SAS Viya Visual Analytics Assignment Documentation

BUS5VA Visual Analytics - Retail Demo Analysis

Executive Summary
This document provides comprehensive explanations and demonstrations of the interactive
retail analytics dashboard created using SAS Viya Visual Analytics. The report analyzes the
RETAILDEMO_2 dataset to generate valuable insights for retail management decision-
making, covering profit analysis, geographic performance, promotional effectiveness, and
strategic marketing recommendations.

Task 1: Data Items Creation and Hierarchical Analysis

1.1 Calculated Items Development

Profit Calculation Implementation
A new calculated item "Profit" was created
using the formula: `Sales - Cost`. This
fundamental business metric enables
profitability analysis across all dimensions.
The calculation was formatted using
COMMA12.0 format to display whole
numbers without decimals, improving
readability for executive stakeholders.

Visualization Principle Applied: Clear,

unambiguous metrics are essential for
business intelligence dashboards. The
profit calculation follows the principle of
derived measures that provide immediate
business value.
1.2 Transaction Time Hierarchy Construction
A comprehensive time hierarchy was established with four levels:
- Transaction Year (highest
level)
- Transaction Quarter
- Transaction Month
- Transaction Day (most
granular)
This hierarchical structure
enables temporal drill-down
analysis, allowing users to
examine trends from annual
patterns to daily
fluctuations.
Design Rationale: Time-based hierarchies are fundamental to retail analytics, enabling
seasonality analysis and trend identification across multiple temporal granularities.

1.3 Geographic Hierarchy Development

A three-level geographic hierarchy was constructed:
- Country (top level)
- State/Region (intermediate)
- City (most detailed)

Interactive Features: Both

hierarchies support drillable bar
charts with data labels, enabling
users to navigate from high-level
overviews to detailed breakdowns.
The geographic hierarchy facilitates location-based performance analysis and market
penetration assessment.
Task 2: Profit Insights Visualization

2.1 Geographic Performance Crosstab

Visualization Choice: Crosstab table displaying sales and profits by countries and states
Business Justification: Tables provide precise numerical values essential for financial
reporting, while the hierarchical structure enables comparative analysis across geographic
dimensions.

Key Insights Revealed:

- China leads globally: $14.35M sales, $9.66M profit
- Strong performance in Malaysia ($10.23M sales) and Mexico ($10.54M sales)
- US state analysis reveals California as top performer with significant profit margins
Visualization Principle: Edward Tufte's principle of maximizing data-ink ratio is applied here,
presenting dense, actionable information without visual clutter.
2.2 US State Profit Analysis
Visualization Choice: Horizontal bar chart ranking states by profit
Design Rationale: Horizontal orientation accommodates state name labels without rotation,
following gestalt principles of easy pattern recognition. The descending sort immediately
highlights top and bottom performers.

Strategic Value: This ranking enables targeted state-level investment decisions and identifies
underperforming markets requiring intervention.

2.3 Promotion Effectiveness Analysis

Visualization Choice: Dual-line time series chart
Technical Implementation: Two distinct lines represent promoted (Promotion Applied = 1) vs
non-promoted (Promotion Applied = 0) products over time.

Critical Business Finding: Non-promoted products significantly outperform promoted

products (10-12M vs near-zero profit), suggesting fundamental issues with current promotion
strategies.
Visualization Principle: Stephen Few's guidance on temporal analysis is applied, using
connected lines to show trends while maintaining clear categorical distinction through color
coding.

2.4 Brand Performance by Customer Loyalty

Visualization Choice: Grouped bar chart with loyalty card segmentation
Design Elements:
- X-axis: Brand names (Pine, Oak, Maple)
- Y-axis: Profit values
- Color grouping: Loyalty card status (0 = blue, 1 = yellow)

Strategic Insights: Pine brand dominates with 29M profit from non-loyalty customers vs 12M
from loyalty customers, questioning loyalty program effectiveness.

Task 3: Interactive Sales & Marketing Dashboard

3.1 & 3.2 Geographic Sales Mapping
Visualization Choice: Geo-region map with sales color-coding
Technical Configuration:
- Geography: Country-level mapping with drilling capability
- Color intensity: Represents sales volume
- Interactive drilling: Country → State → City navigation

Implementation Challenges: Initial attempts with

Geographic Hierarchy required adaptation to
individual country fields due to SAS Viya
mapping requirements.
Business Value: Visual identification of market
concentration and geographic expansion
opportunities. The map immediately highlights
sales concentration in US, China, and Mexico
markets.
3.3 Sales Forecasting Integration
Visualization Choice: Forecast chart with time-series analysis
Technical Specifications:
- X-axis: Transaction Date/Time (proper date format required)
- Y-axis: Sales values
- Forecast horizon: Extended prediction period
- Interactive filtering: Responds to geographic map selections
Forecasting Methodology: SAS Viya's built-in
forecasting algorithms provide predictive analytics
with confidence intervals, enabling proactive
business planning.

