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Venn

A Venn diagram gives a colourful, graphical representation of the way data interrelates. It is very useful in the segmentation of the data, for example when creating target groups for mailings.

The Venn tool has the following features:

  • The ability to have up to five different selections shown on a Venn diagram

  • Segments can be dragged onto the workspace and used as new selections

  • Use the Proportion bar to visually assess the data sizes

  • Add statistics and view the data in terms of percentages

  • Zoom and pan around the Venn diagram

Create a Venn

To create a Venn:

  1. Drag and drop the Venn tool from the Toolbox onto the FastStats Workspace.

  2. If necessary, set the Resolve Table by right clicking on the text box and selecting a table.

  3. Add a set to the Venn by dragging and dropping the item onto the Venn.

Adding sets

You can add the following items as Venn sets:

  • An existing selection, either one that is defined in your current session or one that has been saved in File Explorer
  • A Unique Reference Number (urn) file that has been exported
  • A selection on a single variable

To add a selection that is already open in FastStats:

  1. Click on the icon to the left of the selection name so that the icon has a red outline around it (as shown below)

  2. Drag and drop this icon onto the Venn window.

To add a selection that has been saved in File Explorer or a URN file which has been extracted:

  1. Click on the File Explorer tab to see the files that have been saved.

  2. Locate the selection/URN file to add and drag and drop it onto the Venn window.

    Note

    URN files will have this icon and selection files will have this icon

To add a variable:

  1. Click on the System tab to see the variable list.

  2. Locate the variable to add and drag and drop it onto the Venn window.

  3. To define the selection, click on the relevant selection's information box, then Edit Selection and define the selection in the usual way.

When you have added each of your segments, click the Build button to build the Venn display.

Interpret the display

Understanding what a segment represents in terms of the interrelationship of the over all data being displayed is integral to the use of the Venn tool.

Reading the display

By moving the mouse pointer over the relevant segment a pop up display indicates which set(s) this relates to. This is very useful if you have the maximum number of data sets being displayed.

Note

Clicking on the individual figures will zoom the display into that segment.

Proportion bar settings

To the left hand side of the Venn window, there is a proportion bar which visually represents the proportion of data in each segment. Clicking on a proportion segment highlights the relevant part of the diagram and vice versa.

Further settings can be accessed by clicking on the arrow at the top of the proportion bar.

  • Measure: The first option in the Proportions panel is to allow you to select what figures are being referenced. In this example the count of People is being used. If for example you then right dragged the Cost variable on to the diagram and selected Sum of Cost you would then see this as an additional option in the Measure drop down list.

  • Sort Direction: The options of "Low to high" or "High to low", when selected will apply to the proportion bar display.

  • Palette: By default the multi coloured palette is used to colour the segments of your diagram. The drop down list will present you with further thematic colour options.

If you click on the + Thematic setting button you can change the way in which the shading can be applied.

By default Quantiles are used so that each segment receives a distinct shade of the colour chosen. Alternatively you can use Equal Ranges which may cause some segments to be coloured with the same shade. If you check the Thematic legend box a legend will display alongside the main diagram.

Zoom in and out

To help with viewing the Venn diagram, facilities are available to allow you to zoom and pan around the display.

Zooming in and out

  • Click on the number within any segment of the diagram to zoom in over that area.

  • Use the mouse and the mouse wheel to move around the diagram, zooming in and out as necessary.

  • Click on the icon to return to the original full display view.

Amend set display

As you drag items onto the Venn diagram, sets are added as coloured circles with a corresponding legend box that contains additional options.

As each set is dragged on, a new legend box is added with the name of that set.

The legend box gives you four options to use with that set.

Edit Description

Allows you to change the label description shown on the diagram for that selection.

Over-type the existing description with your new description and click Save.

Edit Selection

Allows you to change the selection settings for that selection without affecting the original selection.

The selection window will appear. Amend your selection as appropriate and click OK.

Hide in diagram

Allows you to hide the selection temporarily from the diagram.

This segment will be hidden from the display until such time as you click on the "hidden" box in the bottom left of the window to re-introduce it to the Venn diagram.

Remove this selection

Allows you to remove the selection permanently from the diagram.

If you change the contents of a set, click the Play button to get the updated results.

Make a selection

You can make a selection from a Venn by selecting segments within the diagram and dragging them onto the FastStats workspace.

Making a selection from a Venn

  1. To select segments of the Venn simply click on the area(s) you wish to include. The area(s) selected will change to show hatched shading.

  2. To highlight more than one segment hold down the CTRL key when clicking. To de-select a segment, click on it whilst holding down the CTRL key.

  3. To turn the selected Venn segments into a Selection, drag the selected area(s) onto the FastStats Workspace.

Different values

There is a choice of numeric displays that can be used with a Venn Diagram.

  1. Click on the Statistics button.

  2. From the pop up window click on the Add Statistics... button.

Venn statistics window

The first part of the dialog lets you choose the value to be used in the Venn diagram. By default this will be the count from the resolve table for the Venn tool. But by changing the radio button to Specify other Table, Variable or Expression you can drag on these options and aggregate the information. For more information see Include statistics on a cube.

Once you have decided on what value to use you can either display just the value or a percentage based on that value. The drop down box labelled "Display" allows you to make that choice. If you choose "Percentage" then you have some further options on what type of percentage analysis you wish to perform. These are:

  • Percentage of the base selection

    This shows each segment of the Venn as a percentage of every record in the underlying selection. Some of these records may not be in any particular segment, so they will be displayed outside the segments.

  • Percentage of values within segments

    This shows each segment of the Venn as a percentage of the total records in all the segments. Therefore, this analysis excludes the records that are not in any of the selections that comprise the Venn segments.

  • Percentage of this segment (single segment analysis)

    This shows the percentages of each region in a single given Venn segment. All the other segments are ignored.

Save a diagram

Renaming the diagram

A Venn will be given the default name of Venn when it is first created. To rename a Venn, simply over type the name in the text box.

Saving the diagram

You can then save a Venn in the following ways:

  1. Click on the icon to the left of the Venn name.

  2. Drag and drop the icon onto the appropriate Files folder.

The saved Venn can then be re-loaded by dragging and dropping the item from Files explorer window back onto the FastStats workspace.

Alternatively click on the Save icon .

  1. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file.

  2. Enter the File name if you have not already renamed the window.

  3. The Save item will be your Venn page or the whole book.

  4. Click the Save button to complete the task.

Save a template

FastStats makes it possible to save the settings of a Venn as a template which can be re-used on different selections.

A Venn will be given the default name of Venn when it is first created. To rename a Venn, simply over type the name in the text box.

Saving as a template

To save a Venn as a template:

  1. Click on the icon to the left of the Venn name.

  2. Drag and drop the icon onto the Templates ribbon bar.

Using a saved template

To make use of a saved Venn template:

  • Drag the template you wish to re-use from the Templates ribbon bar onto the FastStats Workspace, or onto an existing selection. Alternatively drag the selection onto the named template in the Templates ribbon bar to run automatically.