Navigator Online help.

Analytics Dashboard

The Navigator makes setup and navigation around the program easy. The Navigator is an active flow chart which you can click and go to the setup screens for each of the forms & modules within CleverQ. The Navigator is only available to administrators. Standard users open dashboards assigned to them and do not have access to unauthorized information. Navigator Help

Getting Started: Follow  steps 1-10 to get started with CleverQ. Most icons open other forms with additional help menus for the specific topic. Taking a few moments to study and understand the navigator will help you understand how CleverQ works and the work flow during setup and design.

Work Flow for Dashboard Setup: Follow arrows working through 3-4-5-7-8

  1. File Source and Size - CleverQ Bundled Definition file (.qbd) is the data file which is currently connected. If you wish to connect to a different file, go to the drop down File menu and open a different CleverQ data file. All of your company extracted data, parameter mapping, Indicator definitions, etc., are stored in the company qbd file. Do not use the Sample Company file as your own. Use the My QuickBooks Company .qbd file or creat a new file from the File drop down menu. Maintainance of the qbd file are performed with items 11-18 in addition to options found on the File drop down menu. If you use the My QuickBooks Company.qbd file, rename it to something unique like yourcompany.qbd so it can be easily recognized. Make sure the extension is .qbd and is located in a folder that has the proper permissions for user access. Anyone writing to the file such as an administrator needs read/write permissions to the folder where the qbd file is located. The data file is an encrypted Microsoft data base file. As the file approaches 100 MB, limitations in performance will be experienced.  For this reason, be sure to only extract data which is needed for analytics and keep the data file as lean as possible for best performance. For large or multi-company files approaching or exceeding the recommended file size, the data file should be optionally converted to SQL server database for best performance. Contact CleverQ Support and your IT support for further assistance. More help can also be found on the Open CleverQ Data File from the Drop Down File Menu.
  2. Preferences - Preferences Setup is normally a one time process. Name your Company and set all preferences prior to moving to extractions. Click on the help button from the preferences window for more information.
  3. Extractor Definitions - Defines which data to mine from multiple data bases and other sources to be warehoused into a single .qbd for analytic processing. Whew!-What a mouth full! Each of the different extractors can be opened by selecting them from the drop down box. If an extractor is already showing in the box, it can be opened by clicking the green and blue consolidation icon. Each Extractor has its own help page available.
  4. Parameter Definitions - Performance indicators and formulas use parameters. Parameters are mapped and named extracted data. Think of a named parameter similar to a named cell in Excel. The difference is that a named parameter refers to a date sensitive range of data stored in the warehouse that can be filtered by a date range, or any other filters set up in preferences. A parameter(named cell) could contain an entered value, the value of specific extracted data, or a formula using other parameters and values. Click on the Parameter setup Icon and open the help page for more details.
  5. Indicator Definitions - This is where the fun starts! Indicator definitions are the brains of what you want your gauge to display on the dashboard. An Indicator is the metric/Key Performance Indicator(KPI) that you want to show up on your gauge. Kind of like the Miles per Hour on your car dashboard. You will define ranges, gauge colors, the formula, benchmarks, formatting, conditional advice, etc. Click on the Indicators icon and then help for more info.
  6. Seasonal Trends Analysis - Precalculate seasonal trends for monthly extracted data that you will be forecasting. Seasonal trends are used in forecasting as well as adjusting periods of less or more than 12 months to annual numbers. Seasonal trends can also be used to take annual values and turn them into monthly values based on your trends. After setup is complete, this is typically done at the beginning of the year based on x number of prior years. Seasonal Trends can be calculated on the fly, but it slows down processing. Pre-calculating data that you know you are going to need will speed up processing. Click on the Seasonal trends icon and open the help menu for more information.
  7. Gauge Visualization Definitions - Once an indictator has been defined, a gauge type is chosen to visualize the Indicator. Gauges can be an actual gauge, a bar chart, graph or some other visual display which will be seen on a dashboard. Depending on the gauge, one to 10 indicators can be displayed on each gauge for comparison. You can further drill down from a gauge to graphs, details, scorecards, and other drill downs once it is displayed. A full list of the gauge types can be viewed from the drop down Setup menu. If a special gauge is desired, a custom gauge can be designed for you by contacting CleverQ support for an additional charge. Click on the Gauges icon from the navigator to open the gauge setup help from the form for more information. Explore the drop down list of existing gauges which are already setup, or use the advanced selection button to filter the gauges by there use.
