Comparing many independent metrics across a dimension

[shanemichelon]

Hi everyone.

I have a general question about how to compare a number of independent metrics across a dimension.  As an example, lets say our dimension is 'Animals' and we have metrics like:  Ave Lifespan, Species Age, Avg Nbr Offspring, Estimated population, Likelihood of becoming extinct? etc.

What is a good way to present this info?  I can't use  a bar chart as the ranges for the metrics are all very different.  I thought about using KPI, but I want some graphical way of showing the comparison  of each metric across all the values of the dimension.  I thought about standardizing the values (Like a score for each metric), but that loses too much info and we would like to see the actual values in the chart.

I could of course just make lots of bar charts, but that seems messy and makes it hard to pick two dimension values and compare all the metrics.  For instance, I might pick cats and dogs and want to graphically see that cats live longer than dogs, but there are more dogs than cats (or whatever).

Any ideas??

[marcus_sommer]

I think there aren't general solutions especially because all advanced views will create some complexity and of course causing some efforts to get it to work, to document it and to train the users to an advanced usability.

If I had such a task I would consider the following things:

• unifying the values - means some are direct values, some are values per 1,000 units, some may percent quotes within an integer-depiction or similar
• using dual-values to display different sting-values compared to their numerical values which might be also unified in some way
• applying clustered values maybe with fetching the outliers
• using flexible dimensions + expression (controlled per selections or variables)
• adding various extra information within popup's
• using extra-layers of formatting, for example a coloring to include trends against the previous periods or to display any rates between the KPI's
• overlapping multiple charts - in QlikView it's quite simple to do it and/or to control the visibility but in Sense it's AFAIK not available - at least not native but maybe it's meanwhile possible with some  extensions
• implementing a parallel satellite table-chart which provides appropriate extra-information and/or more detailed data

- Marcus