Many charts or Descriptions require the viewer to run the eye from a bar end or Description point to some point on an axis, and then to interpolate between tick marks to estimate the value. Some design choices can lead to wrong conclusions or mistaken impressions. Graphic software relies on defaults to deliver something if you make a minimal effort, but that something is not likely to be exactly what you want.
Visual Data Insights Using SAS ODS Graphics provides examples using experience-based design principles. It presents examples of bar charts, pie charts, and trend lines or time series Descriptions, the graph types commonly used in business, other organizations, and the media for visual insight into data. Newer graphs are also included: dot Descriptions, needle Descriptions, waterfall charts, butterfly charts, heat maps, bubble Descriptions, step Descriptions, high-low Descriptions, and donut charts. In addition, there are basic tools of statistics: scatter Descriptions, box Descriptions, histograms, fit and confidence Descriptions, and distributions.
Author LeRoy Bessler introduces unique creations, including sparsely annotated time series, maximally informative bar charts, better box Descriptions, histograms based on interesting atypical rationales, and much more.
The examples use SAS sample data sets as input. Any SAS user can experiment with the code presented to see what else is possible, or adapt it to repurpose the design and apply it with a customized version of that code.
What You'll Learn
Create graphs that are easily and quickly interpreted, and without ambiguity
Supply precise data values that are correct on the graph and correctly associated with the graphic visual elements
Take advantage of widely applicable (but not necessarily available elsewhere) design examples
Avoid bad practices that are encouraged by poor examples elsewhere
Get past sub-optimal designs and results that are built into software defaults
Take advantage of less familiar capabilities available in the software
Who This Book Is For
SAS software users who want to understand their data and/or visually deliver their results