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Analyzing Data
Discoverer provides a series of data analysis techniques that you can apply to your worksheets.
- Sorting--arranges data into meaningful, useful sequences so that you can easily analyze the information and prepare reports. For example, to prepare a report showing sales figures by store name, you would first sort the data by store name. You can then summarize the sales figures for each store. Click to learn more about Sorting Data.
- Pivoting rows and columns--reorganizes data to gain different perspectives on it. When pivoting data, you move the data from one axis to another to arrange it for efficient analysis. That is, you can move rows to become columns, or columns to become rows. For example, you might want to view annual sales data side-by-side on a worksheet for easy comparison. You might then want to compare the data on a store-by-store basis for the same periods. In most cases, just by pivoting the data you can quickly and easily switch between different views of the data. Click to learn more about Pivoting Data.
- Drilling into and out of levels of detail--you use drilling to either consolidate data to see it at an aggregate level, or to see finer levels of detail. You drill out to get the big picture; you drill in to see the details. Click to learn more about Drilling Into and Out of the Data.
- Adding calculations to data--calculations produce additional data for worksheets. Simple calculations based on the data in a worksheet can produce typical business answers, such as sales commissions per salesperson, royalty fees paid to a supplier, and so on. Complex calculations can find the answers to more complicated questions including "what if" scenarios. In other words, instead of merely viewing data to find trends and answers, you can use calculations to rigorously analyze the data using mathematical techniques. Click to learn more about Adding Calculations to Worksheets.
- Totaling Data--numeric data on worksheets is presented in rows and columns. You can sum their data to produce totals and sub-totals. Click to learn more about Totaling Numeric Data.
- Finding Percentages--finding percentages is a typical data analysis task. Percentages are added in a new column on a table. Click to learn more about Calculating Percentages.
- Graphing your data--create a variety of graphs based upon your worksheet data. Choose from standard graph types, such as bar or pie, and customize graph elements such as the legend and Marker colors. Click to learn more about Graphing Your Data.
