The Design of Information Dashboards Using SAS
I am proud to releaseTHE DESIGN OF INFORMATION DASHBOARDS USING SAS.  The chapters are richly illustrated with various dashboard display media produced by SAS.  Sample code  shows the reader how to quickly construct basic dashboards.  My goal for this book is for it to be a reference you will pull off the shelf to use again and again.Chapter I.    AN INTRODUCTION TO DASHBOARDS   The first chapter  defines precisely what dashboards are and their common characteristics.   After giving a brief history of information dashboards, the chapter discusses their value, as well as some negatives, and describes current use and trends.  Finally, the value that SAS contributes to producing the medium is introduced.Chapter II. SEVEN STEPS TO CREATING A DASHBOARD  The development of a dashboard often requires a substantial investment of time and money, so designers should do it thoughtfully.  The goal of this chapter is to guide the reader through the dashboard development process.  The chapter provides an overview of the major steps involved, including preparation, design, construction, and maintenance of dashboards. Chapter III.    ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A DASHBOARD   When you create your dashboard, several essential elements should be present on the interface to make the dashboard maximally effective.  The third chapter covers these essential components of a dashboard.Chapter IV.    BEST PRACTICES IN DASHBOARD VISUAL DESIGN  The fourth chapter covers the foundations of good dashboard design and addresses the contributions of Edward Tufte and Stephen Few to the area. The chapter delves into the science of visual perception and how to apply them to good dashboard design.Chapter V. CREATING DASHBOARD KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS USING SAS  After establishing a firm understanding of the essentials of dashboards in the first four chapters, the fifth chapter presents a library of effective dashboard display media and discusses how to produce them using SAS coding.  Programmers will be able to pick and choose those chart types that are most appropriate for their particular dashboard.  Strengths and weaknesses of the various chart types are discussed. This chapter will also introduces new SAS procedures such as PROC GKPI.Chapter VI. ASSEMBLING AND DISTRIBUTING SAS DASHBOARDS  This  chapter describes how to bring all the visual components together to produce a single dashboard display.  PROC GREPLAY, ODSLAYOUT, and ODS TAGSETS are described as the methods of choice.  Methods of distributing this output are described.Chapter VII.    DESIGING DASHBOARDS USING SAS BI DASHBOARDS  The  final chapter briefly describes the design of dashboards using SAS BI Dashboards business intelligence software.  The chapter covers the advantages and disadvantages over coding with the SAS/GRAPH and ODS procedures, system requirements, as well as how to create and distribute a dashboard  using the software.