A Waterfall widget highlights the increments and decrements of the values of metrics over time. Analysts can use the widget to identify the aspects of the business that are contributing to the fluctuations in the values. The widget can also be used to perform What-if analyses.
The widget consists of a group of clustered bars displayed from left to right. The X-axis contains either attribute elements or metrics, depending on where the attributes and metrics are placed on the widget’s template in Design Mode or Editable Mode. The Y-axis displays a range of values based on the metrics on the widget’s template.
In the widget above, metrics are displayed along the X-axis. The first bar represents the amount of sales revenue generated in 2006. The remaining bars in the widget represent the remaining metrics on the X-axis, including the Depreciation and Tax Expense metrics. These bars depict the business factors that diminished revenue and one factor (the Other Gains and Losses metric) that increased revenue. As a group, these bars highlight the contributions of various aspects of the business on total revenue from sales. This final value is represented by the last bar on the right, which represents Net Income for 2006.
To create a Waterfall widget
Add the widget to a document in Web
Open the document in Design or Editable Mode.
From the Insert menu, point to Widgets, and then select Waterfall.
Click the location on the document, other than in the Detail section, to place the widget. The widget template, which is similar to a standard grid container, is displayed. A small icon is displayed at the bottom right of the widget template, identifying the type of widget that you added to the document.
If desired, resize the widget by clicking and dragging its handles.
Add objects to the widget template
From the Dataset Objects panel on the left, select attributes and metrics, and drag them on top of the widget, as described below.
Place at least one attribute and/or one metric on the rows of the widget template.
The elements of attributes placed on the rows are displayed on the X-axis.
Metrics placed on the rows are displayed on the X-axis of the widget. Bars based on the values of these metrics are displayed in the widget. If the metrics used in your document provide the increments and decrements for the widget, it is recommended that you place the metrics on the rows.
When both attributes and metrics are placed on the rows, a combination of those objects is displayed on the X-axis.
Place at least one attribute and/or one metric on the columns of the widget template.
Metrics placed on the columns are displayed in the legend. Bars based on the values of the metrics are displayed in the widget.
The elements of attributes placed on the columns are displayed in the legend.
When both attributes and metrics are placed on the columns, a combination of those objects is displayed on the X-axis.
View the widget in Flash Mode
To view and interact with the widget, switch to Flash Mode by selecting Flash Mode from the View menu.
Note: If Flash Mode is not available in the View menu, you must make Flash Mode available for this document.
Specify if the metrics in the widget should be used to generate the increments and decrements bars
Right-click the widget and select Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.
Do one of the following:
To ensure that increments and decrements bars are displayed in the widget in the same order of the metrics on the widget template, select the Increments/Decrements Provided check box.
It is recommended that you use this method when the metrics are on the rows of the widget template and the attributes are on the columns of the widget template. This allows you to place the metrics along the X-axis in a specific order and display the increment and decrement bars in that same order.
To ensure that the increments and decrements bars in the widget are generated automatically, clear the Increments/Decrements Provided check box.
It is recommended that you use this method when the metrics are on the columns of the widget template and the attributes are on the rows of the widget template.
Use the Text For Last Entry field to specify a name or label for the bar on the far right of the widget. For example, you can create a label for the bar called Final Value or End of 2008.
Click OK.
Modify the widget
In Flash Mode, right-click the widget and select Properties. The Waterfall dialog box opens.
Color
Apply Increment/Decrement Color: Select this option to apply the increment and decrement colors so that you can make a better distinction between the positive and negative values in the widget.
Increments Base Color: Select a color to represent the increments values.
Decrements Base Color: Select a color to represent the decrements values
Border Color: Select a color to border the entire widget.
Data
Increments/Decrements Provided: Select whether to include the increments and decrements values in the widget.
Text for Last Entry: Type in a name for the final value on the widget. Use something that makes sense to you. For instance, Final Value or Ending Value.
Number of target lines (0-10): Add value reference lines to the widget so that you can read your data more efficiently. You can drag these lines up and down on the widget depending on what you want their values to be. Select up to 10 lines to display in the widget.
Add Connecting Lines: Determine whether you want to add lines that connect each set of data to one another.
Show Bar Handlers: You can drag each bar of data from its ends to alter the data you see in the widget. This allows you to see a broader portion of data. Determine whether you want to display the handlers letting you know where to drag the bars of data.
Inherit graph formatting: This options allows you to select whether the widget values -- the percentage or currency, for example -- display in the same format as they do in the graph from which they were added to the widget.
Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.
To use the widget as a selector
A Waterfall widget consists of a group of clustered bars. You can enable these bars as selectors, so that clicking a bar or section of a bar displays data related to it in all target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the dashboard.
For example, if an attribute is placed on the columns of the widget template and enabled as a selector, the elements of that attribute are displayed in the widget’s legend in Flash Mode. An analyst can select items from the legend to update target Grid/Graphs and panel stacks in the dashboard. Metrics can also be used as selectors.
In Design or Editable Mode, do one of the following:
Right-click the attribute, custom group, or consolidation in the Grid/Graph to use as the selector, and choose Edit Selector. The Configure Selector dialog box opens.
Right-click the Metrics column in the Grid/Graph, and choose Edit Selector. The Configure Selector dialog box opens.
Select the target Grid/Graph or panel stack in the list of available targets on the left. Click > to add it to the list of selected targets on the right. You can select multiple targets.
The attribute, custom group, or consolidation you selected in the Grid/Graph is the source, and the selected Grid/Graph is the target. The Action Type of the selector is set the Select Element.
To ensure that the user can select more than one element in the widget, select the Show option for All check box.
To ensure that the element displayed in the selector changes if an element is chosen in another selector, select Allow selection to be updated by other selectors.
Click OK to apply the changes and return to the document.
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