KPI customization

1. KPI customization

Welcome back. So far, we've focused on KPI charts that display a value for a single point in time, such as a year-to-date value; but KPIs can take it a step further and provide period-over-period insights, too.

2. Period-over-period comparison

Period-over-period analysis (often called "PoP" analysis) is a way to compare performance across different time frames. The idea is simple: you look at one period of time - like this month - and compare it to a previous, similar period such as the same month last year, to understand period-over-period trends. PoP analysis can alert business users to whether key metrics are stable or showing early warning signs of volatility which may need to be addressed. Let's learn now how KPI charts can give us helpful period-over-period insights.

3. DEMO

Revisiting our previous example of a KPI chart showing calls received, perhaps we'd like to see how the call count has changed since last year.

4. DEMO

To do this, I'll need to make sure the KPI chart is not filtered to the current year, so I'll remove the filter we placed last time and rename the KPI.

5. DEMO

It now displays a count of all calls in our table. Don't worry, we'll add a timeline to bring it back to a yearly display. KPI charts have a TIMELINE menu which displays data at specific time intervals. Let's drag [Call Date] onto TIMELINE and truncate to year.

6. DEMO

This generates what Sigma calls the TREND underneath the KPI value. The trend appears like a simplified line graph showing the history of the KPI value at the chosen date truncation. It doesn't include detailed information like axes or specific values, because it's intended to give quick insight into the recent history and direction of the KPI.

7. DEMO

After a field is added to the Timeline menu, we also have 2 options under the COMPARISON menu - Period and Column. With a year-level truncation, we can compare to the previous year, and the KPI chart will display a year-over-year percent difference as we hover over the trend.

8. DEMO

Note that hovering over the final year does not provide a comparison period, as there is no history to refer to. Sigma will provide relevant period-over-period timeframes based on the date truncation used for the TIMELINE column.

9. DEMO

For example, switching to a monthly timeline allows comparing this month to the previous month or to the same month last year. Sometimes, instead of using the default comparison options, you may have a column in your table you'd like to use for the period-over-period comparison. This is a great option when you have custom lookback periods, or if you want your comparison period to differ from the granularity of your KPIs trendline.

10. DEMO

Once you've chosen the right combination of VALUE, TIMELINE and COMPARISON values, your KPI chart can be customized even further in the Format panel. Here, you can customize the appearance of your comparison and trendlines.

11. DEMO

You may change your comparisons from percentages to absolute numbers, or indicate whether high or low comparison values are considered good or bad.

12. DEMO

You may also choose, under the Trend menu, to turn the trendline off entirely. Note that comparison metrics can still be displayed even if the trend is not.

13. Let's practice!

There are many more formatting options for KPI charts, but let's practice building some. In the next exercises you'll build more complex KPI charts, leveraging trends and period-over-period comparisons.

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