Integration Design: Chart placement on same page

ensures seamless interaction between geographic
selection and temporal analysis, following
dashboard design principles of linked
visualizations.

Task 4: Global Marketing Performance Analysis

4.1 Interactive Control Implementation
Button Bar for Countries: Enables rapid country filtering across all visualizations
Date Slider: Provides temporal range selection (2009-2010 period)

Usability Principle: Controls are positioned at page top for immediate visibility, following F-
pattern reading conventions in dashboard design.

4.2 Four-Visualization Analytics Suite

Channel Type Analysis
- Visualization:
Horizontal bar
chart
- Key Finding:
Internet channel
dominates with
2M transactions
vs Store (253K)
and Resale
(129K)
- Business Implication: Validates digital-first strategy
Profit Trend Analysis
- Visualization: Line chart with temporal progression
- Interactive Feature: Responds to country and date filter selections
- Strategic Value: Monitors business health across filtered segments

Departmental Sales Performance

- Visualization: Pie chart with departmental breakdown
- Key Insight: Women's segment leads with $98M total sales
- Design Choice: Pie chart effectively shows proportional relationships in departmental
performance

Cost Distribution Analysis

- Visualization: Box plot showing cost structure patterns
- Analytical Value: Identifies cost concentration and outlier patterns
- Business Application: Supports cost optimization initiatives

4.3 Interactive Dashboard Functionality

All four visualizations respond dynamically to filter selections, demonstrating advanced SAS
Viya interaction capabilities. This creates a cohesive analytical environment where
stakeholders can conduct ad-hoc analysis without technical expertise.
4.4 Decision Tree Marketing Strategy
Model Configuration
- Response Variable: Profit
- Input Variables: Channel Type, Brand Name, Loyalty Card, Promotion Applied, Store Chain
- Depth Limitation: Maximum 4 levels as specified

Variable Importance Results

1. ChannelType: ~80% importance (highest impact)
2. Brand Name: ~60% importance (secondary factor)
3. Storechain: ~20% importance (tertiary consideration)

Strategic Recommendation: Focus on Internet Channel with Strategic Brand Partnerships

Justification: The decision tree analysis reveals ChannelType as the dominant profit driver,
with Internet channels showing superior performance. This data-driven recommendation
aligns with digital transformation trends and provides quantified profit optimization
pathways.

Task 5: Report Architecture and Documentation

5.1 Overview Page Design
The overview page serves as an executive summary, providing stakeholders with immediate
understanding of report capabilities and key findings. Text objects are strategically positioned
to guide users through analytical narratives.
Information Architecture: Following pyramid principle, overview presents conclusions first,
followed by supporting analysis details accessible through navigation.

Report Navigation Structure

- Overview (Executive summary and navigation guide)
- Task 1 (Hierarchical analysis foundations)
- Task 2.1-2.4 (Individual profit insights)
- Task 3 (Integrated sales and marketing dashboard)
- Task 4 (Global marketing performance analysis)

Visualization Principles and Guidelines Applied

Design Excellence Standards
1. Clarity: All visualizations prioritize clear communication over decorative elements
2. Consistency: Uniform color schemes and formatting across related charts
3. Context: Appropriate chart types selected based on data relationships and analytical
objectives
4. Interactivity: Meaningful interactions that enhance rather than complicate analysis

Data Storytelling Framework

The report follows a logical narrative progression:
1. Foundation building (data preparation and hierarchies)
2. Profit analysis (identifying key performance patterns)
3. Geographic and temporal integration (comprehensive market view)
4. Strategic decision support (actionable recommendations)

Technical Implementation Excellence

- Proper data classifications ensure accurate visualizations
- Interactive features provide seamless user experience
- Forecast modeling incorporates statistical rigor
- Decision tree analysis follows established machine learning principles

Business Impact and Strategic Value

Immediate Actionable Insights
1. Geographic Focus: Prioritize China and California markets for expansion
2. Channel Strategy: Accelerate Internet channel investments
3. Promotion Review: Restructure promotion strategies based on effectiveness analysis
4. Brand Optimization: Leverage Pine brand strength while investigating loyalty program
ROI

Long-term Strategic Implications

The analytics framework established enables ongoing performance monitoring and strategic
adaptation. The interactive dashboard empowers stakeholders to conduct independent
analysis, reducing dependency on technical resources while maintaining analytical rigor.

Conclusion
This comprehensive SAS Viya Visual Analytics implementation demonstrates advanced
business intelligence capabilities, combining technical proficiency with strategic business
insight. The interactive dashboard provides executives with powerful tools for data-driven
decision making while maintaining accessibility for non-technical stakeholders. The
visualization choices, interactive features, and analytical depth collectively create a robust
platform for retail performance management and strategic planning, positioning the
organization for data-driven growth and optimization.