|Actual Variance Chart||An actual variance chart displays the point by point difference between two data sets compared to zero.|
|Base Period||The base period is whatever unit of time is currently selected in the Period Selector (month, quarter, or year). Can be overridden on a dial-by-dial basis.|
|Breakdown Period||A breakdown period is the next-smaller unit of time from the base period, and is defined by your system administrator. For example, the breakdown period of a year is often set to be a month.|
|Component||A component is a dial, ribbon, dashboard, or perspective in Discovery.|
|Context Pane||The Context Pane displays and lets you select the perspective, time period, level, dimension, version and other filtering of the data you are viewing. It appears across the top of Discovery and the Visual Designer.|
|Control Chart||Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts or process-behavior charts in statistical process control, are tools used to determine whether a manufacturing or business process is in a state of statistical control.|
|Correlation Chart||A correlation chart is made up of a scatter plot and a linear regression line. A scatter plot or scattergraph is a type of mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variables for a set of data. Correlation is indicated by the line of best fit determined by linear regression on the data set.|
Freeform dashboards contain dials.
Standard dashboards contain ribbons of dials.
Each user has access to dashboards based on which perspective the administrator has published for his or her use.
|Dial||Dials give you a quick look at your data, and can be created in a range of styles, including gauges, bar charts, pie charts, and tables, and can combine information from multiple accounts and dimensions.|
|Dial Zone Bands||Dial zone bands appear on dials and highlight data in different ranges with symbols and colors.|
|Dimensions||Dimensions divide accounts into any number of constituent categories to support in-depth analysis. For example, the Revenue account may have dimensions for Sales Channel, Location, Product or any number of other possibilities. Dividing the account in this manner lets you drill into the information and view detailed breakdowns by each dimension.
The dimensions available in Discovery are the ones defined in Adaptive Planning.
|Linear Trendline||A linear trendline is a best-fit straight line that is used with simple linear data sets. Your data is linear if the pattern in its data points resembles a line. A linear trendline usually shows that something is increasing or decreasing at a steady rate.|
|Moving Average Trendline||A moving average trendline smooths out fluctuations in data to show a pattern or trend more clearly. A moving average uses a specific number of data points, averages them, and uses the average value as a point in the line.|
|Pareto Chart||A Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type of chart that contains both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line. The purpose of the Pareto chart is to highlight the most important among a (typically large) set of factors.|
|Period Selector||The Period Selector is visible when the Context Pane is expanded. Click a time period on it to shift the base period of your visible dials.|
|Perspective||A perspective is a group of dashboards, usually ones focused on a common function like finance or sales.|
|Polynomial Trendline||A polynomial trendline is a curved line that is used when data fluctuates. It is useful, for example, for analyzing gains and losses over a large data set. The order of the polynomial can be determined by the number of fluctuations in the data or by how many bends (hills and valleys) appear in the curve.|
|Publish||Perspectives are the only component which can be published. When you publish a perspective to another user or group of users, it becomes available to them along with their other perspectives in the main Discovery screen area.|
|Relative Variance Chart||A relative variance chart displays the point by point difference between two data sets relative to the first data set.|
|Ribbons||Ribbons are used to group dials on standard dashboards and help to produce re-usable dashboard layouts. Ribbons are not used on freeform dashboards.|
|Share||Sharing a component lets you give specific people access to your component when they open the Visual Designer.|
|Standard Deviation||In statistics and probability theory, standard deviation shows how much variation or "dispersion" exists from the average (mean, or expected value). A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the mean, whereas high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a large range of values.|
|Time Structure||Time structures determine the behavior of dials with respect to time. They are edited using the Time Structure editor, and applied to dials using the Time Settings editor.|
|Visual Designer||The Visual Designer lets you edit existing components or create your own.|
|Waterfall Chart||A waterfall chart is a form of data visualization that helps determine the cumulative effect of sequentially introduced positive or negative values. The waterfall chart is also known as a flying bricks chart or Mario chart due to the apparent suspension of columns (bricks) in mid-air. Often in finance, it is referred to as a bridge|