Building a Sales Dashboard Using SAP Xcelsius

7/31/2019 Building a Sales Dashboard Using SAP Xcelsius

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Building a Sales Dashboard Using SAP Xcelsius

Instructions for downloading Xcelsius

You will need to use your personal laptops for doing this assignment.

Connect to the SCMHRD network.

Goto path Run: \\comp45\xcelsius

Use user id :[email protected]

Click on folder xcelsius2008sp3

Click on setup.exe

Choose language English

Follow instructions and read the License Agreementplease note the agreement can be found in

other languages (available in the folder)

A Xcelsius 2008 Setup box will pop-up

Click through the next key steps

The product keycode is CS519-P8D6JZ9-000ESKA-1U0E

This keycode expires 60 days after installation - Please check back for updated keycodes Copy files GBI Xcelsius workshop.xlsand logo- Global Bikes.bmp to your laptops.

Once installation is complete, search for the software by going to Start->Choose All Programs ->

then Xcelsius

Instructions for submission

(A)Create a folder in\\comp45\Xcelsius\Design Dashboard - Assignment MBA-2012-14 Sem-Iand use your group number to name the folder.

(B)Paste the PowerPoint slide of your dashboard in the folder as per instructions given inhandout point no : 133.

(C)Wherever there is _ _ _ in the below material student have to use their group Code.Evaluation is based on the group code.

SAP Business Intelligence provides a broad range of reporting tools to facilitate decision making of the

different end users. One reporting format which is gaining increased popularity is the use of dashboards.

Dashboard reports are interactive reports that allow decision makers to quickly view the key information

that is core to their decisions. They provide simple to use interfaces which can be embedded in a

number of applications including web pages and presentations. The CEO of Global Bike Inc. has asked

for a report which outlines the sales for each product group for each region. She needs this information

to quickly identify any sales trends. Her business intelligence team provided the following report in

spreadsheet format.
http://comp45/xcelsiushttp://comp45/xcelsiusmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://comp45/xcelsius


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She has indicated to her team that while the report contains all the necessary information, it is not easy

to interpret and perhaps this information can be supplied in a more user friendly format. In response to

these concerns, it was decided to build a reporting dashboard that was interactive, easy-to-use and

supplied the necessary information.

Before the team built the dashboard, they created a design on paper to capture the key requirements.

Often when people build dashboards they spend on a lot of time on making it look good rather than

determining what information needs to be displayed.


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Once the paper-based design was agreed to, the team built the following dashboard. You can see from

the reporting dashboard below that the information is still available and sales trends and alerts are easily

identified. In this exercise you will build the following dashboard using SAP Xcelsius.


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Xcelsius

SAPs Xcelsius is one of the tools available in SAP Business Intelligence which can be used to build

dashboards. The following tutorial is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of building areporting dashboard using SAP Xcelsius. You will create a reporting dashboard that will provide a

summary of bicycle sales for each sales region for Global Bike Inc. SAP enables you to download a

trial version of Xcelsius to evaluate its capabilities. This tutorial can be completed using the trial

version ofXcelsius. You can download Xcelsius from:

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bi#section11

Creating a Dashboard

1. Choose StartProgramsXcelsiusXcelsius 2008.

If you have downloaded the demonstration version ofXcelsius from the internet, a dialog screen will

appear with a number of options.

2. Click to continue.

The Xcelsius application appears on screen.

Properties

Object
http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bi#section11http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bi#section11http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bi#section11


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You can see that the screen is divided into a number of areas or frames.

The Canvas frame is the white work area where you can place components in order to create a

visualization.

The Components frame includes objects that can be added to your Dashboard. There are 3 different

ways to view Components in this frame: Category, Tree or List.

The Properties frame contains the setting and format options for the selected component. After you

place a Component on the canvas area, you can access the Properties panel by double-clicking the

selected component. The Properties will vary depending on the Component.

