Visual performance signals II

  • Apr. 06, 2010
Example files with this article:
  • Visual performance signals

    • Introduction

    The exact same technique as documented on the previous page, can serve us equally well for Trend analyses:

    Trend analysis

    You might for instance compare the Value in a particular month to that in the previous month. The TM1 rule will then be a a little more complex than before, but the same line of reasoning is used: the rule should give us the outcomes 1, -1 or 0. Remember the use of the SIGN function.

    When it comes to the Excel custom number formatting, here are the differences when you want to show arrows:

    1. Choose the Wingdings font instead of Webdings.
    2. Convert the values of 1, 0 and -1 into another symbol:
      ValueNew symbol
       1ä
      -1æ
       0à
      So here is the custom number formatting:    \ä;æ;\à
    3. Lastly, apply a nice color for your new symbols:
      ValueColor
       1Green
      -1Red
       0Black
      The custom number formatting with colors:    [Green]\ä;[Red]æ;\à

    These are nice little tricks that are easy to use but with a big impact on the users and management!

    To sum up, download the file you found on top of page 1 of this article.

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    Wim Gielis is a Business Intelligence consultant and Excel expert

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