Analytica 4.0 introduces substantial enhancements to the graphing facility.

Overview

Graph Setting Associations

Graph settings now have a richer set of associations, designed to allow intelligent transitions when multi-dimensional results are pivoted and when the graphing mode (Mid, Bands, PDF, etc) is changed.

For example, axis range settings are associated with a particular index, so if the graph is pivoted, the setting follows the pivot and isn't suddenly applied to a horizontal axis where it no longer makes sense.

Line style settings are associated with a combination of graph view mode and categorical / continuous distinction. Thus, it is possible to have a probability mass plot draw as a bar graph, a sample as a scatter plot, and bands as a line plot, all with a single graph setting.

Associations also impact how how settings transfer when "Set Default" is used.

Graphing Dimensions and Roles

A general and flexible system of graphing dimensions and graphing roles allows a very rich space of chart types to be created using only a few elementary building blocks. The mechanism also allows many dimensions to be reflected on a single graph.

A computed value or an index can serve as a graphing dimension. Graphing dimensions are then assigned to graphing roles, and the user can easily pivot the graphing roles to alter the assignment of dimensions to roles. By assigning graphing dimensions to roles, a user can view many dimensions at once, and compare multiple values on the same graph.

Selectable graphing roles include X-axis, Y-axis, combined Color/Symbol Key, and Bar Origin, and may soon include Symbol Size and separate Color and Symbol Keys.

While Analytica 3.x allowed a single external X-value to be plotted against a result, the new system allows any number of external variables to be included and compared in the same graph.

Selecting Data for Graphing

The structure of data used to create a plot is now much more flexible. A Coordinate Index can be used to plot data that is organized in columns, without having to break the data into multiple variables. Multiple external variables can be merge into the plot as graphing dimensions. In a Scatter Plot, you can pivot both X and Y axes to explore multi-dimensional data from many "angles".

Categorical and Continuous Plots

Analytica 4.0 gives much more attention and consistency to the treatment of Categorical, Continuous and Discrete results.

The Discrete vs. Continuous distinction is determined by the Domain Attribute, and determines whether probability plots are density and cumulative density plots (continuous) or probability mass and cumulative probability (discrete) plots.

The Categorical vs. Continuous distinction determines how a graphing axis is laid out. Continuous dimensions require numeric values. The determination of whether a graphing dimension is categorical or continuous is partially determined by the domain attribute, but the values actually occuring in the dimension, by the chart type (bar or non-bar chart), and by the Categorical checbox in the axis range setting.

Analytica maintains separate line-style settings for categorical and continuous plots. (The running axis of a plot, usually x-axis, determines whether the plot is continuous or categorical). Thus, by pivoting a continuous dimension to the x-axis to replace what was a categorical dimension, a graph may change from a bar graph to line graph, for example.

Richer Plots Types

Using combinations of the above named features, a wide variety of chart styles can be created, which were not possible previously. These include:

Bar Chart variations

Stacked Bars
Segmented Bar charts
Horizontal Tornado Plots
Ghant Charts
Candle bars (High-close-open-low stock charts)

Scatter plot variations

Multi-D depiction of data in columns
Bubble plots

Line plot variations

Standard (continuous) line plots
XY parametric plots
Log Plots (axis log scaling)
Sideways plots

Graph Appearance Settings

Analytica 4.0 exposes many appearance settings to user control, allowing the production of "board room quality" charts. These include:

Control of background fills/patterns (solid, gradient, hatch).
Full control of fonts (color, face, size, bold, etc)
Location of Key.
Grid and tic styles
Axis label rotations
Three-D effects (solid bars, ribbons)
Filled line graphs (w/ transparency control)

Graph Style Templates

Graph style templates provide a way to encapsulate a collection of graph settings in a named template, when can then be selected. Libraries of graph templates can be distributed, and users can create their own custom graph templates.