The Spreadsheet frame incorporates an embedded spreadsheet. This fully functional spreadsheet is

displayed below the Canvas and contains the source data for your visualizations. You can add, modify,

and delete your data directly within the spreadsheet. Alternatively, you can import an Excel spreadsheet,

or import data into the Spreadsheet frame (e.g., from Microsoft Access) using the Get External Data

option, which is located on the Excel Data ribbon.

The Object Browser frame enables you to view and select the Components on your Dashboard.

Note: Each of these frames can be resized or hidden. To resize an area, drag the edge of the frame.

Before you start building a dashboard you need an understanding of the data that will form the

foundation of the dashboard. For the purpose of this exercise, you will import a spreadsheet which

contains the necessary data.

3. Click on the toolbar to import a spreadsheet.

4. Click to close the existing spreadsheet and display the Open dialog

box.

5. Locate GBI Xcelsius Workshop spreadsheet on your computer. This file is

available from your workshop leader.


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6. Select GBI Xcelsius Workshop then click to import the

spreadsheet.

Your screen appears as follows:

Before you start building the dashboard, scroll through the spreadsheet to familiarise yourself with the

data. You can see that there is sales data for each month for each bicycle category, which has been

grouped by different sales regions. A Destination area (yellow) has been added to the spreadsheet to

assist with the dashboard.

Your first objective will be to create a menu and a chart. The chart will be based on the values that

appear in the yellow area. Each time you select a bicycle category value from the menu, the sales

figures for that category will appear in the Destination area (yellow), and thus update the chart.

The first step is to insert a chart into the canvas area.


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Inserting a Chart

7. Click in the Category frame to display the various Chart

components.

8. Scroll until you find the Column Chart icon.

9. Drag and Drop the Chart icon onto the Canvas frame.

Your screen should look similar to below. Dont worry if the Chart is not in the same location as it can

be easily moved at a later stage.

You should also notice that the Properties frame has changed to include the Column Chart properties.

These properties determine different aspects of the chart, including its data and appearance. (Again, note

that you can drag the edge of the Properties frame to expand it.) Across the top of the Properties frameare a number of icons (General, Drill Down, Behaviour, Appearance, Alerts). Each icon is a separate

tab, which displays a number of related fields when clicked (i.e., properties have been grouped into these

categories). When a component (object) on the canvas is selected, the Properties for that Component

will appear.


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10. Click the Chart: text box to insert a new Chart Title.

11. Type Sales by Category_ _ _ as the new title.

12. Delete Sample Sub Title text in the Subtitle: text box to remove this

from the chart.

You now have to indicate the location of values (cell references) which the Chart will be based on.

13. Click in the Data area of the Properties frame to select it

14. Click to add a Series.

You will notice that Series1 appears.

15. Type Sales_ _ _ in the Name: text box to name this series.

You now need to indicate the location of the data that will form the basis of the Chart. Previously we

mentioned that the data once selected would appear in the yellow cells (B4:M4).

Xcelsius provides the Cell Reference icon to allow a user to quickly select a range in the spreadsheet

and then insert this range in the text box. You are now going to indicate the range of cells in the

spreadsheet that contain the Chart values.

16. Click next to the Values(Y): text box to display the Select a Range dialogbox.

17. Drag to select the cell range B4:M4


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18. Click to transfer this range to the text box.

You can check that the selected range is correct. Enter a number in each of the yellow cells to see if you

chart responds. If your range is correct then you now need to add the X axis labels (months).

19. Click next to the Category Labels(X): text box to display the Select

a Range dialog box.

20. Drag to select the cell range B3:M3.


You will notice that each month appears as an X-axis label. Similar to other charting applications, you

can change the appearance or format of the chart. Changes can be done by selecting the Appearance

properties. Ensure that the Chart in the Canvas area is still selected before attempting to edit any

properties.

22. Click to display the associated properties.

You will notice that a number of tabs have appeared which group the various Appearance properties.

You are now going to change the format of the Y-axis labels to indicate they are currency.


24. Click Vertical (Value) Axis Labels to select it.


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25. Click of the list box in the Number Format area to display the

different formats available.

