Ensuring a clear overall picture is crucial to calculating statistical significance. Data visualization tools offer an efficient means of displaying data visualization and conveying findings. In data analysis, generating reports and comprehending and explaining the conclusions obtained are essential.
Now let us explore the significant reasons why data visualization holds such importance, along with the tools available for creating visualizations. We will also delve into Google’s free tool, data Visualization Studio, and the fundamental knowledge required to initiate the creation of reports.
What is Data Visualization?
The ability to present information in a visually comprehensible manner to the human brain is the work of data visualization. A clear understanding of data visualization is crucial for successful reporting, as the main objective of data analysis is to uncover insights.
Although examining numbers and charts can help identify data trends, vital information often must be noticed, resulting in less valuable interpretations. Even with a precise understanding of the data without visualization, conveying its significance may be more complex than anticipated. With a visual representation of the insights, the audience may be able to grasp the complete understanding.
Tableau asserts that data visualization is a highly beneficial skill to cultivate, describing it as one of the most useful professional skills. The ability to convey points visually enhances the leverage of information.
How Data Visualization Helps in Driving Better Business Results
Data visualization drives improved business outcomes by efficiently delivering information to your team. It is crucial to consider that not all clients possess the same technical expertise. While certain clients may comprehend complex reports without difficulty, it is unwise to assume this for all. Visualizing data increases the likelihood of alignment with your clients and other stakeholders.
By representing information in graphs, tables, or other visual forms, identifying trends becomes significantly easier, facilitating a smoother transition to the next steps. Promptly recognizing issues allows for quicker resolution. Enhancing efficiency in this cycle ensures greater success.
The Importance of Data Visualization for Business
The importance of data visualization for business can be attributed to the following reasons:
- Assisting clients in comprehending how their site’s data is analyzed to make informed business decisions.
- Presenting large volumes of data visualization provides an overview or conveys the underlying narrative.
- Converting trends into actionable strategies by visualizing data effectively.
- Identifying errors in a more apparent manner eliminates the possibility of information gaps.
Data Visualization Tools
Fortunately, several paid tools are available on the market for data visualization. These tools include:
Tableau
Tableau is an interactive data visualization software provided by Salesforce. It enables users to connect with and extract data from various platforms, regardless of their type or location. This tool can retrieve data from Excel, PDF, Oracle, and Amazon Web Services databases.
Looker
Looker is a cloud-based business intelligence (BI) platform that facilitates data visualization and analysis. Similar to Tableau, Looker offers convenient data visualization capabilities. However, Looker distinguishes itself by providing a 100 percent browser-based experience, eliminating the need for installing and maintaining desktop client software. Bounteous is also a Looker partner.
Power BI
Power BI is a business analytics service offered by Microsoft. This tool empowers end-users to create reports and dashboards through its user-friendly interface. Power BI facilitates data connection, transformation, and cleansing, allowing users to create charts and graphs to visualize their data.
Google Data Studio
Google Data Studio is a free tool offered by Google that enables easy data visualization for beginners. With Data Studio, you can effortlessly create customized charts, graphs, and reports. It provides a range of accessible features to help you generate reports that can be shared with others.
There are several benefits to using Data Studio:
- It has built-in connections to over 200+ data sources, eliminating the need for scheduling periodic data refreshes for your reports.
- It is free for everyone and does not require any licenses.
- Since everything is online, there is no need to download any software.
Some Key Features of Data Studio
Data Blending
It allows you to blend data from multiple sources, creating reports incorporating information from different datasets. It helps uncover relationships and trends between various data sets. By performing this within Data Studio, you can present new insights and save time and effort on data manipulation.
To blend data, you join the records of one data source with the records of up to four other sources. For successful data joining, each data source in the blend must share a set of one or more dimensions, referred to as a joining key.
Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting enables data coordination by applying colors and fonts, enhancing clarity and the visual representation of findings.
One aspect of conditional formatting involves the application of a single color scheme. This scheme assigns specific font and background colors to the data. Single color conditions can be applied to dimensions, metrics, or multiple conditions using logical operators such as AND or OR.
Another aspect pertains to color scale conditions, which allow the evaluation of a single metric in terms of its percentage or absolute numeric value.
Conditional formatting can be implemented on any chart’s row, field, or specific dimension or metric. However, it is important to consider certain rules and limitations when applying formatting.
Filters
Filters provide an effective means to reduce the amount of data presented to viewers of reports. By utilizing filters, you can direct your focus toward the specific data that effectively conveys the narrative you wish to share, enhancing the relevance of the reports presented to your audience.
To apply a filter to a chart, control, page, or entire report, access the DATA properties tab.
Types of Filters offered by Data Studio
- Include filters: These filters retrieve only the records that meet the specified conditions.
- Exclude filters: These filters only retrieve records that do not meet the specified conditions.
Data originating from Google Analytics and imported into Data Studio remains consistent. This means filters applied to your Google Analytics view are also applied within Data Studio. However, an important distinction is that filters in Data Studio are saved, allowing you to easily select them again without reconstructing the previously chosen filter.
Filters that can be applied in Data Studio
- Date
- Custom filters encompassing nearly any dimension
- Google Analytics data sources
- Calculated Fields
With Data Studio reporting, you have the option to create calculated fields. Calculated fields enable you to generate new dimensions and metrics derived from your data.
A calculated field is a formula that performs a numerical operation on selected fields within your data source. Calculated fields significantly transform text, date, and geographic information, yielding diverse outcomes within your data.
Themes | Data Visualization
Data Studio offers complete customization, allowing you to create a report tailored to your client’s requirements easily. Furthermore, Data Studio allows you to upload your site and select a theme that perfectly aligns with your needs.
Dimensions and Metrics
Metrics represent measurements, while dimensions are the elements being measured. Data Studio simplifies the differentiation between metrics and dimensions by visually highlighting blue and green metrics. Additionally, Data Studio includes drill-down options for enhanced analysis.
In Data Studio, dimensions typically consist of text, geographic coordinates, Boolean choices, dates or times, or URLs. On the other hand, metrics can be expressed as numbers, percentages, durations, or currency amounts.
For instance, to generate a chart illustrating the top product categories for users, you can designate the dimension as the product category and include metrics such as users. To provide further specificity, you can incorporate another metric, such as new users, to compare how different user groups interact with the products. The following image depicts this scenario:
Final Thoughts
Data visualizations enable efficient communication of data and findings to stakeholders, thus expediting the development of solutions and saving crucial time. Having gained familiarity with data visualization and the fundamental principles of Google Data Studio, you are now prepared to create your visualizations.
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