In this blog we talk about how one can develop a tornado chart in SAP Design Studio / Lumira Designer.
The Tornado chart, also known as the Butterfly Chart is a modified version of the Bar chart. It is often used for sensitivity analysis, where the relative performance or importance of variables are measured. The X axis of the tornado chart represents the variability of the primary objective function (measure) and the Y axis represents the distinct factors/ variables affecting the output (dimension). The bars in a Tornado chart are sorted in descending order with the parameters resulting in widest swings being placed on the top followed by the second largest next and so on. This way it helps in focusing on the variables that result in the greatest swings and identify those areas where effort should be spent to reduce uncertainty or to improve performance.
Some use cases of a Tornado chart include:
1. Performing Sensitivity Analysis
Tornado chart for sensitivity analysis
2. Comparing 2 dimensions against a metric
In this example, the Tornado chart is used to compare attrition rates by gender and department. Similarly, the chart can also be used to showcase sales of different products in two different geographies.
3. Comparing 2 measures for a given dimension
This is another use case where the Tornado chart is used to compare metrics across different time periods.
How to implement the Tornado Chart in SAP Design Studio?
Following are 6 simple steps to implement a Tornado chart. This requires use of Visual BI Extensions (VBX) for SAP Design Studio/ Lumira Designer. We’ll be using two charts – one with the axis reversed – to create the tornado effect.
Sample Data
The following sample data is for the above Tornado chart. The data is loaded into HANA
Step 1: Drag the Visual BI extension (VBX) Column/ Bar chart to the canvas and set chart type to Bar
Visual BI extensions (VBX) advanced property sheet
Step 2: Connect the data source to the chart. Navigate to the Data Series Tab in additional properties and select the Dimension and Measure using the Data utility property
Visual BI extensions (VBX) advanced property sheet
Step 3: Set the color for the chart and customize the data label properties
Visual BI extensions (VBX) advanced property sheet
Step 4: Set the Y Axis properties as follows. Note that the Reverse Axis property is the most critical as it allows the axis to switch the bar chart origin. Thus helping us achieve the desired effect of having both the series centered.
Visual BI extensions (VBX) advanced property sheet
Step 5: Set the X axis properties
Visual BI extensions (VBX) advanced property sheet
Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 for the other bar chart and assign a different color to the series. Also keep in mind that the Reverse Axis property under Y Axis Tab should be unchecked.
Voila! Your Tornado chart is ready
Looking to create a Tornado (Butterfly) Chart of you own ?
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The post Tips & Tricks: Implementing a Tornado Chart (a.k.a Butterfly Chart) in SAP Design Studio appeared first on Visual BI Solutions.