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Crystal's Topic

Before you start talking with your data, it is crucial for you to familiarize yourself with the concept of what we call "Topic".

Topics are the foundational units of information that enable meaningful interactions with Crystal.

In fact, asking Crystal a question means asking about a Topic, and at the same time, receiving an answer means receiving a Topic.

So, let's get started!

Understand Topics

From an analytical perspective, Topics are aggregations of data that form a specific Key Performance Indicator (KPI) or Insight. As such, they represent a specific data analysis.

These are the data types that constitute a Topic:

N.
Data Type
Mandatory / Optional

1

Objective / Visualization

Mandatory

2

Topic Chart

Mandatory

3

Main Entity / Main Entities

Mandatory

4

Time Range Filter

Mandatory

5

Dynamic Filters

Optional

6

Key Values

Optional

Let's dive deeper into each of them!

Objective / Visualization

The Objective is the purpose of the data analysis expressed by the Topic.

The Objective answers the question: "What specific insights or outcomes am I seeking with this particular Topic?"

Each Objective is further illustrated by a specific Visualization, i.e. a specific visual support to express the Objective. Each Objective can be expressed by one or more Visualizations.

Discover the Objectives available on Crystal, their purpose, and their Visualizations:

Comparison

Purpose To show the similarity or difference between different items or facts.

Example "Can you provide a comparison of Sales vs. Budget?"

Visualizations

  • Bar Charts (Default)

    • Single Column

    • Single Column Pos. Neg.

    • Clustered Column - Single Entity

    • Clustered Column - Multi Entity

  • Scatterplots (Default)

    • Two-Dimensional

    • Three-Dimensional

  • Line Charts (Optional)

    • Single Line

    • Multi Line - Single Entity

    • Multi Line - Multi Entity

Please Note

Even though Bar Charts and Scatterplot are the defaul Visualizations for Comparison Topics, since Release 2.58 you can change Chart from the Topic Card and choose to visualize a Comparison as a Line Chart too (only in the case of Bar Charts, not for Scatterplots)!

You can choose to visualize the data inside the Topic as a Table too.

Composition

Purpose To show the breakdown of a total into its individual parts.

Example "Give me a breakdown of total shoe sales by item number." NB: This objective efficiently works with positive values only.

Visualizations

  • Breakdown (Donut Chart)

Please Note

Since Release 2.58 you can change Chart from the Topic Card and choose to visualize the data inside the Topic as a Table too.

Overtime

Purpose To show the evolution of data over a specific period.

Example "Can you show me sales over the last month?"

Visualizations

  • Line Charts (Default)

    • Single Line

    • Multi Line - Single Entity

    • Multi Line - Multi Entity

  • Bar Charts (Optional)

    • Single Column

    • Single Column Pos. Neg.

    • Clustered Column - Single Entity

    • Clustered Column - Multi Entity

Please Note

Even though Line Charts are the defaul Visualizations for Overtime Topics, since Release 2.58 you can change Visualizations from the Topic Card and choose to visualize an Overtime as a Bar Chart too!

You can choose to visualize the data inside the Topic as a Table too.

Progress

Purpose To show the status of an item or fact in relation to an objective or scale.

Example "How long will it take to reach my 2020 sales target?"

Visualizations

  • Gauges

    • Progress

    • Donut

Please Note

Since Release 2.58 you can change Chart from the Topic Card and choose to visualize the data inside the Topic as a Table too.

Description

Purpose To show a card or form with the detailed information of an item or entity.

Example "Can you give me the product details of the X3 sneakers."

Visualizations

  • Light Table

Highlight

Purpose To show a single, highlighted value indicating the state or level of an item or fact.

Example "Show me the total amount of X3 sneakers sold."

Visualizations

  • Scaled-up number

  • Text

Please Note

Since Release 2.58 you can change Chart from the Topic Card and choose to visualize the data inside the Topic as a Table too.

List

Purpose To show a list of items, which by default don't follow any particular order but can be arranged in the preferred column as needed.

Example "Show me a list of vendor locations."

Visualizations

  • Table

Ranking

Purpose Show the position of different ordered items (it can be considered as an ordered List).

Example "Who were the top sellers this the past month?"

Visualizations

  • Table

"Breakdown" is the Visualization of the Objective "Composition"

You can dive deeper into Objectives and Visualizations here.

Topic Chart

The Topic Chart is the actual graphical representation of data based on the specific Objective and Visualization expressed by the Topic.

Each Visualization has its own Charts, for example:

  • Comparisons can be represented by Bar Charts or Scatterplots of different kinds

  • Progress can be represented by Gauges of different kinds

  • Breakdown can be represented by a Donut Chart

A Donut Chart representing the Breakdown Visualization (Composition Objective)

Please Note

Topic Charts are always interactive, allowing you to explore your data in greater depth!

For example, you can engage with the legend to filter out some data or you can highlight parts of the Chart to access detailed information via a tooltip.

Main Entity / Main Entities

When an Entity assumes the role of primary metric within the Topic, it is called a "Main Entity".

Topics can have a single main Entity or more main Entities, based on the type of Objective and Visualization. For example:

  • a Composition Topic is made up by a Single Main Entity

  • a Multi-Line Graph can be made up by Multi Entities

Topic with a single custom main Entity ("Country by Product Name")
Topic with multiple main Entities ("Maintenance Cost", "Earning", and "Profit")

Time Range Filter

A Time Range Filter is a specific time restriction applied to a Topic to limit the scope of the analysis.

Please Note

Each Topic always comes with a Time Filter applied by default, because it is not possible to have an analysis that is not time restricted.

