Without consistency in design, your reports speak in different languages. When every employee designs their dashboards and reports in their own style, the message often becomes unclear. hi-chart Reporting Studio uses a consistent visual language – one that the reader can easily understand. Our solution enables you to create consistent, IBCS-compliant reports that minimize the scope for interpretation and maximize clarity.
Clarity – short titles, meaningful messages
Every page of a professional report starts with a short message summarizing the key findings and recommendations. There's also a multi-line title that gives a clear outline of the content. hi-chart Reporting Studio generates these titles from the data automatically, and you are free to adjust them as you see fit. From these, the reader can see at a glance which facts and figures are being presented.
Choose the right visualization
hi-chart Reporting Studio analyses your data for its business significance and automatically identifies the best visualization options. Our tool recommends the most suitable display for your figures – time series, structural or hierarchical information – while also offering an extensive library of useful chart types from which you can choose. Your reports are appealing to the eye, but also highly informative and easy to understand.
Consistent visual language eliminates confusion
A report can only serve its purpose effectively if the visual elements it contains are consistent and clear. hi-chart Reporting Studio uses an integrated notation system to ensure that all graphics and tables follow the same rules. Actual data, for example, always looks the same. Plan, forecast and previous-year values each have their own distinctive appearance too, so the reader can tell them apart straight away.
Present variances clearly
Variances and comparisons are important elements in many reports. In hi-chart Reporting Studio, you simply add a variance to a graphic, and it will be calculated automatically. Here too, the integrated notation system is used in the display of absolute and percentage variances, so you can instantly distinguish between "good" variances and "bad" ones. Choose from our wide range of variance chart types, present your figures clearly, and speed up your team's decision-making process.
Colours carry meaning
Of all the elements in graphic design, colour is the one that is most quickly understood. Because this design element is so important, it must be used with care.
In reporting, colour is not just an element of style, but an essential means of communication. hi-chart Reporting Studio uses colour to distinguish between "good" variances (green) and "bad" variances (red). It automatically interprets the business context to make sure that the colour coding conveys the right message. You can also use custom colours in highlighting to add further emphasis to key data points.
Uniform scaling for valid comparisons
Uniform scaling is crucial for an accurate presentation of comparisons. Decorative considerations aside, the purpose of a chart is simply to represent numerical values as geometric quantities. This enables a direct visual comparison of the values even before the reader has time to read the numbers in the labelling. Incorrect scaling inevitably leads to misunderstandings because the visual comparison is no longer valid.
hi-chart Reporting Studio ensures that all charts with the same units on a page are displayed with an identical scaling factor. This prevents misinterpretation and provides the reader with a quick, clear and accurate overview of the data. You can highlight differences in scaling by using special scale bands.
Easy to read even with high information density
Reports often have limited space in which to display a lot of information. The Reporting Studio object sizing feature ensures that all graphic elements – charts, tables or comments – are always displayed in proportion with one another. No matter how high the information density, your presentation remains clear and easy to read.
Highlight the important findings
A good report tells the story behind the figures. In hi-chart Reporting Studio, you can use highlighting to draw the reader's attention to the most important points. Add difference indicators, threshold markers and other forms of highlighting by drag & drop to make your reports both highly informative and easy to understand.
Comments – the key to comprehension
Comments are the little sisters of the message. They play a crucial role by explaining anomalies in the data. In hi-chart Reporting Studio, you can place your comments exactly where you need them.
Graphics don't always have enough space for comments, so you can insert reference numbers there and position the comments themselves outside. Let your reports tell a story, not just by displaying the data, but through the explanations too.
Flexibility in output format
Publish your reports in different formats – PowerPoint presentations, PDF online reports or dashboards – to suit your requirements. hi-chart Reporting Studio provides you with maximum flexibility, displaying your reports professionally with pixel precision in any format.
