Strong .NET Analytics helps to develop effective business intelligence applications

An important pre-requisite for developing sophisticated business intelligence applications on Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Forms and ASP.NET is some sort of a .NET analytics component (or framework) that works with multidimensional data and has these key capabilities:

   - Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) capabilities
   - Data visualization that works with multidimensional data
   - Built-in support for commonly used analytics operations

Let’s briefly look at each one of these to better understand how GrapeCity ActiveAnalysis meets these requirements.

The ActiveAnalysis pivot view supports OLAP from the ground-up

OLAP is best described as a technique (or a way) to get fast answers to multidimensional data queries. The ActiveAnalysis pivot view uses these OLAP compatible features:

   - An OLAP compatible pivot grid that handles OLAP data
   - Support for multidimensional expressions (MDX) and local cubes as data sources
   - Data cards or data panes that help design the multidimensional data view
   - Data shelfs to host measures and dimensions for the pivot view

Also see ActiveAnalysis as a .NET/Silverlight OLAP client for Microsoft Analysis Services (SSAS).

ActiveAnalysis data visualization works with multidimensional data

ActiveAnalysis comes with built-in charts and data visualization features that are designed for multidimensional data from the ground up. They include:

   - Flexible Charting options and the ability to instantly switch between text views and chart views
   - Visually differentiating multiple data elements in the same view
   - Creating multiple views (business dashboards) for the same data
   - Plotting trend lines in both discrete and continuous modes
   - Animating timeline graphs to uncover hidden trends in data
   - Ability to select individual data points for more analysis
   - Drag and drop user interface for maximum ease of use

ActiveAnalysis implements commonly used analytics tasks

ActiveAnalysis has built-in support for common analytics tasks that include:

   - Quickly filtering data with pre-defined filters
   - Drilling down and up the data
   - Performing top down and bottom up analysis
   - Displaying summary and aggregate information
   - Ranking and sorting data
   - Undoing changes made to the analysis view
   - Exporting to Microsoft Excel for offline sharing
   - Printing and sharing of analysis results

Conclusion

GrapeCity ActiveAnalysis provides everything you need from a Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Forms and ASP.NET analytics component to help you develop complete business intelligence solutions with business dashboards, database analytics and more, with very little effort.

Using ActiveAnalysis as an OLAP Client for Microsoft Analysis Services

GrapeCity ActiveAnalysis for Silverlight, Windows Forms and ASP.NET supports Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) OLAP cubes via the built-in MDX Data Source control.

That means you can embed ActiveAnalysis in your Silverlight and .NET applications as a rich, interactive drag and drop OLAP and Data Visualization client for Microsoft Analysis Services (SSAS). If bound to an OLAP (MDX) data source, ActiveAnalysis delegates all data management and calculations to the server and this greatly increases application performance for large datasets.


Analyzing a Microsoft Analysis Services Cube or a Perspective
You can either connect to Cubes or optionally, any perspectives created within these cubes by using Microsoft Analysis Services. Perspectives are viewpoints that narrow down the amount of data available in the entire data cube to present only relevant attributes, measures, KPIs, and named sets.

Analyzing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
The KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) list contains fields that measure progress toward a goal for the organization. These are created in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services using MDX (multidimensional expressions) and calculated members. ActiveAnalysis interprets KPIs as simple measure values and if the default rendering theme is selected, it will display them as dark khaki color so they are easily distinguished from blue attributes and green measures.

Working with Named Sets
ActiveAnalysis recognizes the Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services Named Sets list. A Named Set can either be an expression or a set of dimension members. They are created in Microsoft Analysis Services using cube data, arithmetic operators, numbers, and functions to make complex set definitions reusable.

When you drag a Named Set and drop it onto an ActiveAnalysis Column or Row shelf, with the default theme, it appears in blue, like an attribute, and adds a field to the Filters shelf.

Benefit of using ActiveAnalysis with Microsoft Analysis Services (SSAS)
ActiveAnalysis can be used as a Microsoft Analysis Services (SSAS) /SQL OLAP client in Silverlight and .NET to allow end users to leverage actionable information effortlessly from all Microsoft SQL Server relational and cube data sources. Cross-tab grid views, graphs, dashboards that combine multiple views – for comprehensive business intelligence (BI) – are all available to end users via simple drag and drop actions.

For more information, see:
How to use Perspectives, KPIs, Named Sets
How to connect to a Microsoft Analysis Services MDX data source

What is a Dashboard and how to build a dashboard report

What is a dashboard report?

Stephen Few offers the most pragmatic definition of a dashboard that cuts through the marketing hype.

A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance. This is the fundamental nature of dashboards.

In addition, a dashboard can have these supporting attributes to do its job effectively.

• High-level summaries.
• Concise, clear, and intuitive display mechanisms.
• Customized for a given person, group or function.

Other items that are mentioned when discussing dashboards such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), real time displays and use of the web browser for viewing the dashboard - are nice to have but not pre-requisites for a dashboard to be useful.

What are the different types of dashboard reports?

At a very basic level, dashboards can be divided into three types:

• Dashboards that show data snapshots, with alerts and milestones highlighted.
• Dashboards that look like scorecards showing trends and performance over time.
• Dashboards that are a combination of the two.

Using ActiveReports to build a dashboard report

The following screenshot is a good example of how you can use ActiveReports by GrapeCity or your existing .NET reporting tool to present data in a dashboard format. This particular sample is taken from a healthcare reporting application developed using ActiveReports. It uses lists, bar charts, line charts and surface charts to show both snapshot data and trends in the data.

Dashboard report with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Data Dynamics Reports is a .NET business reporting tool by GrapeCity for Windows Forms and ASP.NET. It includes built-in Key Performance Indicator (KPI) controls such as spark lines and bullet graphs that give users an instantaneous view of how a KPI or other statistic is currently doing—all in a space-saving display. Data Dynamics Reports can be used to custom develop Windows Forms dashboards and ASP.NET dashboards.

The dashboard samples below use bullet graphs and spark lines and other elements. Learn more about Bullet Graphs and Spark lines or watch a video on how to develop a dashboard.

Dashboards that use data visualization

Unlike most OLAP and analysis products that are either primarily pivot tables or primarily charts, GrapeCity ActiveAnalysis grasps data at its fundamental level and offers a wide array of OLAP, data visualization and business intelligence capabilities. With the click of a button, you can turn a cross-tab pivot table into a trellis display of feature-rich charts and turn it back with another click.

The dashboard sample below is developed using ActiveAnalysis.

Another benefit of using ActiveAnalysis is that you can develop Silverlight dashboards, Windows Forms dashboards and ASP.NET dashboards using just one component.

See the code walkthrough and Learn how to develop this dashboard.

Happy dashboarding!