DSA Insights

A few months ago, I wrote about an alternative way to present fractions (parts of a whole) instead of using a typical and flawed pie chart.  The first graphic below comes from BusinessWeek and the second one is DSA’s Excel created version.

Jon Peltier (Microsoft MVP) of Peltier Technical Services and PTS Blog, recently wrote me to tell me about a workbook in Excel, which contains VBA code to create something similar to our dollar visualization.  The results, which only took me a few minutes using Jon’s workbook, are below in the third graphic.  It’s a fairly useful tool to do something different for your audience.

Finally, the last graphic was created from a similar workbook in Excel by Andy Pope, Microsoft MVP.  The workbook (link below) contains instructions regarding how Andy was able to accomplish splitting the image.

In the related section at the end of this post are links to the workbooks and web sites of the creators.  Feel free to check them out!  If you are interested in how I created the DSA Insights version, feel free to contact me and I can walk you through it.

Thank you Jon and Andy!

BusinessWeek Version:

DSA Insights Excel Version:

Jon Peltier Excel Version with Easy Macro:

Andy Pope Excel Version (different Picture) with instructions:

Original Post:

Spending InfoVis, DSA Insights

Resources:

Jon’s Workbook, Jon Peltier

PTS Blog, Jon Peltier

Version of splitting a graphic, Andy Pope

Andy’s Workbook, Andy Pope

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures at Amazon.com

From phdcomics.com, Graduate Student Motivation Level - Visualization.

I love the steep decline immediately after, "realizing just gave 10-minute talk on 6 years of work."

Here’s the list of participants to date for the DSA Insights Post Project.  As more enter the project, this list will be updated.  Thank you to everyone who participated!

• Changes to Charting in Excel 2007 by Jon Peltier at Peltier Technical Services
• Weekend Minis… by Nathan Yau at FlowingData
• SPAM by Tony Rose at Support Analytics (not eligible for prize)
• 5 Ways to Promote Your Business Online by Andrea Coutu at Consultant Journal
• Analytics: No one can agree on what it means by James Taylor at Smart [enough] Systems

Get your submissions in before the deadline on Friday at midnight. 

If you are already blogging, feel free to submit a post to me for consideration in this project and to win a prize!  Click here to submit a post.  Based on the feedback I have received and the gracious offerings from some excellent Authors, there will be more DSA Projects in the future.  Plus, who doesn’t like to get free things?

I have started a new discussion thread in the Support Analytics - Insights Facebook Group around the number one issue when analyzing data.  Think you know what I’m referring to?  Check out the new group to find out and add  your wisdom.

Support Analytics - Insights Facebook Group

Some areas that are typically challenging, but not my #1 issue, when analyzing data are:

• Collecting the data
• Getting the right sample
• Not enough data
• Too much data
• Selecting the right visualization method

Related:

Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning at Amazon.com

Facebook is listed as the 8th most popular web site in the WORLD according to Alexa!  I think Facebook serves some great purposes among a lot of silly applications and things to waste time.  The purpose of this group is to further promote the discussion and ideas surrounding Business Analytics and Data Visualization with a little consulting thrown in.  Many blogs, groups and web sites focus on the technical aspect of analytics and data visualization.  In this group, I will try to keep it less technical and more practical to just about anyone.

Click on the link below to see the new DSA Insights Facebook group.

Support Analytics - Insights Facebook Group

Related:

I’m on Facebook–Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook at Amazon.com

Authors James Taylor and Neil Raden are sponsoring a signed copy of their book, Smart (Enough) Systems: How to Deliver Competitive Advantage by Automating Hidden Decisions ($39 value) that will be added to the DSA Insights Post Project prize list.  This is an excellent book, which is featured in the DSA Amazon Store because of its tremendous value.  Find out more about the book here. 

Don’t wait, send in your blog post now to be eligible for one of the prizes below.  If you don’t know about the DSA Insights Post Project yet, click here to find out more.

The list of available prizes are now:

1st Price (Choice of one)

Stephen Few of Perceptual Edge has graciously offered to provide a signed copy of Show Me the Numbers if the winner of the DSA Insights Post Project chooses Stephen’s book. Thank you Stephen!

The good news is that there are only a few entries so far to win one of the two prizes available. I’m no rocket scientist, but that seems to make one’s odds favorable to win a prize if you enter!

Let’s review how to enter the Post Project:

1. Write a blog post or submit one to me for a guest post on the available topics below. Remember, it can be a few lines, essay, video, funny, podcast, etc. This could include posts you are already working on or are delivering in the next few days. You don’t need to recreate the wheel as many of your posts will probably fall into one of the categories below. The topics are:
   1. Consulting
   2. Blogging
   3. Analytics
   4. Data/Info Visualization
   5. Excel
   6. Business Intelligence
2. Submit the URL, your name, e-mail, title you want shown and if you were referred by anyone using this form.
3. Spread the word! (optional, but appreciated)
4. Check back! (optional)
5. Have Fun! (optional)

Get your entries in now for a chance to win one of the prizes below!

