Google Analytics Dashboards have become push button simple to produce. Instead of needing to program against the Google Analytics API and having to learn its intricacies, developers can now log into the Analytics Easy Dashboard Library, register to access the Google APIs console, then generate and copy and paste a prebuilt chunk of Javascript code. This code can then be tweaked to produce the type of data desired as well as the graph or chart they want it charted in.

So, yes, the GA Dashboard is called the Analytics Easy Dashboard. And indeed it is easy.

Take a look at the screenshot above for an example.

This from the web:

“So now you can create custom Google Analytics dashboards very quickly, with minimal code,” wrote Jeetendra Soneja and Nick Mihailovski, from the Google Analytics API Team, in a blog post.

Google built the tool in conjunction with a team of University of California at Irvine students, and the company is now working with another group of students at the university to simplify the tool further.

Google Analytics is a cloud-based application that webmasters use to monitor traffic on their websites and analyze usage in order to determine the effectiveness of different content sections and ads.

It’s very much like a field guide to dashboard design. Gee, that kind of sounds like the various Dashboard Spy blogs, doesn’t it?

It retails at many book seller for about $90 but is available at amazon for $60. Use this link:

Here’s info from the publisher:

Focusing on designing the right dashboards for use in an organization, this timely, full color book reveals how to successfully deploy dashboards by building the optimal software architecture and dashboard design. In addition, it describes the value of this popular technology to a business and how it can have a significant impact on performance improvement. A unique collection of more than 120 dashboard images are organized by category. One of the chapters provides a step-by-step description of the key performance indicator (KPIs) design process. One of the appendices contains more than 1,000 examples of KPIs to help design the content of dashboards. The book also describes all the steps in a dashboard implementation and offers related advice.

Nils Rasmussen (West Hollywood, CA) is cofounder and Principal of Solver, Inc. Claire Y. Chen (Long Beach, CA) is a Senior Business Intelligence Architect at Solver, Inc. Manish Bansal (Irvine, CA) is Vice President of Sales at Solver, Inc.

Here is the table of contents:

Preface.
Book Summary.

Part 1. Introduction to Dashboards.

Chapter 1. Dashboards Definition.

Chapter 2. Dashboards’ Role in a Business Intelligence Solution.

Chapter 3. Why Dashboards Have Become so Popular.

Chapter 4. Types of Dashboards.

Chapter 5. Designing Metrics and Key Performance Indicators.

Chapter 6. Dashboard Scenario: Use Case.

Chapter 7. Getting Ready for the Implementation.

Part 2. Summary and Readiness Checklist.

Part 2. Creating the Right Business Intelligence Architecture for Dashboards.

Chapter 8. Why a Good Architecture Is Important.

Chapter 9. Data Warehouse Techniques.

Chapter 10. Data Replication and Delivery.

Chapter 11. Query Language and Interactivity.

Chapter 12. Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence Dashboard Paradigm.

Chapter 13. Mobile Business Intelligence.

Part Two. Summary and Readiness Checklist.

Part 3. Dashboard Design.

Chapter 14. Design Tips.

Chapter 15. Dashboard Examples.

Part Three. Summary and Readiness Checklist.

Part 4. Managing a Dashboard Project.

Chapter 16. Planning the Project.

Chapter 17. Engaging the Users.

Chapter 18. Project Tips.

Chapter 19. Training and Deployment.

Part Four. Summary and Readiness Checklist.

Appendix A. Software Selection Tips.

Appendix B. Installation.

Appendix C. Hardware Recommendations.

Appendix D. Security Authentication Techniques.

Appendix E. Metrics and Key Performance Indicator Examples.

About the Authors.

Index

Here’s the link:

IT Operations Management Whitepapers

The core of this whitepaper bundle is a free eBook on IT Operations Management that normally sells for $11.95. Tailored for CEOs, CIOs, Managers and Consultants (and, of course, all of us business intelligence dashboard folks!), it includes:

- The Essentials of IT Operations Management Kit – This 136-page eBook focuses on actionable ideas to manage the challenges of IT infrastructure such as how to improve availability, performance and efficiency.

- The Cloud: Promises and Realities – This white paper explores the early drivers of cloud services, how they’ve influenced current expectations and the realities of cloud computing as they relate to data control, performance, security and ROI.

- Key Strategies for Deploying Enterprise Mobility Applications – This step-by-step guide for CIOs discusses how and where to mobilize applications in their enterprise.

- Data Quality Dashboards in Support of Data Governance – Exploring data management and data quality, this white paper describes the emerging technology of data dashboards and how they are instrumental to organizations formulating data governance strategies.

Here’s the link again:

IT Operations Management Whitepapers

I believe that business analytics is meant to imply more than business intelligence, but beyond that functional distinction, I think that the marketers are having more fun with “analytics” as a concept.

The recent Gartner BI Summit 2012 held in London had a category name change. Gartner now calls the category “Business Analytics” rather than the previous “Business Intelligence and Performance Management”.

Here’s a video from 2 of the speakers talking about how the interest in business intelligence is stronger than ever. They discuss the rising use of the term “business analytics”.

Other take-aways from the show:

• Mobile presentation of business analytics dashboards is now a “must-have”.
• “In-memory” data warehousing strategies are getting “hot”.
• Interest in Business Intelligence is greater than ever.
• It’s all about the ability to make business decisions.
• Business Intelligence Competency Centers (BICC) are being renamed Business Analytics Teams (BAT)
• Business Analytics is about innovation and prediction.

He start off with the concept that data does NOT equal information. Rather, data plus context gives you the necessary information to make a business decision.

Keeping in mind the goal to improve productivity through better decision making, he keeps in mind the total cost of ownership and other advantages of using Microsoft SharePoint (a very common argument).

Here’s the video:

I subsequently discovered Stephen Few’s fabulous article entitled “Exploratory Vistas: Ways to Become Acquainted with a Data Set for the First Time” and I thought to myself, “OMG, I should have kicked off the meeting with a joint review of Stephen’s approach to getting to know the data!”.

Here is the link to the pdf: Stephen Few: Exploratory Vistas

The intro:

When you lay eyes on an unfamiliar territory for the first time, it always makes sense to get an overview before venturing into the thick of it. An unfamiliar data set is like an unknown land. Unless you have unlimited time to wander (who does?) and don’t mind getting lost, it helps to study a map before starting out. If no map exists, then you should head for high ground to get the lay of the land.

Analytical journeys are quite different from vacationing in Italy or France. Leisure travel involves a series of destinations with the hope of enjoying ourselves along the way. We want to add sweet memories to our lives of the great meals, beautiful sites, and interesting people we meet along the way. When we embark on an analytical journey, however, we don’t pre-plan all our destinations and we’re not just collecting memories. The goal of the analytical journey is a thorough understanding of the territory, often to solve specific problems. We approach the journey as if we’re preparing to become tour guides, able to explain each site in a way that ranges from its history to predictions about its future. We must learn to navigate like a native.

I really like the part about using treemaps. Here’s a look at a Panopticon treemap:

Be sure to check his pdf for more!

The Dashboard Spy

How many times have you had to do something for a client or project sponsor that you KNEW was stupid? Well, this video will help you to “grin and bear it”. Yes, as a consultant, my job is to prevent the client from making the wrong decision, but sometimes you just can’t fight it.

Hubert

I wanted to share in this post the “What the Font” resource that has become famous for helping people figure out exactly what the font is going on. It’s available at this url:

http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont

Be sure to take a look at the hints about how to format the image for best results.

Hope you graphic artists working on enterprise software projects find this helpful!

Hubert Lee
The Dashboard Spy