Create an Interacting Report Using an Excel File

Guide to dataset uploading, preparation, and building interactive visual reports using BDB's Data Preparation and Self-Service Report modules.

Purpose

This workflow demonstrates how to create a Self-Service Report on the BDB Platform using an Excel file as the data source. The guide covers the entire lifecycle — from uploading and preparing the dataset to building interactive, visual reports — using BDB’s Data Preparation and Self-Service Report modules.

Business Context

This workflow enables users, analysts, and business teams to quickly explore, clean, and visualize Excel data without technical dependencies. By leveraging the Auto-Prep and Self-Service Visualization capabilities, users can create meaningful dashboards and analyze KPIs such as candidate distribution, team performance, gender diversity, and experience breakdown within minutes.

Key Highlights

Feature	Description
Goal	Build a Self-Service Report from an Excel dataset.
Data Source	Excel file uploaded into the platform.
Modules Used	Data Preparation and Report modules.
Key Capabilities	Auto-prep, filters, drill-down interaction, date range filters, custom views, and sorting.
Outcome	An interactive, theme-based Self-Service Report ready for analysis and sharing.

Workflow Overview

Step	Module	Description
1	Homepage	Create a new Self-Service Report and upload an Excel dataset.
2	Data Preparation	Clean, structure, and prepare the dataset using Auto-Prep.
3	Report Module	Build visual charts using search-driven dimensions and measures.
4	Report Module	Apply filters, drill-downs, and chart properties for enhanced analytics.
5	Report Module	Apply themes and save the report.

Step 1 – Create a New Self-Service Report

1. Navigate to the BDB Homepage.

2. Click Create Report from the main menu.

3. In the Create Report dialog box:

   • Enter a Report Name (e.g., Hiring Insights Report).

   • Optionally, add a Description (e.g., Analysis of candidate hiring, distribution, and salary trends).

4. Choose Excel File as the data source type.

5. Enter a Data Store Name (e.g., Hiring_Data_Store).

6. Upload the Excel file from your local system.

7. Once uploaded, the platform validates and displays the dataset.

8. Verify the dataset to ensure all columns and values are correctly imported.

Step 2 – Prepare the Data Using Data Preparation

After the upload completes, the Data Preparation module automatically opens.

1. The uploaded data appears in a grid layout, organized into rows and columns.

2. Three key tabs are displayed at the top:

   • Profiling – Provides an overview of data statistics and value distributions.

   • Transformations – Enables cleaning, formatting, and type conversions.

   • Steps – Tracks all applied data transformation steps.

3. Click Auto-Prep to automatically clean and normalize the data.

   • Auto-Prep handles missing values, duplicate entries, and inconsistent cases.

   • It is ideal for non-technical users who want quick, ready-to-analyze datasets.

4. Review the suggested transformations.

5. Click Save to finalize the prepared dataset.

6. Click Create Report to begin visualizing the data.

Step 3 – Visualize Data Using the Self-Service Report Module

Once in the Report Designer, the Self-Service Report page opens with the search-driven visualization workspace.

3.1 Search and Add Dimensions and Measures

1. Use the Search Bar at the top to find fields for visualization.

2. Search for Gender, then search again for Count to plot a Gender Distribution Chart.

3. If three categories appear instead of two (e.g., Male, male, Female):

   • Open the Filter Panel.

   • Uncheck the duplicate or lowercased “male” value.

   • Apply the filter to keep only two gender categories.

• Result: A clean chart showing only Male and Female categories.

3.2 Candidate Distribution by Team

1. Search for Team, then search again for Count.

2. Create a chart titled “Candidate Distribution by Team.”

3. The chart automatically displays the number of candidates grouped by their assigned team.

3.3 Drill-Down Interaction: Gender to Team

1. In the Gender Distribution Chart, open the Chart Interaction settings.

2. Enable the Interaction Feature to link the chart with the Candidate Distribution by Team chart.

3. This allows users to click on “Male” or “Female” in the gender chart to drill down into the team-wise candidate count.

• Result: Clicking on a gender updates the secondary chart dynamically, showing candidate counts by team for that gender.

3.4 Expected Joining Date by Designation

1. Search for Designation and Expected Joining Date.

2. Create a chart titled “Expected Joining Date by Designation.”

3. Apply a Date Range Filter:

   • Open the filter options.

   • Choose a date range (e.g., 01-Jan-2023 to 31-Dec-2023).

   • Apply the filter to view only relevant data.

• Result: A time-based visualization displaying the joining trends per designation.

3.5 Monthly Salary Breakdown by Team, Skills, Designation, and Name

1. Use the search bar to add:

   • Team, Designation, Skill, Name, and Monthly Salary.

2. Plot a chart titled “Monthly Salary Breakdown by Team, Skills, Designation, and Name.”

3. Apply a Custom View Filter:

   • Open Charting Properties.

   • Configure a reusable filter based on any preferred combination (e.g., Team = Sales or Skill = Python).

   • Save the custom view for later use.

• Result: A multi-dimensional salary comparison chart ready for reuse with saved filter conditions.

3.6 Team Experience – Ascending and Descending Charts

Ascending Order

1. Search for Team and Experience.

2. Set Order → Ascending.

3. Sort by Experience and Limit the results to 5.

4. Plot the chart titled “Team Experience (Ascending Order)”.

Descending Order

1. Repeat the above steps, but select Order → Descending.

2. Limit results to 5 and press Alt + Enter.

3. Plot the chart titled “Team Experience (Descending Order)”.

• Result: Two comparative charts showing the top and bottom 5 teams by experience level.

Step 4 – Finalize and Save the Report

1. Once all visualizations are added:

   • Review all filters, chart titles, and data points.

2. Open the Theme Settings:

   • Choose from available BDB visual themes (e.g., Light, Dark, Gradient Blue).

   • Apply the selected theme for consistency.

3. Provide a final Report Name (e.g., Comprehensive Hiring Report).

4. Click Save Report.

• Final Result: Your Self-Service Report is now complete — featuring drill-down interactions, filters, and reusable views for advanced analytics.

  

Outcome

• Excel file successfully uploaded and transformed into a Data Store.

• Data cleaned and prepared automatically via Auto-Prep.

• Interactive visualizations built using dimensions, measures, and NLP-based search.

• Filters, custom views, and date ranges are applied for deeper insights.

• Report finalized with applied theme and saved for future access.

Best Practices

• Ensure data consistency before uploading Excel files.

• Use Auto-Prep for rapid cleaning, especially for non-technical users.

• Apply consistent casing in categorical data (e.g., Male/Female) to avoid duplication.

• Use custom view filters to save frequently used configurations.

• Keep visual titles concise for clarity.

• Periodically refresh the report to reflect updated data.

Business Value

This workflow empowers business teams to:

• Transform Excel datasets into automated, interactive reports.

• Analyze and filter data with drill-down and date-based filtering.

• Create insights instantly using search-driven charting.

• Standardize reporting with reusable filters and clean data.

• Support data democratization, enabling self-service analytics across departments.