Crosstab Layout The Four Types of Display

What You See on the Screen 2-5 dimensions of data on the various axes. A crosstab layout has three axes: side axis, top axis and page axis. Because each axis can hold several data items, a crosstab can display many dimensions of data. For example, the following figure is a sample crosstab that shows five dimensions of data: regions and city names, year, department video rentals and video sales and the total profit. In this example, the data points that is, the intersections, or cells on the crosstab are the sums for total profit. The next page of data would show the same type of data, except for the next department, which is Video Sale. Figure 2–5 Crosstab Layout with Page Items Key to Figure 2–5 :

a. Page Axis. In this sample it contains a single data item—Department.

b. Top Axis. This top axis contains two data items—Year and Profit.

c. Side Axis. This side axis also contains two data items—Region and City.

2.2.2.1 Page Detail Crosstab Layout

A page detail crosstab layout is a crosstab with multiple pages of data, so you can group the data on separate pages. You set the criteria for displaying portions of data in order to see exactly what you want on each page, see Figure 2–5 .

2.2.2.2 A Note About Crosstabs

One of the most powerful features of crosstabs is that they can uncover subtleties in the data that are not readily apparent from a table of data or from the raw data itself. By relating one group of data to another, for example, you might find that your best salesperson in terms of volume isn’t the best in terms of efficiency sales calls versus deals closed. Or that the return on investment at one store may be higher in a percentage sense than at another store that posts a higher profit. A word of caution —used incorrectly, crosstabs can show relationships between two sets of numbers when, in fact, there is no meaningful correlation between them at all. For example, it is a well-known observation that the rise and fall of stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange seems to correlate with the length of women’s hemlines—miniskirts during booms, maxiskirts during recessions. The correlation seems to exist, but no one knows why. The same can be true with crosstab numbers; a relationship seems to exist but it may not be valid. The point is simply this: As with the women’s skirts, you have to know what’s being covered before the crosstab relationships make sense.

2.3 Selecting Sections of a Worksheet

You can select axis items, columns, rows, and individual cells on a worksheet by clicking on the appropriate elements. 2-6 Oracle Fusion Middleware Users Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Desktop By selecting sections on a worksheet you can assign various features to the sections. For example, to boldface the data in a column, you select any cell that column first. Hint: You can select several portions of a worksheet at a time by holding down the Shift key while clicking Shift-click. To select a cell, click the cell. The outline box around the cell indicates it is selected. Figure 2–6 Select a Cell Key to Figure 2–6 :

a. Click a cell to select it.

To select a row, click the row number or row marker Figure 2–8 . You can also click the cells at the beginning or the end of the row and drag the pointer across the rest of the cells in the row. Highlighting indicates all the cells in the row are selected. Notice that the first cell is outlined, consistent with selecting on a spreadsheet. Figure 2–7 Select a Row on a Table Key to Figure 2–7 :

a. Click the row number to select the entire row.

Figure 2–8 Select a Row on a Crosstab Key to Figure 2–8 :

a. Click the row marker to select the entire row on a Crosstab.

Note: Selecting on a worksheet is similar to selecting on a spreadsheet. If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel or a similar worksheet application, the steps described in this section will also be familiar.