DataViz User Guide
- Kristina Reeder
What is DataViz?
DataViz is a data visualization tool by the CRU and is part of our DataXplor platform. It is a web application that connects to the CRU’s REDCap platform, allowing charts to be made quickly with the most current data from your project. No data exports or other tools/apps are required.
How to access DataViz
You can request access to the DataXplor app through the CRU’s request form. A link to DataXplor will be configured as a Project Bookmark (available in the lefthand sidebar, see Screenshot 1).
Users with 'No Access' Data Export Rights, as found on the User Rights page within the REDCap project, will not be able to use DataXplor.
You must login to REDCap and click this link to access the tool.
Screenshot 1: REDCap project lefthand menu
Access to the tool by user can be configured by editing your project bookmarks (requires Project Setup & Design user permission). From there, selected users can be given access to the bookmark (Screenshot 2)
Screenshot 2: REDCap’s ‘project bookmarks' page
The DataViz Dashboard
The bookmark logs into the DataViz web application and brings you to the Dashboard page (Screenshot 3).
The Configuration Panel
The Configuration Panel (Screenshot 4) is where you can design your chart. It can be opened and closed by clicking the gear icon on the Dashboard.
From here, you can select the Type of chart and additional chart options.
The Event dropdown is present if your project uses longitudinal data collection. It acts as a filter so that you can specify Instruments and Fields by event.
The Instrument dropdown let you filter through fields by instrument.
The Field dropdowns let you select the data you want to visualize. Multiple fields can be selected with the + button. Depending on the chart type, you will also select a field for your X-axis while the other fields will be used for your Y-axis.
Selecting an Aggregate function (mean, sum, count, etc.) for your Fields / Y-axis may be required depending on your chart type.
Filters are optional and allow you to filter the data that is shown in your chart (see section on filters).
Once your chart is configured, clicking Visualize will pull the data from your REDCap project and produce your chart.
Screenshot 4: Configuration Panel
Filters (Optional)
Clicking the Filters dropdown opens the filtering menu. By default, it opens in Guided Filtering mode.
Guided Filtering functions similarly to the filters seen in REDCap when creating custom reports. Multiple filters can be added by clicking the + icon and selecting how they are connected (AND or OR).
An individual record can be filtered by using the Record ID field (or similar field, depending on your project).
Clicking ‘Switch to Advanced’ will open to Advanced Filtering mode.
Advanced Filtering functions identically to REDCap’s advanced logic (as seen in custom reports, Advanced Branching Logic Syntax, and Calculated fields). If syntax errors exist, the filter may be ignored.