Introduction to FileMaker 12 Charting

A. Introduction B. Common Terminology C. Introduction to Chart Types D. Creating a Chart in FileMaker E. About Quick Charts 1. Quick Chart Behavior When Based on Sort Order F. Chart Examples 1. Charting Summary Data 2. Charting Summary Data pt. 2 3. Charting Multiple Data Series from One Source Field ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT This document will help you better understand charting in FileMaker Pro, and will assist in the creation and planning of charts. This document focuses on the creation of basic charts rather than the details of chart configuration. You may need to refer to FileMaker Pro Help, documentation or the FileMaker forums for more advanced assistance. For further details on configuration, please review the Charting topics listed in FileMaker Pro Help menu > New features in FileMaker Pro 12. Note: In this document, FileMaker Pro will refer to both FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Pro Advanced unless specified. This document is specifically relevant to FileMaker Pro 12 and later versions. ABOUT CHARTS/COMMON TERMINOLOGY Axis FileMaker charts data points in a two dimensional plane consisting of the x-­‐axis, or horizontal line, and y-­‐axis or vertical line. Data falls into an x-­‐axis/y-­‐axis coordinate point. The accumulation of these data points forms your chart. As an example, in Figure A-­‐1, 2011 real estate monthly sales totals are tracked. The months are listed along the x-­‐axis while sales figures are listed on the y-­‐axis. In the chart, the value $9,938,575 takes its appropriate height along the y-­‐axis and is referenced against April on the x-­‐axis. This value represents a data point on the chart. Figure B-­‐1 FileMaker Customer Support Page 1 of 25 Chart Setup dialog Charts and quick charts are configured through the chart setup dialog. This dialog consists of two sections: the preview pane and the chart inspector. The preview pane gives a live preview of the chart while the chart inspector allows you to add fields, change styles, etc. Data Series Data points that are plotted in your chart. For example, a value for January 2011 would represent a data point. The values for January-­‐December 2011 would represent a data series. When multiple data series are charted, each data series is displayed in its own color and is defined in the chart’s legend, if included. Data Source The data source is where FileMaker will look to grab chartable data. There are three options: -­‐Current Found Set will chart the records currently being browsed. -­‐Current Record (delimited data) will chart multiple data entries from a single field when each data value in the filed is separated by a carriage-­‐return character. -­‐Related Records will chart data existing in related records Layout Part -­‐ A section of a layout that organizes or summarizes information. Layout parts include Body, Header, Footer, Title Header, Title Footer, leading and trailing Grand Summary, and leading and trailing Subsummary. Layout parts affect how data is charted: FileMaker Customer Support Page 2 of 25 Legend A key that identifies the colors assigned to a data series in a chart. As an example, in a bar chart comparing total sales by year, a legend might help indicate which colored bar references which year. Quick Chart Quick charts refer to charts created directly within Browse mode. Summarized Data Contains the result of a summary calculation of values across a group of records. INTRODUCTION TO CHART TYPES Column and Bar charts Column and bar charts are typically used to compare two or more numerical values taken on different dates (amount of homes shown the week of October 1st vs. the amount of homes shown the week of October 8th) or under different conditions (amount of short sale homes closed vs. amount of private owners homes closed for October). Column and bar charts can be used to compare single or multiple data categories. To compare 3rd quarter real estate sales figures for 2010 and 2011, a multi-­‐series column or bar chart is used. FileMaker Customer Support Page 3 of 25 Stacked Column and Bar chart The stacked column and bar charts are used to compare two or more numerical taken on different dates or under different conditions. However, stacked column and bar charts are also used to compare parts to the whole. In the example below, a stacked column chart is used to analyze total number of homes sold between April, May, and June 2011. Each column further displays how many private owner, short sales, and foreclosures were sold within each month. Positive/negative column chart Use a positive/negative column chart to compare positive and negative values. Positive values appear above a mid-­‐point (zero, by default although the mid-­‐point is customizable) and negative values appear below the mid-­‐point. A real estate employee uses the positive/negative chart to track whether their quarterly sales quotas were met. In this chart, the custom mid-­‐point is set to $300,000. FileMaker Customer Support Page 4 of 25 Line chart A line chart shows data that changes continuously over time. Line charts connect a contiguous series of data points with a line. Each data point represents an individual measurement. Line charts are good for showing the rise and fall of data over time In the example below, a line chart is used to visualize the sales trends between 2009-­‐2011. Pie Chart Show the relationship of each data