• $25 or $20 Amazon Gift Card
• Show Me the Numbers, Stephen Few (signed copy)
• Million Dollar Consulting (TM) Toolkit, Alan Weiss
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Edward Tufte

I’ve added a category to the Blog Post Project- Blogging.

One important aspect and responsibility of blogging and e-mail is to respect your audience and others. Here are a few informational points about SPAM that can also be found on the FTC’s website. “The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial email…”

The law requires:

1. It bans false or misleading header information. Your email’s “From,” “To,” and routing information - including the originating domain name and email address - must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.
2. It prohibits deceptive subject lines. The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.
3. It requires that your email give recipients an opt-out method. You must provide a return email address or another Internet-based response mechanism that allows a recipient to ask you not to send future email messages to that email address, and you must honor the requests.
4. It requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender’s valid physical postal address.
   

Source: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.shtm

A few newsletter or e-mail sites that help businesses manage their communications while adhering to CAN-SPAM regulations are:

• iContact
• Campaign Monitor
• Zookoda
• Aweber
• Feedblitz

They have some customization for your business as well as registration or opt-in and opt-out features.

First, let me apologize to those of you who received an e-mail from me about the DSA Insights post project . It has been a huge learning experience and I sincerely apologize for the format of the e-mail (CC) and unsolicited nature. Some of the feedback has been quite positive and encouraging, with a few being negative.

What intrigues me is that there are businesses or individuals with websites and blogs that apparently don’t want to be found on the Internet. When you participate in a blog, leaving a link to your website that contains your blog, tips, and articles, I would think you would appreciate and promote learning and networking with others having similar interests. People like this are probably the same ones that would complain about having to pay the taxes after winning a $300 million dollar lottery…

It’s interesting because I personally feel a connection between the blogs, newsletters and websites that I visit and participate in regularly. What I sometimes fail to realize is that the person on the other side of the computer may not feel the same connection or appreciate an e-mail informing them of something they didn’t ask about. Again, definitely a learning experience.

Bob Poole, of Poole Consulting Group said it best regarding unsolicited e-mail, “All you had to do was ask.” Bob also provided some excellent feedback, which is always appreciated! Check out Bob’s Marketing & Sales blog that can be found here.

I didn’t want to reply to the original e-mail because that would have compounded the problem. I also ask that you please do not reply to all if you have any feedback to respect the others in the list.

~ With sincere apologies ~

Announcement:
It’s time for DSA Insights to announce an opportunity to win a prize in a way that should be fun, exciting and valuable to our readers. There are two prizes to be claimed, which are:

1st Prize (choice of one):

• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Edward Tufte
• Show Me the Numbers, Stephen Few
• Million Dollar Consulting (TM) Toolkit, Alan Weiss, Ph D.
• Amazon $25 gift card

2nd Prize:

• Amazon $20 gift card

Theme:
Your task is to write a new post in your blog that is themed, “The most important thing I know about__(Enter a topic below)__, is ___.”
Available topics that follow the theme of DSA Insights are:

• Analytics
• Business Intelligence
• Consulting
• Data Visualization
• Info Visualization
• Excel
• Blogging (new 5/2)

Instructions:
Note: old posts written before today will not be accepted.

1. Write - Write a post using the theme and filling in the blanks:
   1. If you don’t have a blog, I will consider submissions for guest posts to this blog and, if chosen, it will qualify for one of the prizes listed. DSA Insights reserves the right to include/exclude posts submitted via this method at our discretion.
   2. Maximum of 3 entries allowed per person - this is per person and not per blog. If submitting more than one blog post, it has to be on a different topic.
   3. Maximum of 5 referrals will count towards the prizes.
   4. Please keep it clean and family friendly.
   5. It can be funny, serious, an essay, video, podcast, list, tip, trick, picture, etc.
   6. Give your post a good title as it will be the only text listed in this blog as a submission.
   7. Please consider a link-back to this post in your post so that your readers can participate or know that you are participating.
2. Submit - Once you have written and posted the new entry to your blog follow these instructions to participate. Submit your post to me by sending me an email using my contact form found here. Include:
   1. Name (as you want it to appear in my blog)
   2. Email address (must be valid)
   3. Message subject: DSA Post Project
   4. Title of your blog post
   5. URL of your post
   6. Referral - optional (who told you about this post)
3. Spread the word - Tell others about this post and if they participate you will receive 1 entry for each referral up to a maximum of 5.
4. Check back - All valid submissions will be included in a cumulative list in a separate post.
5. Have fun! Surf the submissions, inter-link between participating bloggers, post your favorite or top 5 submissions, and tell everyone you know about this opportunity! If you take full advantage of this opportunity, you will have up to 8 chances to win a prize.

Timeline:
Begins:
Thursday, May 1 (today)

Ends:
Friday, May 16 - end of day your time zone.

Winners Announced:
Monday 19 May - I will announce the two winners in a featured blog post. All entries (up to eight) will be listed and two different people will be selected at random.

Winners will be contacted and will need to provide a valid U.S. mailing address if a book is selected as the prize. International winners will default to an Amazon gift card delivered via e-mail.