Before you start to talk with your data, it is crucial for you to familiarize with the concept of Topic.
Topics are the foundational units of information that enable meaningful interactions with Crystal.
In fact, asking a question to Crystal means asking a Topic and, at the same time, receiving an answer means receiving a Topic.
Remember
In order to be able to ask and read Topics, you first need to understand what Topics are made of.
Let's start!
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 deep dive into each of them!
Objective / Visualization
The Objective is the purpose of the data analysis expressed by the Topic.
It answers to the question: "What specific insights or outcomes am I seeking with this particular Topic?".
Each Objective further articulates into specific Visualizations, i.e. specific ways to express the Objective. Each Objective can be expressed by one or more Visualizations.
Deep dive to discover the available Objectives, their purpose, and their Visualizations!
Remember
You can introduce a Topic with:
an Objective name (e.g. Composition)
a Visualization name (e.g. Breakdown)
a specific formulation (e.g. The Total of...)
In any case, all these formulations express the purpose of the Topic.
You can further deep-dive 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
Please Note
Topic Charts are always interactive for you to deep dive inside data!
For example, you can engage with the legend to filter out some data or you can highlight parts of the Chart to access to detailed information via a tooltip.
Main Entity / Main Entities
Remember
Entities are the core elements of the Topics.
An Entity denotes a singular unit of data, usually a dimension or a metric.
Examples of Entities are: "Sales", "Cost", "Target", "Country by Product Name", "Average Sales", etc.
Usually, an Entity can be custom-created using formulas, facilitating the aggregation of data through specific computations (e.g., count, sum, average).
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
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 an analysis that is not restricted in terms of time is not possible.
Dynamic Filters
Dynamic Filters are Entities that are used to narrow down the scope of the analysis of the Topic, by filtering the Main Entity based on a specific Value.
When an Entity assumes the role of filter such as in the case of Dynamic Filters, it is called a "Filter Entity". Dynamic Filters can hence be called also "Filter Entities".
Remember
To sum up, in Crystal, it is possible to have two different kinds of Entities:
Main Entities (the subject of a Topic)
Filter Entities (the filters applied to a Topic)
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.
Key Values
Key Values are numeric values that summarise data that is relevant for the Topic.
Please Note
The presence of Key Values is optional.
Discover the Topic Card
Now that you know what Topics are, it is important to remember that each Topic always comes inside of a Topic Card, that is the Topic’s control panel.
Here's the components of a Topic Card:
Topic Title The title of the Topic. It is the summary of Objective and Main Entities
Topic The actual Topic with all its components (Filters, Chart, Key Values)
Topic Actions All the actions that can be performed on the Topic or the Topic Card
Actions
Here you can find a list of all the actions that you can perform on the Topic 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 can find a dedicated section which allows you to have some of the most useful functions available with a click.
Here are the capabilities you can find in it:
Menu on the Top Right Corner of the Topic Card
At the top right inside the Topic Card you can find a dedicated menu - with three dots - which allows you to have some of the most useful functions available with a click.
Here are the capabilities you can find in it:
Expanded Mode
You can choose to view a Topic Card in expanded Mode: by clicking on the "Expand" button next to the menu on the top right corner, you will be able to see a bigger version of the Topic Card that allows you to see and explore the Topic Chart with more ease.
The expanded Topic Card still carries all the actions and Insights that would be available in the normal version of the Card.
Types of Topics
All the Topics that you can find on Crystal will always look the same, be constituted by 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 keep in consideration:
Configured Topics
Auto-generated Topics
Let's briefly see both Topic types!
Configured Topics
Configured Topics are the ones that result from the classical Topic Configuration process, also called Topic Creation, that has been the primary way to generate Topics until now.
Topic Configuration / Creation can be carried out only by Admin Users in the Crystal Console and it basically consists in manually creating the Topic from scratch by choosing all the elements that must constitute it (Objective, Entities, Filters, etc.).
This kind of Topics will be available for Member Users to ask for 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.
To ask this kind of Topic, you just need to know few simple and straightforward conversational rules.
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.
Not editable elements:
Objective and Visualization
Topic Chart
Main Entities
Key Values
Editable elements:
Time Range Filters
Dynamic Filters
In particular, you can always change Filters in the Advisor in different ways: either in Conversation, by the Filter Topics capability, or in the Topics Section.
Auto-generated Topics
As the naming suggests, Auto-generated Topics are Topics that are generated automatically by Crystal, without the need for the Admin User to create them from scratch.
This new capability represents a new method for Topic generation that enables you to ask questions beyond the scope of Configured Topics, i.e. you will be able to ask any Topic you need without necessarily relying on Topic Creation.
You can generally ask for Auto-generated Topics in the same way you ask for Configured Topics, keeping in mind some new advanced Conversation logics.
To know more about how Crystal generates Topics and how to ask them, you can deep-dive in the "Entity-Based Conversation" article.
Now you are ready to discover your data!
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