, and footnotes. You can use multiple fonts in the same document to improve readability or to emphasize important elements. The fonts that are available depend on the printer you have selected.
To help make your graphs attractive and easy to read, you can select colors and patterns for the following elements:
You can choose Graph Options from the Graph menu to show or hide elements in the graph window, and to add or remove components of the graph itself. For example, you can add a Y2-axis to your graph and show or hide its title.
For more information about formatting graphs, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
The Series Options command on the Format menu allows you to emphasize and manipulate the data series depicted in your graph. This section explains how to perform the following tasks:
When you are working with a bar or line graph, you can emphasize a specific data series by changing the shape of its data markers. For example, if you are viewing three data series whose data markers are currently shown as bars, you can emphasize one of the data series by changing its data markers to lines.
If you are working with a graph that contains both a Y1- and Y2-axis, you can assign any data series in the graph to either axis. This is useful if you want to compare dissimilar data series using different scales.
When you are working with a bar, line, or scatter graph, you can create fit lines to emphasize trends. Fit lines represent a new series of data that is statistically based on an original series. Fit lines, also called trend lines, illustrate how original data series are changed by exponential, linear, or logarithmic calculations.
For more information about specifying series options for graphs, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
You can change the appearance of an axis in a graph by adding or changing the format of tick marks and tick labels, or changing the scaling.
Position the mouse on the X, Y1- or Y2-axis on a dual axis graph and click the mouse button when the mouse pointer changes shape. Then choose Axis Options from the Format menu. This opens the Axis Options dialog box, where you can specify how you want to change the format of an axis.
When working with bar, line, area, or scatter graphs, you can include tick marks on the X- or Y-axis. You can include major tick marks, minor tick marks, or both, and you can position them either inside, outside, or across the selected axis.
When you are working with a bar, line, area, or scatter graph, you can adjust the scale of values on the graph's Y1- or Y2-axis to accommodate the range of data displayed by the graph. You can adjust the scale of each Y-axis independently.
When you are working with a bar, line, area, or scatter graph, you can change the arrangement of the dimension labels that appear below the graph's X-axis. You can change the number of lines each label occupies, stagger the labels, or show only a subset of the labels.
For more information about specifying axis format options for graphs, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
Choose Pie Options from the Graph menu to specify formatting for slices in a pie graph.
When you set up a pie graph, you can explode one or more slices in the graph for emphasis. You can explode pie slices in the following ways:
If you are setting up a pie graph that contains multiple pies, you can include a label for each pie to explain what it represents.
When you set up a pie graph, you can label the slices of the pie to show what they represent.
If you include pie slice labels when you set up a pie graph, you can include pie slice feelers to connect the labels to the appropriate slices.
For more information about format options for pie graphs, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
After you create a graph, you can save it for use in future work sessions.
When you save a graph, only its shell, or form, is saved to disk. The next time you open the graph, the most current data from your local database is incorporated into the graph's data cells.
When you save a new graph, you assign it a unique name and, optionally, one or more keywords that can be used to access the graph at a later time.
When you save a graph under a new name, the system gives you the option of saving it as your default graph. This enables you to use the saved graph as a starting point the next time you create a new graph.
When you save changes to an existing graph, you can overwrite the original version (if it belongs to your personal library), or you can save the changed graph under a new name, preserving the original version.
For more information about saving graphs, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
You can open any graph you have previously created, or any graph that your administrator has defined and distributed to you. After you finish working with a graph, you can close it to conserve system resources and save space in the Financial Analyzer window.
You can print an entire graph, the current page, or a set of pages you specify.
Both Financial Analyzer and Microsoft Windows provide a wide range of printing options that let you adjust margins, create headers and footers, preview a document before printing, and so on.
You can organize graphs within folders so that you can locate them quickly and easily.
Choose Maintain Folders from the Tools menu to add a graph to a folder. This opens the Maintain Folders dialog box, where you can choose a folder and select one or more graphs to add.
You can delete graphs that you no longer need from your personal database.
Choose Delete from the File menu to delete a graph. This opens the Delete dialog box, where you can select a graph to delete.
As an administrator, you can also delete a graph from the shared database so that users no longer have access to it. You delete the graph from your personal database, and then distribute the structure with a Delete from System action. This deletes the structure from the shared database and from the personal databases of all of your users, including any administrators immediately below you in the reporting hierarchy.
You can modify a graph by making new selections for financial data items and dimension values. You can also change the graph type, change the layout, and modify the formatting.
You can save a modified graph under its current name, or under a new name.
You can export data from your active graph to bitmap (.bmp) file.
To export data from a graph, follow these steps.
Result: The Export to File dialog box opens.
For more information about managing graphs, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
If you need to create a series of graphs that are related in some way, you can link the graphs so that selections you make in one document are propagated to all the linked documents.
For example, suppose that you need to prepare a series of graphs based on the same set of line items. By creating a series of new graphs and linking their Line Item dimensions, you need to select the set of line items only once; the choices you make are automatically applied to all the linked graphs. As long as the dimensions are linked, any time you add or remove a line item or change a label associated with a line item, your changes are applied to all the linked graphs.
When linking graphs, the following rules apply:
Links that you create in a graph are preserved until you overtly remove them. That is, you can create a link and save and close the graph. When you reopen the document, the link remains intact.
For more information about rules for linking graphs, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system: "Linking Dimensions in Graphs."
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