26. Click Currency to select it.

27. Enter the following format details (change the Decimal Places first):

Notice that your Chart changes accordingly. Before proceeding further, you should save your

dashboard.

28. Click to display the Save dialog box.

29. Type GBI Dashboard_ _ _ to name your file.

30. Select an appropriate location for the file to be saved.

31. Click to complete the process.

Selectors


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You are now going to add a Selector component to your dashboard. A Selector is a canvas

component that enables an end-user to select a value(s) from a pre-defined list of values. The selection

may then be used, for example, to modify the data set displayed within a Chart. For our purposes, we

will use a Selector to enable an end-user to select a particular category (see below) to update the values

displayed in the Chart.

There are a number ofSelectors available covering different user requirements. Although each type of

Selector may appear to be quite distinct in appearance, they all have similar requirements. You have to

identify where the source data can be found for the selection and the destination where the data will be

copied to. Your dashboard will include an Accordion Menu selector.

32. Click in the Components frame to display the various selector

components.

33. Scroll if necessary until you find the Accordion Menu icon.

34. Drag and Drop the Accordion Menu icon onto the Canvas frame.

Your screen should look similar to below. Dont worry if the Accordion Menu is not in the same

location as it can be easily moved at a later stage.


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You should also notice that the Properties frame has changed to include the Accordion Menu

properties. You will notice that the Accordion Menu is made up of different Categories each of

which includes a number ofItems.

35. Click the Titles: text box to insert a new menu Title.

36. Type Region Sales_ _ _ as the new title.

You now need to define the Category names, Item names and the SourceData. In addition, once the

Source Data for each Item is selected you will need to identify the Destination where the data will be

copied to. As mentioned previously, the Destination data will form the data set for the Column Chart

created previously.

37. Click (cell reference) icon next to the Destination: text box to display

the Select a Range dialog box.

38. Drag to select the cell range B4:M4


You are now going to define the Australia Category.

40. Click at the bottom of the Categories: text box to add a Category.

You will notice that Category1 appears. You can either type a new Name for this Category or

reference a cell where the Name exists on the spreadsheet.

41. Type Australia_ _ _ in the Name: text box to name this Category.


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You will notice that the Category name has changed on the Canvas. You now need to identify the Item

labels.

42. Click next to the Labels: text box to display the Select a Range dialog box.

43. Drag to select the cell range A10:A14.


You will notice that the Accordion Menu has changed accordingly to include the different product

categories. You now need to identify the Source Data range (B10:M14) associated with these Items.

45. Click next to the Source Data: text box to display the Select a Range dialog box.



You have completed the process for the Australia Category. It is important to test the menu before you

add the other Categories.

48. Click to save your dashboard.

Xcelsius provides a Preview function to enable to quickly view what your dashboard would look like

once finished.

49. Click to Preview your dashboard.


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Your dashboard appears on screen.

50. Click the various Items and the Chart should change accordingly.

51. Click to return to My Workspace.

You now need to add the remaining Categories and Items. You do not need to alter the Destination as

data selected will be copied to the same Destination for the Chart.

52. Click at the bottom of the Categories: text box to add a Category.

You will notice that Category 2 appears.

53. Type Brazil _ _ _in the Name: text box to name this Category.

You will notice that the Category name has changed on the Canvas. You now need to identify the

Item labels.

54. Click next to the Labels: text box to display the Select a Range dialog box.

55. Drag to select the cell range A21:A25.


You will notice that the Accordion Menu has changed accordingly to include the different product

categories. You now need to identify the Source Data range (B21:M25) associated with these Items.

57. Click next to the Source Data: text box to display the Select a Range dialog

box.


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You have completed the process for the Brazil Category. It is important to test the menu before you

add the other Categories.



Your dashboard appears on screen.

62. Click Brazil _ _ _to display the different product categories.

63. Click the various Items and the Chart should change accordingly.


To complete the remainder of the Accordion Menu using the following details:

Category Name Labels Source Data

Canada A31:A35 B31:M35

Germany A42:A46 B42:M46

India A53:A57 B53:M57


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67. Click the various Categories and Items to test that the Chart

changes accordingly.

