Download: Parallel Coordinates
Introduction
This article explains how to import a Parallel Coordinates Chart from D3 as a plugin in Sisense.
Purpose/Benefits
Parallel Coordinates charts are a common way to show lots of data points, and easily filter across multiple metrics. Drag and drop on the axis lines to highlight matching data points, only lines that intersect all of your selections will be visible. You can always see how many lines are visible compared to the total # of lines by looking at the indicator at the top left of the chart. Click the Set Selections button to save your selections as a dashboard filter. See the referenced wiki page for more information.
Steps
The following steps will walk through the process of adding the new chart type and creating a sample Parallel Coordinates chart.
STEP 1 - ADD THE PLUGIN
Download the attachment and unzip the contents into your C:\Program Files\Sisense\PrismWeb\plugins\folder. If you are using version 7.2 and higher unzip the contents into your C:\Program Files\Sisense\app\plugins\ folder. If the plugins folder doesn't exist, just create it. After those files have been unzipped there, you may also have to restart the web server. Now, when you create a new widget the Parallel Coordinates chart should show up in the list of options
STEP 2 - CREATE THE CHART
On your dashboard, click the Create Widget button and select Advanced Configuration. Next, select the Parallel Coordinates Chart from the chart types menu. Pick a Category, which will draw a line on the chart for each distinct member of this field. Now pick 2 or more Metrics to calculate per Category. Optionally, you can add another metric to use for the coloring.
STEP 3 - FORMAT THE CHART
There are a few formatting options available for this chart, listed below.
- Lines with Nulls - Depending on the metrics selected, you may end up with lines that have a null value for 1 or more metrics. This option lets you either hide these lines or just replace the null with a zero in order to show it on the chart.
- Reordering Metrics - When enabled, the end user can adjust the ordering of the axis' by clicking on the axis titles and drag/drop
- Rendering Method - This option defines how the chart renders. When using smaller data sets, use the instant option to draw all lines at the same time. When dealing with larger data sets, use the progressive option to draw lines in batches (faster loads for larger data sets)
- Opacity - A slider to adjust how bright/transparent the lines are colored.
References/Notes
- D3 Parallel Coordinates - GitHub project that this chart is based off
- Parallel Coordinates Wikipedia
- When clicking the Set Selections button, a dashboard filter is added for the highlighted members. This works fine for most cases, but can result in poor performance when selecting 1000+ members
- You can preset the selection brushes by making the selections in the widget editor, and clicking Apply to save the widget.
- Exporting as CSV will export data for all the lines, not just the highlighted ones.
