Analyze. Optimize. Manage

BILLmanager development team had announced to our clients the product-integrated BI system in beta testing mode to receive feedback and to refine the feature. Based on the data received, a new business intelligence module 0.3.0 was released on November 12, 2024. Here is what’s new about it.

We have updated Apache Superset from 2.1.0 to 4.0.2 version. The new software version unleashes new potential for data visualization: new types of graphs and improvement of the existing ons; new dashboard and graph filtration and management options; increased operational stability and other upgrades.

Let’s have a closer look at some important upgrades inside Apache Superset 4.0.2, as all of them will help providers create a usable and relatable business monitoring tool.

You can now select a column and set multiple thresholds to apply a status color (red/yellow/green) on your big number charts (both with and without the trendline).

All of the Apache ECharts-based Series charts – including stacked variants – now support flexible sorting of the X-Axis according to aggregated metrics

Whereas before things were sorted by name, you can now sort by min, max, total, and average series values, and see the sorting reflected in tooltips as well.

Apache Superset has long been able to support a little bit of HTML in the cells of the Table visualization (e.g. links). But starting with Superset 3.0, support for this is expanded to SQL Lab, the chart builder's Results and Samples tables, and in drilling features. You can not only use HTML links, but you can add simple HTML (like images) to a cell, or add a wrapping element with styles around a cell's content (e.g. a background or text color for a div tag).

Legacy charts in prior versions of Superset had a not-so-discoverable feature of double-clicking legends in certain charts to invert the chart series selection. This version leverages the ECharts feature set to add simple "Invert" and "All" buttons to modify series selections made by chart legends.

Drill-By

As of 3.0.0, Apache Superset ships with "drill-by" option.

Users can now right-click a chart element, and select a dimension they want to dive into. Superset will apply a filter (for what you clicked) and a "group by" (for the column you select), and display an overlay where you can see more granular results.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kzAkQqst_p9rJH0DcHk7j8g0YBEFn9GY/view?usp=sharing

In dashboards, charts emitting cross-filters have a new icon (with a tooltip) and charts that receive cross-filters display the applied filter(s) in the filter indicator popover.

Additionally, cross-filters that have been applied to a dashboard now appear in the filter bar on the left side of the screen (along with the chart emitting it), and have an x button to remove the filter.

The following features have also been added to filter indication system: export to CSV or Excel when the feature is enabled, new chart diagrams, configurable default currency and number formatting.

Full information about the update: https://preset.io/blog/superset-3-0-release-notes/#chart-improvements

As you can see in the screenshot below, the drop zone is highlighted during the dragging process to clearly indicate where the element will be placed.

Also improved are the forbidden drop zones to prevent users from dropping elements in invalid locations.

Now, during dragging, all droppable zones are highlighted, with distinct colors indicating available and unavailable drop locations.

This enhancement clearly shows potential drop points and helps avoid inadvertent placements in invalid areas. The update also aligns the drag-over feedback with the dashboard's drag-and-drop modifications, ensuring a uniform and enhanced user experience.

Users can now migrate sunburst charts to Apache Echarts charts and diagrams library.

Apart from updates within Apache Superset 4.0.2, we have additionally improved operation of visualization internal elements in BI module as well as increased their running speed and fixed bugs that users are facing.

We will keep improving the quality of and developing our internal business intelligence system based upon market trends and clients feedback. Follow our news not to miss the latest updates.

Find more information about BILLmanager BI module: https://www.ispsystem.com/docs/b6c/business-intelligence-module/description-of-the-bi-system-module

More details on BI module installation: https://www.ispsystem.com/docs/b6c/business-intelligence-module/installing-the-bi-module-and-configuring-user-permissions