# Create an Interacting Report Using an Excel File

### **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**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="164.2222900390625"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Feature</strong></td><td><strong>Description</strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Goal</strong></td><td>Build a Self-Service Report from an Excel dataset.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Data Source</strong></td><td>Excel file uploaded into the platform.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Modules Used</strong></td><td>Data Preparation and Report modules.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Key Capabilities</strong></td><td>Auto-prep, filters, drill-down interaction, date range filters, custom views, and sorting.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Outcome</strong></td><td>An interactive, theme-based Self-Service Report ready for analysis and sharing.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### **Workflow Overview**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="64.111083984375"></th><th width="157.888916015625"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Step</strong></td><td><strong>Module</strong></td><td><strong>Description</strong></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Homepage</td><td>Create a new Self-Service Report and upload an Excel dataset.</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Data Preparation</td><td>Clean, structure, and prepare the dataset using Auto-Prep.</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Report Module</td><td>Build visual charts using search-driven dimensions and measures.</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Report Module</td><td>Apply filters, drill-downs, and chart properties for enhanced analytics.</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Report Module</td><td>Apply themes and save the report.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### **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.

* [x] **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.

* [x] **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.&#x20;

* [x] **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.

* [x] **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)”**.

* [x] **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**.

* [x] **Final Result:** Your Self-Service Report is now complete — featuring drill-down interactions, filters, and reusable views for advanced analytics.&#x20;

  <figure><img src="/files/N7L9lDotFP5I8KMaI2J4" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### **Outcome**

* [x] Excel file successfully uploaded and transformed into a Data Store.
* [x] Data cleaned and prepared automatically via **Auto-Prep**.
* [x] Interactive visualizations built using **dimensions, measures, and NLP-based search**.
* [x] Filters, custom views, and date ranges are applied for deeper insights.
* [x] 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.


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