Grids

The Chart in its present format indicates trends in sales but it is difficult to determine the exact sales

amount. However, you can place the mouse on each of the columns to reveal the exact sales amount.

Notwithstanding, the BI team has decided that it would be beneficial to add a Grid component to the

dashboard to display the sales amount for each month, once the Item is selected. The dashboard is

expected to look similar to the below image.

68. Click in the Component frame to display the various

components.

69. Scroll if necessary until you find the Grid icon.


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70. Drag and Drop the Grid icon onto the Canvas frame below the Chart and

Accordion Menu.

You will notice that the Grid is currently in a 5x3 format. This will automatically change to reflect the

data range chosen to be included in the Grid.

71. Select the range B3:M4 to indicate the data source.

72. Click next to the Data: text box to display the Select a Range dialog

box.

You will notice that the cell range that you previously selected appears in the dialog box.


The Grid changes to include this data.



You will notice that a number of cells include hash symbols (#) to indicate that the cell is too small to

display the data. We will now edit the size of the font and change the sales amounts to currency.




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79. Change the Font Size from 12 to 10.

80. Click of the list box in the Number Format area to display the different formats available.


82. Enter the following format details:

It is also possible to resize the Grid using the handles once it is selected.



Test your dashboard by selecting different Categories and Items to see changes to the Chart and Grid.


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Alerts

The CEO has also indicated that she wants to quickly highlight sales amounts that are outside the norm.

It was therefore decided to include an Alert in the dashboard. Alerts are components that compare a

value to a predetermined value or range of values, such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or

Benchmarks. Assume that the CEO has advised that she does not expect the total sales for any productcategory within a region to exceed $60,000 per annum. Accordingly, she wants to use this amount as a

reference point to see how total yearly sales for a product category within a region will compare to this

value. Specifically, sales which are 10% or less of this amount are unacceptable. While sales are

between 10% and 70% are acceptable and sales above 70% are to be commended. The Alert needs to

quickly indicate this comparison. There are a number of different Alert components available, but for

the purpose of this exercise, you will use a Gauge.

85. Click in the Component frame to display the

various components.

86. Scroll if necessary until you find the Gauge icon.

87. Drag and Drop the Gauge icon onto the Canvas frame.

You now need to indicate the cell range which the Alert will be using as input. Previously, a formula

was created in the spreadsheet cell B4 to calculate the total of the input area (yellow). The Alert willcompare this value against the prescribed values (see below).

88. Click next to the Data: text box to display the Select a Range dialog box.

89. Click B4 to select the cell range.

90. Click to transfer this range to the text box.Notice that the pointer moves to reflect the test total. You now need to adjust the scale of the Gauge.

91. Type 60000 in the Maximum Limit: text box.


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You now have to specify that the Gauge component is going to be used as an Alert.

92. Click in the Properties frame to display the Alert properties.

93. Click to make the other properties active.

You will notice the Maximum Limit has been transferred to this screen. As mentioned earlier the CEO

wants to view the sales amounts as compared to this maximum amount.

94. Click to select it.

You now have to apply the other requirements of the CEO in regards to ranges that are considered

unacceptable (10% 70%).

95. Click 30% in first row (green) of the Alert Thresholds.

96. Type 10%

Notice that 10% becomes the minimum of the next row. The remainder of the thresholds are correct

except red should indicate sales that are poor. This can be changed in the Color Order.

97. Click to change the order of colours.

You now need to test your Alert.




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Test your dashboard by selecting different Categories and Items to see changes to the impact it has the

Alert. You will notice that the total sales amount appears in the Gauge, but it needs to be reformatted.

100. Click to Preview to return to My Workspace.



You will notice there are a number of text items that can be formatted.

103. Click value to select this text item.

104. Click of the list box in the Number Format area to display the

different formats available.


106. Enter the following format details:


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Test your dashboard by selecting different Categories and Items to see changes to the Chart, Grid and

Alert.

