WebFOCUS Online Help > Managed Reporting Developer > Creating Graphs With Advanced Graph Assistant > Determining Graphing Objectives

WebFOCUS and Developer Studio offer a range of reporting tools that allow you to create reports that deliver critical information to your users. By selecting a tool that is well suited to your particular needs, you can design the information you deliver to users. One effective option with almost any type of data is a graphical presentation.

Graphs enable you to display multivariate or complex data efficiently, precisely, and in a way that a viewer can intuitively grasp. A graph is an effective presentation tool because it presents a visual idea, communicating meaningful changes in data to a user in a memorable way. By viewing your graph, a user can identify and track a change that you want them to notice.

Creating a meaningful graph is not simply a matter of applying aesthetics to your data. Instead, graphs allow you to design your presentation to capture the essential information in your data.

The first step in creating excellent graphs is determining your graphing objectives. You can break this process into several stages.

1. Assess your data:

   Look for meaningful patterns or changes in the data. Does your data change most dramatically over time or in relationship to some other value? Are there two or more sets of data that you want to compare to each other?

   Determine what movement or changes you would like to show. Which of the patterns in the data do you most want to highlight for the viewer?

2. Select the type of graph that best suits your objectives and the overall shape and flow of your data. Determine what will lead viewers to best comprehend the visual aspects of the data you want to highlight. How can the visual representations of your data be used to communicate your objectives most effectively?
3. Begin creating your graph.
4. Experiment with different graphing techniques.
5. Refine your graph and ask the following types of questions:
   • Is the chart type appropriate?
   • Are the labels accurate and useful?
   • Can the data be organized in a more meaningful way?
   • Are the sort fields in the desired order?
   • Is the level of detail appropriate? (Too much data can crowd the graph making the scope too broad and labels difficult to read. Too little data can make the graph appear sparse and the scope too narrow.)