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  • Book Overview & Buying SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.1 Cookbook
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SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.1 Cookbook

SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.1 Cookbook

By : David Lai
4.9 (8)
Buy this Book
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SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.1 Cookbook

SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.1 Cookbook

4.9 (8)
By: David Lai
Buy this Book

Overview of this book

If you are a developer with a good command and knowledge of creating dashboards, but are not yet an advanced user of SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, then this is the perfect book for you. Prerequisites include a good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel as well as knowledge of basic dashboard practices.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
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Preface
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Preface
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What this book covers
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What you need for this book
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Who this book is for
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Conventions
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Reader feedback
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Customer support
Lock Free Chapter
1
1. Staying in Control
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1. Staying in Control
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Introduction
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Using the Object Browser
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Searching for components
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Grouping the canvas components
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Making the spreadsheet more readable with colors
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Making the spreadsheet more readable with comments
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Making the spreadsheet more readable with borders
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Using named ranges
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Copying the format of one cell to another cell or range
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Debugging the spreadsheets
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Navigating between worksheets
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2. Data Visualization
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2. Data Visualization
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Introduction
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Adding a line chart to your dashboard
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Using a bullet chart
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Using sparklines
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Using a combination chart
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Using a waterfall chart
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Using a pie chart
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Using a scatter plot chart
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Using a bubble plot chart
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Using a radar chart
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Using an OHLC chart and a candlestick chart
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Sorting series
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Zooming in on charts
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Scaling the y-axis
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Using a tree map
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Showing a trend without a chart
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Displaying raw data
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Illustrating single values
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3. From a Static to an Interactive Dashboard
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3. From a Static to an Interactive Dashboard
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Introduction
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Selecting your data from a list
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Drilling down from a chart
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Using the Filter selector component for hierarchies
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An alternative hierarchy selection method
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Using the Hierarchical Table
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Using Filtered Rows
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Using maps to select data of an area or country
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Adding a Mac OS X-looking dock to your dashboard
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Resetting your data (the reset button)
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Making selections from a custom image (the push button and image component)
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Inputting data values
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Using the Play Selector / Play Control component
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Opening up a Web Intelligence report using dashboard parameters
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Selecting calendar dates
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Using sliders to create a what-if scenario
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4. Dynamic Visibility
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4. Dynamic Visibility
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Introduction
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Switching between different charts
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Building a pop-up screen
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Creating a mouseover help text popup
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Password protecting your dashboard
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5. Using Alerts
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5. Using Alerts
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Introduction
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Adding alerts to a column chart
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Making alert ranges dynamic
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Displaying alerts on a map
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Displaying alerts of different thresholds on a map
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Using bindable colors to control alert coloring from a central location
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Using alerts in a Scorecard
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6. Advanced Components
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6. Advanced Components
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Introduction
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Printing your dashboard
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Grouping and organizing components with the Canvas Container
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Using dashboard scenarios
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Using the Grid component
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Creating a slideshow
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Using the Panel Set component
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Using the History component
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Inserting data with the Source Data component
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Analyzing trends
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7. Dashboard Look and Feel
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7. Dashboard Look and Feel
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Introduction
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Changing the look of a chart
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Adding a background to your dashboard
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Using color schemes
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Sharing a color scheme
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Working with themes
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Making component colors dynamic
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Dynamic XY positioning and sizing of components
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Using the Panel Container
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Using the Tab Set container
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Making tables look pretty
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Using quadrants smartly
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Creating/using a dashboard template
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8. Dashboard Data Connectivity
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8. Dashboard Data Connectivity
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Introduction
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Creating a news ticker with Excel XML Maps
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Using Query as a Web Service (QaaWS)
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Using Live Office Connection
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Using BI Web Services to consume a Webi report
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Using the SAP NetWeaver BW Connection
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Using the Query Browser
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Passing values from dashboard to dashboard with Flash Variables
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9. Exporting and Publishing
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9. Exporting and Publishing
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Introduction
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Exporting to SWF, PPT, PDF, and other file types
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Publishing to SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform
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Housing your dashboard in a BI Workspace
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Publishing to SAP BW
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Going mobile
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10. Top Third-party Add-ons
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10. Top Third-party Add-ons
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Introduction
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Managing add-ons in SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards
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Connecting to CSV files with the CSV Connector
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Integrating Google Maps with the CMaps plugin
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Connecting to Salesforce.com with DashConn
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Presenting micro charts in a Tree Grid
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Integrating Web Intelligence with Antivia XWIS Advantage Express
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Advanced printing with Xcelsius Dashboard Printer
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SUCCESS with graphomate charts
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11. Performance Tuning
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11. Performance Tuning
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Introduction
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Improving Excel spreadsheet performance
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Using scheduled Webis to save on querying time
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Running connections after loading the dashboard
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Checking master data loading performance of connections
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Optimizing BEx Query performance
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Using Fiddler to identify the cause of performance issues
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12. Increasing Productivity
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12. Increasing Productivity
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Introduction
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Using the Spreadsheet Table component to debug
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Time-saving tips during dashboard development
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Fixing corrupt XLF files
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A. Real-world Dashboard Case Studies
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A. Real-world Dashboard Case Studies
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What-if scenario – Mortgage Calculator
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Sales/Profit dashboard example
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B. Additional Resources – Supported Excel Functions and System/Software Requirements
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B. Additional Resources – Supported Excel Functions and System/Software Requirements
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Online resources
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Supported Excel functions
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System and software requirements
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C. The Future of Dashboarding with SAP Design Studio
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C. The Future of Dashboarding with SAP Design Studio
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What is SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio?
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SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards versus SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio
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What is the SAP roadmap for dashboarding?
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Index
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Index

Introduction

During the development of a typical SAP BusinessObjects dashboard, the number of components as well as the Excel spreadsheet data bindings can become quite complex. To prevent us from getting lost in an unmanageable chaos of components, interactions, bindings, and several different Excel functionalities, a structured approach should be followed right from the start of dashboard development. Also, we should use the advantages Excel gives us to build an optimal data model that is easy to read and maintain.

Understanding the dashboard workspace

Before you begin designing dashboards, it is important that you understand the workspace. The workspace area is illustrated as follows:

Understanding the dashboard workspace

Let's have a look at some of the important sections of the dashboard workspace as depicted in the preceding screenshot:

  • Menu bar and toolbar (1): SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards consists of a menu bar as well as five toolbars that are used to help develop dashboards.
  • Dashboard canvas (2): This is where the dashboard presentation is built. Users drag and drop dashboard objects here.
  • Embedded spreadsheet (3): This embedded spreadsheet is used to associate the dashboard objects with data. More information on tips and best practices when building your spreadsheet models can be found later in this chapter.
  • The Components window (4): Users can drag and drop dashboard components from the Components window onto the dashboard canvas.
  • The Object Browser (5): All objects existing in the dashboard model can be found in the Object Browser. It provides a way to easily access your dashboard objects. For more instructions on using the object browser, please refer to the following recipe, Using the Object Browser.
  • The Properties window (6): This contains settings and formatting options for a selected component.
  • The Query Browser (7): This allows users to create and manage dashboard queries. For more information, please refer to the recipe Using the Query Browser in Chapter 8, Dashboard Data Connectivity.
  • The Mobile Compatibility window (8): This provides mobile compatibility information on all the objects found in the dashboard model. For more information, please refer to the recipe Going mobile in Chapter 9, Exporting and Publishing.
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