series value to the total of all data in the series charted. A pie chart is best for showing proportions within a single data series. You can display percentage values for each data point (slice of the pie). In the example below, a pie chart is used to display each office's yearly sales totals in proportion to their overall part in their company’s gross. FileMaker Customer Support Page 5 of 25 Scatter Plot chart A Scatter plot is used to display a correlation between two variables. If the trend of data values rises from left to right, the trend is considered positive. If the trend falls from left to right, the trend is considered negative. If data points reveal no clear slope, the data is considered not correlated. A scatter chart can compare large numbers of data points without regard to time. Use a scatter chart to compare the number of beverages sold at a restaurant as the temperature changed throughout the day. In this example, the Scatter Plot chart is used to determine any correlation between the down payment paid and first time home buyers. FileMaker Customer Support Page 6 of 25 Bubble chart Aside from the x and y axis, a bubble chart introduces a third variable: the radius of each bubble. Bubble charts compare individual data points in terms of size or magnitude. In this example, a Bubble chart is used to compare one office’s sales team based on the amount of homes sold, the average price of the home, and the total amount of sales. CREATING A CHART IN FILEMAKER Note: Go to FileMaker Pro > Help for examples on how to create additional charts. Begin by determining which chart type will best get the point across. Is the goal a comparison of two or more numeric values over a period of time (bar, column chart)? Display percentages (stacked column, pie chart)? In this example, a line chart will best visualize total monthly sales trends for 2009, 2010, and 2011. Each line is referred to as a data series, or data points being tracked. For instance, 2011's monthly sales figures (January total, February total, March total, etc.) represent 2011's data series. Figure D-­‐1 FileMaker Customer Support Page 7 of 25 Assume that each data series exists within three individual fields in FileMaker alongside a Month field (Figure D-­‐2). Figure D-­‐2 Go to View > Layout Mode and click the chart icon in the toolbar; the cursor will change from pointer to a plus sign. Click, hold, and draw the chart to its desired size in an open area of the layout. Once the object is drawn, the Chart Setup window will appear (Figure D-­‐3). The Chart Setup window is divided into two areas: a preview pane and the Chart Inspector. Figure D-­‐3 FileMaker Customer Support Page 8 of 25 Preview Pane Chart Inspector As fields and settings are configured, a live preview of the chart will be displayed. Note: Depending on the size of data being charted, FileMaker may take a few moments to fully render the chart. At any point in the process, stop FileMaker from rendering the chart by clicking the pause icon located in the lower right corner of the preview pane. Additionally, the options 'Use actual data' or 'Use sample data' can be selected in a drop down menu to the right of the pause icon. When the option 'Use sample data' is selected, the image in the preview pane will not reflect the current or final result. However, because FileMaker is not rendering actual data with every change, 'Use sample data' can be beneficial when working with larger databases or more complex charts. The chart inspector (Figure D-­‐4) to the right of the preview pane has three sections for configuration: • Chart -­‐ Add and remove data series, chart legends, titles • Styles -­‐ Change colors, font • Data Source -­‐ Specify current found set, delimited data, related data Figure D-­‐4 FileMaker Customer Support Page 9 of 25 Chart Setup Window > Chart Values for the Title, X-­‐Axis, and Y-­‐Axis fields can be entered three ways: • Manually enter literal text (Title fields) or field names and calculations (x-­‐axis and y-­‐axis fields) •
Click on the icon to the right of the appropriate field and select 'Specify field name...' Choose or create a field from the Specify Field. •
Click on the icon to the right of the appropriate field and select 'Specify calculation.' Enter a calculation in the Specify Calculation window. In this example, it is more efficient to add the literal text "2009-­‐2011 Sales" to the chart's main Title field. Next, select the desired chart from the Type drop down menu. To create a chart similar to Figure D-­‐1, select a line chart. To add values to the x-­‐axis or horizontal axis, click the icon to the right of the Data field and choose 'Specify field name... ' From the list of fields that appear in the FileMaker Customer Support Page 10 of 25 Specify field window, select the Month field (Figure D-­‐5). Adding the Month field and its values as data points across the x-­‐axis is much more efficient than manually entering a literal string of "January February March..." and so on. Furthermore, time spent aligning back and forth will be saved. Figure D-­‐5 Now, the y-­‐axis variables must be configured. Each field's values represent a numeric data point for the year. For example, in January 2011 FM Real Estate made $3,478,928. In February 2011, FM Real Estate garnered $7,127,928. The values for each month and year will be a data point on the chart. Ideally, data would be spread out between years. Luckily in this configuration, the