Product Line Review

The Product Line Review Dashboard is intended to give you the ability to compare sales related metrics between two time periods. This dashboard allows you to filter by category / type, manufacturer and item; and also to see your data as it relates to specific promotions. You control the time frames in view with the Date filters to the right of the dashboard.  The ability to select and drill deeper allows you to see your data at whatever level is important to your current need, right down to the item level.

It is important to note that the data considered begins with the date on the heading panel of the dashboard, under Earliest Transaction Date.  This means that your trends and filtered data will start with the transactions on this date.

You will see a link to this document in the heading of the dashboard, click on Dashboard Help to access the document.

At the top of the dashboard are graphics that show your Sales, Quantity, Cost, Gross Margin dollars and Gross Margin %; and how they track vs. the comp period that you select in the filters.  You'll see at the bottom of each gauge the % of growth (or deterioration) vs. the comp period.

To the right of the dashboard are your filters - first choose the time periods that you want to review. The Review Date is the time frame you are reviewing; the Comp Date is the time frame you are comparing to the Review Date. You are also able to filter by several layers of dependent inventory properties - for example, if you filter on a Category / Type XYZ, the filters below Category / Type will list only inventory that is in Category / Type XYZ; this will help reduce the listings to more manageable filters.  You can select specific items or groups of items - this will focus the dashboard information to the area you need to review. You are able to filter by location, and if applicable by promotion.  The data on the dashboard will adjust to the filters you select.

Use the Date filter to choose dates in a variety of forms - one example is when comparing the current month to the same month a year ago.  Simply choose the List option in the filter, go to Months and choose the specific months you want to review. You can choose from any of the date options listed, including specific calendar dates.

There are two data tables on the dashboard.  They show your metric comparisons first by Category / Type and then by Manufacturer. You are able to drill deeper from the Category / Type section, to Manufacturer and Item Name. Do this by right clicking on a category and choosing the level of detail under Drill.  Simply drilling to deeper data will not filter the dashboard, though Selecting a specific attribute will cause the rest of the dashboard to filter to that level of detail. To Select (and filter) a specific attribute, right click and this time choose Select - you will see the filters to the right take on this selection.  You can clear the selection by hovering in the top right section of the widget and clicking on "Clear Selection".

Below the data tables you will see a sales $ trend line for the last 2 years; this is not affected by the date filters, though it will adjust for any other filters you select.

You will also see two graphics that track your sales $ and Gross Margin % in a Year over Year (YoY) chart.  These charts are best used when comparing same months in different years.  Again, you are able to look at specific categories or items when comparing YoY by using the filters to the right of the dashboard.  Hovering over the points in the graphics will show you the numbers that are represented.  There are a variety of reasons that sales $ and Gross Margin % track differently YoY; cost, promotions and seasonality are among them.  For example, in the example below you can see that September sales were down vs the comp period, yet GM % was up when compared for the same time.  You'll want to understand the reasons behind the trends, and take action to continue the positive trends and correct for the deteriorating ones. 

The tables can be exported to work with the data outside the dashboard. Do this by clicking on the 3 dots at the top right corner of the widget, choose Download and export an image or file.  The recommended file type for a spreadsheet is CSV.