1. Pivot tables and charts in Sigma
In this video, we'll talk about how pivot tables and charts work in Sigma, and how they can speed up time to insight for your consumers.
2. Oakmark Bank fraudulent transactions
Executives at Oakmark Bank are eager to understand trends around fraudulent transactions being reported via their call center. It's important to them that fraud is detected rapidly and that they can anticipate and act quickly on any emerging trends in fraudulent behavior.
3. Fraudulent transaction trends
They need to understand things like:
Is the rate of fraudulent activity generally increasing or decreasing for our customers overall?
Are any merchants particularly susceptible to fraudulent activity?
Are newer Oakmark customers more likely to experience fraudulent charges than long-term customers?
Data elements like pivot tables an charts can help executives gain insight into these questions at a glance.
4. Pivot tables
Pivot tables in Sigma are used to summarize a few key variables and give consumers the ability to filter and expand and collapse the data shown in the table.
You might be wondering, can't we do this in a regular table? Technically, yes. But in practice, regular tables are better suited for building calculations and modeling logic, while pivot tables are designed for presenting results clearly.
They lay out data in a matrix with columns and rows so its easier to spot how different values relate across multiple categories.
And because they work like other program's pivot tables, they're easy for must users to pick up and feel comfortable using right away.
5. Charts
Charts are a fantastic way to quickly surface trends, patterns, and outliers that might be harder to spot in a table. They're like an aerial view of what's happening over all, while tables are like switching to street level where we can explore fine-grain detail.
In Sigma, we can build a variety of chart types from simple ones, like bar and line charts, to more advanced like KPI or scatter plots.
6. Live data
Pivot Tables and Charts are built upon existing or sourced from existing data elements, so they will also be live connections showing the newest data.
Because pivot tables and charts are built on top of an existing data element, they're referred to as "Child elements", while the table or data source they rely on is considered the "Parent".
In a later section, we'll explore more about how this relationship works, how to add filters to add more chart interactivity.
7. Let's practice!
For now, let's start exploring some examples of pivot tables and charts being configured in Sigma, and then you'll have a chance to build some to support Oakmark Bank's fraud detection team.