Time Range Filter

Time Ranges can be:

  • Dynamic, when they are updated over time based on the actual current date.

    • For example:

      • "today", "yesterday", "tomorrow"

      • "this year" (selects the time range between January 1st of the current year and today)

      • "last year" (selects the time range between January 1st and December 31st of the previous year)

      • “last week” (selects the time range starting from yesterday and ending 7 days prior)

      • etc.

  • Custom, when they identify a specific time range with defined starting and ending dates:

    • For example: "from 01/03/2023 to 29/12/2024".

Dynamic Filters

Dynamic Filters are Entities used to narrow down the Topic's analysis scope, by filtering the main Entity based on a specific Value.

When an Entity takes on the role of a filter, like in the case of Dynamic Filters, it is called a "Filter Entity". Dynamic Filters can hence also be called "Filter Entities".

Dynamic Filters can be:

  • Numeric, either positive or negative

    • For example: currencies, item codes, sizes, etc.

  • Non-numeric

    • For example: countries, towns, areas, item names, customer names, etc.

Each Filter Entity is defined by a Value (also called Entity Value): the elemental data units that define the specific metric represented by the Filter. While an Entity represents a metric, the Entity Value is the concrete instance or measurement within that metric.

For example:

  • If the Filter Entity is "Revenue”, the corresponding values could include specific amounts like "$10,000," "$15,000," etc.

  • If the Filter Entity is "Country", the corresponding values could include "Argentina", "Italy", "United States", etc.

Please Note

The presence of Dynamic Filters is optional.

Dynamic Filters

Key Values

Key Values are numeric values that summarize data relevant to the Topic.

Please Note

The presence of Key Values is optional.

Key Values

Discover the Topic Card

Remember that each Topic always comes inside of a Topic Card, which acts like the Topic’s control panel.

Here are the components of a Topic Card:

  1. Topic Title The summary of the Objective and Main Entities

  2. Topic The actual Topic with all its components (Filters, Chart, Key Values)

  3. Topic Actions All the actions that can be performed on the Topic or the Topic Card

The Topic Card

Actions

Here is a list of all the Topic actions you can perform from the Topic Card, based on its access point.

For more information about each capability, please refer to the dedicated section of the documentation.

Topic Card's Lower Band

At the bottom of the Topic Card, you'll find a section of useful functions available with just one click.

These functions include:

Filter

The first button on the Topic Card's lower band allows you to filter the Topic.

You can also filter Topics directly in a conversation!

Alert

The second button on the Topic Card's lower band allows you to set an alert for the Topic you are viewing, by either:

  • Setting an Anomaly Detection

  • Scheduling a Topic

You can also set an Anomaly Detection in a conversation!

Save

The third button on the Topic Card's lower band allows you to add the Topic to a Data Story or to several Data Stories available.

Share

The fourth button on the Topic Card's lower band allows you to share any Topic with your colleagues, to facilitate collaboration and let other team members explore the company's most relevant data and insights.

Lower band actions

At the top right of the Topic Card, you'll find a dedicated menu - with three dots - to access useful functions with just one click.

These functions include:

Export

These buttons allow you to export the topic in Excel or PDF format.

Ask

This button allows you to ask again for a specific Topic without needing to type the request a second time.

Forecast (Beta)

For Overtime type Topics only, you can request a trend forecast to see how it will evolve in the future.

You can also set a Forecast directly in a conversation!

This capability is currently in Beta Version.

Menu actions

Change Chart

Since Release 2.58, at the top right of the Topic Card, next to the menu, you'll find a new button to change Chart in just one click.

Change Chart action

Expanded Mode

You can choose to view a Topic Card in expanded mode. Just click on the "Expand" button next to the menu on the top right corner to see a bigger version of the Topic Card and explore the Topic Chart more easily.

The expanded Topic Card still carries all the actions and Insights available in the Card's normal version.

Expand Icon
Expanded Topic Card

Types of Topics

All the Topics available on Crystal look the same, are made of the same elements, and support the same actions from the Topic Cards.

However, the recently introduced Entity-Based Conversation capability has defined two different types of Topics to consider:

  • Configured Topics

  • Auto-generated Topics

Configured Topics

Configured Topics are the results of the Topic Configuration process, also called Topic creation, which has been the primary way to generate Topics until now.

Topic configuration / creation can only be implemented by Admin Users in the Crystal Console and basically consists in manually creating the Topic from scratch by choosing all the elements described in the sections above (Objective, Entities, Filters, etc.).

These kinds of Topics will be available for Member Users in Advisor only after the conclusion of the creation process (publication step) and only if the Admin has granted the viewing permissions for those Topics.

Here are a few simple conversational rules to ask about this kind of topic.

Please Note

When interacting with the configured Topics in Crystal Advisor, some of the elements chosen by the Admin will remain set and not editable, whereas others can be changed.

Non-editable elements:

  • Objective and Visualization

  • Topic Chart

  • Main Entities

  • Key Values

Editable elements:

  • Time Range Filters

  • Dynamic Filters

In particular, Filters in the Advisor can be changed in several different ways: either in aConversation, through the Filter Topics capability, or in the Topics Section.

Auto-generated Topics

As the name suggests, Topics that are auto-generated are automatically produced by Crystal, without the need for the Admin User to create them from scratch.

This is a new method for Topic generation, which allows you to ask questions beyond the scope of Configured Topics, i.e. you will be able to ask about any Topic, without necessarily relying on Topic Creation.

You can generally ask about auto-generated Topics the same way you ask about configured Topics.

Take a look at the "Entity-Based Conversation" article to learn more about how Crystal generates Topics, and how to ask about them.

Now you are ready to explore your data!


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