  8. Dashboard & Scorecard Definitions - Defining a dashboard allows you to display up to 8 gauges grouped together on a dashboard. Active Dashboards are numbered 1-8 dashboards which open and display when viewing active dashboards. Choose to view the Active, Non-Active, or All Dashboards in the setup screen. Click on the help button for more details of how to setup and define dashboards.
  9. Extract Now - By selecting Extract now, all of the extractions set up for databases, Excel, etc., will extract or refresh. Quickbooks Extractions and scheduling are setup separately through the Quickbooks Report Data Extractor.
  10. Schedule Extraction - By selecting Schedule Extraction, you can set up a Windows Scheduled Task to perform extractions during non business hours. Quickbooks Extractions and scheduling are setup separately through the Quickbooks Report Data Extractor.
  11. View Dashboards - Viewing Active Dashboards will display up to eight dashboards on one form which were selected during Dashboard setup as active. Choosing Select Dashboard will open a window to select and view any of the active or non active dashboards. An unlimited number of dashboards can be set up. You can further, open as many dashboards on your screen at one time as desired by viewing additional dashboards.
  12. View Extracted Data - Opens a form which you can explore and view the raw extracted data, Calculated Data, Seasonal Trends, etc. Click on the help button from the Data viewer for more information.
  13. Manually Edit or Add Data - Opens the Data Package Creator form where data can be Manually entered or edited.
  14. Purge Extracted Data - Purges all CleverQ Extracted Data only. All setup and definitions are preserved. This may be necessary if your data and data sources have changed and you wish to reload. After purging, you must re-extract sources using the RDE and the QuickBooks Extractor. 
  15. Clear Formulas from Cache - The Data Cache is simply a temporary table that memorizes the calculated values which are used in dashboards. Cache is used to increase performance, so calculation times are shortened the more you open different dashboards. If you make many changes to parameter and indicator formulas, it is wise to clear the cache, repopulate, and recalculate, to ensure accuracy and increase maximize performance. You will notice that the first time dashboards are opened, they take longer to open. After they have been opened the first time, the answers are memorized in the Cache, so they open quicker each subsequent time.
  16. Populate Formulas - Populating Cache with formulas adds all of the formulas used in dashboards into the temporary table for increased performance. This process should follow clearing the cache.
  17. View Cache Calculated Data - Click to view the data Cache temporary table. You can sort the rows by clicking on the title bar. This is handy to see what calculations are taking the most time by sorting by execution time. Long execution times typically are due to nested formulas and/or multiple calculations to return a single indicator.
  18. Recalculate Cache - Recalculating cache performs most of the calculations needed to display dashboards. By Recalculating Cache, Dashboards will open quicker the first time.
  19. Purge Cache Calculated Data - Purging Cache only erases the calculated answers or values. It does not clear the formulas. The Cache is automatically cleared each time you change a parameter or indicator formula. It is also cleared when data is extracted. When you set up a scheduled extraction using the RDE, CleverQ clears and recalculates the cache as a final process to increase the speed the first time you open dashboards.
  20. Open Report Manager - The report manager must be relinked to the data source the first time you use it or any time you change the location of the QBD file. When you click on the report manager, it will take a moment to open since it is launching an entirely separate program. After launching the report manager, click on the Fix CleverQ Report Data Source from the tools drop down menu. Click on the help button on the Report manager navigator for more information.
  21. Extracted Record Counter - Reference to how many records have been extracted and loaded into your qbd file.
  22. Cache Record Counter - Reference to the number of formulas in the temporary Data Cache, and the number of records with calculated values.
  23. CleverQ Technical Data - Click on the icon for Technical, System, Revision, and activation data and history.
  24. Security Settings - Set up Security for multiple user versions and role based permissions.
  25. Department Allocation Setup - Departments allocations provides a tool to allocate percentages of data to a department based on percentages of Gross Sales, Gross Profit, Employee Expense, Building Squar Foot Use, Land Sq ft usage, or a combination of any of the above. Once departments are set up, they allocations will show up in the parameter sources and can be used in calculations.
  26. Web Service Setup - CleverQ Live setup is an optional Cloud Software as a Service SaaS. CleverQ Live provides access to your company dashboards via any web browser. Contact Support@CleverQ.com for pricing and assistance for setup.
  27. Import Definitions - Provides the means to import definitions from another .qbd file to save time when creating parameters & definitions.
  28. View Relationships - Opens a form in a tree form where you can view and drill down to relationships between parameters, indicators, gauges and dashboards. You can also export parameter and indicator relationships to another .qbd file.
  29. Technical Information - Click on the CleverQ Icon for Technical Information.