data is already split between three fields. Each field has its own values and will thus create a line of comparison between each other. Begin by clicking the icon to the right of the Y-­‐axis data field and selecting 'Specify Field Name.' From the list of fields that appear, select Sales_2011. The chart inspector should look similar to Figure D-­‐6. Below the Y-­‐axis Data field, click on the 'Add a Y Series' button and again choose 'Specify Field Name.' Select the Sales_2010 field. Notice that the Y-­‐axis section changes when two or more data series are specified (Figure D-­‐7). Click on the plus or minus sign to add or remove data series. Click and drag a data series up or down to rearrange its position in the graph. FileMaker Customer Support Page 11 of 25 Figure D-­‐6 Figure D-­‐7 FileMaker Customer Support Page 12 of 25 Below the Y data series section, check the Show Legend checkbox. The Legend is a chart key used to help you separate one data series from another. For our example chart, the Legend indicates which color, or line in the chart, represents each year. In the Axis options, change the angle of chart labels along with assigning the fields a data type. Click on the Y-­‐axis tab in the Axis Options section. Verify that the Data Type is Number and the format is currency. Check the 'thousands separator' checkbox and select the $-­‐1234 option in the Notation drop down. The labels on the Y-­‐axis should now include a currency format. The final chart section should look similar to Figure D-­‐8. Figure D-­‐8 FileMaker Customer Support Page 13 of 25 Next, open the Styles section in the chart inspector (Figure D-­‐9). Most of the aesthetic configuration is listed here such as color schemes, grid lines, and font modification. Figure D-­‐9 FileMaker Customer Support Page 14 of 25 Open the Data Source section. This section allows you to choose where you want FileMaker to pull data. This documentation will only cover current found set. Figure D-­‐10 Click the Done button and go to Browse Mode. The finished product should look similar to the following: Figure D-­‐11 FileMaker Customer Support Page 15 of 25 QUICK CHARTS Due to the previous reliance on Layout Mode, chart creation was only available to database developers or administrators. Quick Charts now allows charts to be created directly in Browse Mode. This allows all users the opportunity to create, print and modify custom charts. To access the quick chart menu, ctrl-­‐click (Mac) or right-­‐click (Windows) the desired fields on the layout. Or, in Table view, hover the mouse pointer to the right of the column name and click on the drop down menu arrow. Figure E-­‐1 Configuration within the quick chart setup window is comparable to working within the setup window that appears in Layout Mode. Specific to quick charts, however, is the ability to print. To do so, click on the Print Chart button in the bottom left corner of the preview pane at any point in the chart's creation. Because these charts are created in Browse Mode, you have the option to save the chart as a layout. Subject to access privileges, clicking the Save as Layout button will make the chart viewable as a layout for future use. FileMaker Customer Support Page 16 of 25 Figure E-­‐2 Quick Chart Behavior When Based on Sort Order Prior to chart creation, records are often sorted as a step toward graphing summarized data or charts where data points represent groups of data instead of individual records. For instance, a bar chart comparing second quarter sales between real estate offices may result from a subsummary part sorting records of sales transactions by each office and a summary field totaling each office's sales amount. When creating a quick chart based on a sort order, it is important to note that if needed, FileMaker creates a summary field without prompting based on the first sorted field and incorporates it into the requested chart. The summary field exists in the context of the set up window unless the chart is saved as a layout. Doing so will add the summary field to the current table. If the chart is cancelled or the window is closed, the summary field will be removed. To manage this field, toggle the Summary drop down menu in the chart inspector's Y-­‐axis data section (Figure E-­‐3 and E-­‐4). To bypass this field to graph individual records, choose 'None' from the Summary drop down menu and select 'Individual record data' from the Data Source tab in the chart inspector. FileMaker Customer Support Page 17 of 25 Figure E-­‐3 Figure E-­‐4 CHART EXAMPLES Scenario 1: Charting Summary Data In this example, real estate agents want verify how their clients discovered the company. For every answer, a value is added in the Discovered_Through field indicating print, television, the Internet, etc. Marketing hopes to analyze this information to help focus their efforts in advertising appropriately. In a choice between summarized data and individual records, summarized data will best provide an accurate graph. The desired chart requires a comparison between groups of similar information as opposed to emphasizing the differences of one record to another. Grouping records can be accomplished through Table view's dynamic reporting or by manually created subsummary report. In this example, a quick chart based on sort order is used to achieve results. Figure F-­‐1 FileMaker Customer Support Page 18 of 25 After sorting by the Discovered_Through field, the quick chart