109. Click to return My Workspace.

The Dashboard Appearance

You have now built the fundamentals of your reporting dashboard with all the necessary information.The last task is to format your dashboard to make it more appealing. Xcelsius includes a number of

options to enhance the dashboard appearance, including preloaded colour schemes and themes. You can

also add graphics (e.g., company logos) and titles. You are now going to insert the company logo for

Global Bike Inc.

110. Rearrange your dashboard by re-sizing and dragging components

similar to below.


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components.

112. Scroll, if necessary, until you find the Image Component icon.

113. Drag and Drop the Image Component icon onto the Canvas frame.

114. Click in the Properties frame to display the Open dialog

box.

115. Locate the GBI.jpg graphic as indicated from your workshop leader.

116. Click to import the company logo.

117. Drag to re-size the logo to make it fit.

You now need to add a title to your dashboard.


components.

119. Scroll, if necessary, until you find the Label Text icon.

120. Drag and Drop the Label Text icon onto the Canvas frame.

121. Type World Bicycle Sales_ _ _ in the Enter Text text box in the

Properties frame.


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124. Edit the size and type of font.

125. Re-size text box if necessary.




As mentioned previously, you can change the look of the dashboard by using pre-loaded Themes and

Colour Schemes. These Themes and Colour Schemes can be accessed by icons on the toolbar.

129. Apply various Themes or Colour Schemes to your dashboard.





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Dashboard Output

After completing your dashboard, you need to determine how it will be distributed to the users.

Xcelsius allows you to embed your dashboard in either PowerPoint, Word, Adobe Acrobat, Email

attachment or Web page. These options are available on the toolbar.

The CEO wants to use the dashboard you have created in an upcoming presentation and therefore

requires it embedded in PowerPoint.

133. Click on the toolbar to embed the dashboard in PowerPoint.

After a short period of time Microsoft PowerPoint appears on screen displaying a blank slide.

134. Start a Slideshow to view your dashboard.

135. Test your dashboard.

Notice that the dashboard interactivity is still available once it has been embedded in PowerPoint.

136. Press to exit the SlideShow


Additional Help


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Templates and Samples

Xcelsius includes many templates of dashboards and samples of different components. You can use the

templates as a basis for creating new dashboards. These Templates are available under the File menu.

The Samples provide examples of different components so you can get a better understanding of thecomponent features. Again the Samples can be accessed under the File menu.

Dashboards

There are a number of dashboards which are available at the SAP web site. These can be downloaded

and then modified to suit your needs.

http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sme/xcelsius/demos/index.epx

Elearning

There are a number of web casts available through the SAP web site which explains different

approaches to building dashboards.

This tutorial was designed to introduce students to the concepts of designing and building dashboards

using SAP Xeclesius. It is only a starting point as Xcelsius provides a broad range of functionality to

improve the display of data for better decision making. However the most important thing to remember

is that the correct information is made available for the best decision and spreadsheet should be correct

before building the dashboard.

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-elearning

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-webinars#section4

Guides

There are also a number of user guides and best practices available from SAP.

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bi

http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/xcelsius2008/en/Xcelsius2008_user_guide_en.pdf

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-

cc1eb3f017ac
http://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sme/xcelsius/demos/index.epxhttp://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sme/xcelsius/demos/index.epxhttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-elearninghttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-elearninghttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-webinars#section4https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-webinars#section4http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bihttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bihttp://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/xcelsius2008/en/Xcelsius2008_user_guide_en.pdfhttp://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/xcelsius2008/en/Xcelsius2008_user_guide_en.pdfhttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-cc1eb3f017achttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-cc1eb3f017achttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-cc1eb3f017achttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-cc1eb3f017achttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a084a11c-6564-2b10-79ac-cc1eb3f017achttp://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/xcelsius2008/en/Xcelsius2008_user_guide_en.pdfhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/uac/library-bihttps://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-webinars#section4https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/businessobjects-elearninghttp://www.sap.com/solutions/sapbusinessobjects/sme/xcelsius/demos/index.epx

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Building a Sales Dashboard Using SAP Xcelsius

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