menu is accessed by hovering the pointer to the right of the column name and clicking on the drop down arrow. The option "Chart by Discovered Through..." is selected. Figure F-­‐2 Although a summary field specified to count the number of responses in each category does not exist in the current table, the initial chart preview indicates otherwise. Data has been divided into multiple categories that contain the appropriate number of total responses. How is that so if steps were not made to group and count data? Figure F-­‐3 FileMaker Customer Support Page 19 of 25 When a quick chart is created and based on a sort order, FileMaker will determine if a summary field based on the first sorted field is needed. The field exists in the context of the Chart setup window and is only added to the current Table when the chart is saved as a layout. For further details see the section Quick Chart Behavior When Based on Sort Order. For this chart, FileMaker created a summary field that counts the number of responses in each category. In the Y-­‐axis section of the chart inspector > chart tab, this newly created summary field can be managed through the Summary drop down menu. Additional summary types can be selected from the list, though the summary type 'Count' is suitable. Figure F-­‐4 While the default bar chart works for the comparison of group response numbers, Marketing was hoping to emphasize the comparison of response numbers per group in relation to the total amount of third quarter responses received. Switching the FileMaker Customer Support Page 20 of 25 chart type from bar to pie better demonstrates Marketing's goals. Next, the 'Show Legend' and 'Show Values on Chart' > 'Percentages' options are enabled and, finally, text is added to the Title field. Figure F-­‐5 Scenario 2: Charting Multiple Data Series from One Source Field To produce accurate results, you may frequently find yourself in the position of data manipulation through relationships, sorting, calculations, and summaries. Note the difference in how data is stored between Figure G-­‐1 and Figure G-­‐2. While both databases track monthly sales totals for 2009 through 2011, the required steps to build a chart comparing monthly trends differ greatly. In Figure G-­‐1, each year is represented by their own field: Sales_2009, Sales_2010, and Sales_2011. In the easier of the two, each field name would be added as its own data series to complete the task. In Figure G-­‐2, all of the sales data is contained within a single field, Sales. While other alternatives to achieve this goal exist, the example outlined in this section will discuss how to chart multiple data series from one source field using calculations. Figure G-­‐1 FileMaker Customer Support Page 21 of 25 Figure G-­‐2 To start, records should be sorted (Month_No, Year) so that January records are followed by February records, and so on. In Layout Mode, draw a chart in the layout's body part using the chart tool in the Status bar. Once the chart setup window appears, add the month field to the X-­‐axis data. In the chart inspector > data source section, summarized data will be enabled by default. Choose individual record data so that all of the sorted records appear on the X-­‐axis (Figure G-­‐3). Figure G-­‐3 FileMaker Customer Support Page 22 of 25 In the Y-­‐axis section, click on the icon and add the Sales field. The preview window should look similar to Figure G-­‐4 which is the result we want to avoid. The 2009, 2010, and 2011 data we need to separate remain in a single data series. Figure G-­‐4 Remove the Sales field from the Y-­‐axis data section and click on the icon to the right. Select "Specify calculation" and enter the following: If ( [database name]::Year = "2011" ; [database name]::Sales ; "" ) We're telling FileMaker: if the value in the Year field equals 2011, show the value. Otherwise, leave it blank. Once completed, click on the Add a Y Series button and FileMaker Customer Support Page 23 of 25 then the icon associated with the new section. Add a similar calculation for the year 2010 and then repeat this process for 2009 to create data series specific to each year. Figures G-­‐5 shows a line chart with 2011 data while Figure G-­‐6 shows a line chart including 2009, 2010, and 2011 values. Figure G-­‐5 Figure G-­‐6 While the Y-­‐axis data series have been successfully separated, the X-­‐axis remains an issue. Ideally, all three data series would be aligned under one month's name. However, keep in mind that the chart's data source is based off of individual records; it is not possible to have a Y-­‐axis data point from record 1 align with the X-­‐
axis value from record 3. We can create a calculation similar to the one used to establish the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Y-­‐axis data series. But instead of creating three data series to display, this calculation will only display the values for one year. From the X-­‐axis data section, click on the icon to the right. Select "Specify calculation..." and enter the following: If ( FM Real Estate::Year = 2010 ; FM Real Estate::Month ; "" ) This calculation will only show the January-­‐December values for 2010 though we could use the same calculation for 2011 or 2009 depending on preference. Again, while the values are not completely aligned, this addresses the multiple values displayed on the X-­‐axis. Figure G-­‐7 FileMaker Customer Support Page 24 of 25 FileMaker Customer Support Page 25 of 25