isds 2001 ch. 3 test bank – Flashcards with Answers
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
For those executives who do not have the time to go through lengthy reports, the best alternative is the A) last page of the report. B) raw data that informed the report. C) executive summary. D) charts in the report.
answer
C
question
All of the following are true about external reports between businesses and the government EXCEPT A) they can include tax and compliance reporting. B) they can be filed nationally or internationally. C) they are standardized for the most part to reduce the regulatory burden. D) their primary focus is government.
answer
D
question
Kaplan and Norton developed a report that presents an integrated view of success in the organization called A) metric management reports. B) balanced scorecard-type reports. C) dashboard-type reports. D) visual reports.
answer
B
question
Which component of a reporting system contains steps detailing how recorded transactions are converted into metrics, scorecards, and dashboards? A) data supply B) business logic C) extract, transform and load D) assurance
answer
B
question
Which of the following is LEAST related to data/information visualization? A) information graphics B) scientific visualization C) statistical graphics D) graphic artwork
answer
D
question
The Internet emerged as a new medium for visualization and brought all the following EXCEPT A) worldwide digital distribution of visualization. B) immersive environments for consuming data. C) new forms of computation of business logic. D) new graphics displays through PC displays.
answer
C
question
Which kind of chart is described as an enhanced variant of a scatter plot? A) heat map B) bullet C) pie chart D) bubble chart
answer
D
question
Which type of visualization tool can be very helpful when the intention is to show relative proportions of dollars per department allocated by a university administration? A) heat map B) bullet C) pie chart D) bubble chart
answer
C
question
Which type of visualization tool can be very helpful when a data set contains location data? A) bar chart B) geographic map C) highlight table D) tree map
answer
B
question
Which type of question does visual analytics seeks to answer? A) Why did it happen? B) What happened yesterday? C) What is happening today? D) When did it happen?
answer
A
question
When you tell a story in a presentation, all of the following are true EXCEPT A) a story should make sense and order out of a lot of background noise. B) a well-told story should have no need for subsequent discussion. C) stories and their lessons should be easy to remember. D) the outcome and reasons for it should be clear at the end of your story.
answer
B
question
Benefits of the latest visual analytics tools, such as SAS Visual Analytics, include all of the following EXCEPT A) mobile platforms such as the iPhone are supported by these products. B) it is easier to spot useful patterns and trends in the data. C) they explore massive amounts of data in hours, not days. D) there is less demand on IT departments for reports.
answer
C
question
What is the management feature of a dashboard? A) operational data that identify what actions to take to resolve a problem B) summarized dimensional data to analyze the root cause of problems C) summarized dimensional data to monitor key performance metrics D) graphical, abstracted data to monitor key performance metrics
answer
A
question
What is the fundamental challenge of dashboard design? A) ensuring that users across the organization have access to it B) ensuring that the organization has the appropriate hardware onsite to support it C) ensuring that the organization has access to the latest web browsers D) ensuring that the required information is shown clearly on a single screen
answer
D
question
Contextual metadata for a dashboard includes all the following EXCEPT A) whether any high-value transactions that would skew the overall trends were rejected as a part of the loading process. B) which operating system is running the dashboard server software. C) whether the dashboard is presenting "fresh" or "stale" information. D) when the data warehouse was last refreshed.
answer
B
question
Dashboards can be presented at all the following levels EXCEPT A) the visual dashboard level. B) the static report level. C) the visual cube level. D) the self-service cube level.
answer
C
question
Why is a performance management system superior to a performance measurement system? A) because performance measurement systems are only in their infancy B) because measurement automatically leads to problem solution C) because performance management systems cost more D) because measurement alone has little use without action
answer
D
question
Why is the customer perspective important in the balanced scorecard methodology? A) because dissatisfied customers will eventually hurt the bottom line B) because customers should always be included in any design methodology C) because customers understand best how the firm's internal processes should work D) because companies need customer input into the design of the balanced scorecard
answer
A
question
All of the following statements about balanced scorecards and dashboards are true EXCEPT A) scorecards are less preferred at operational and tactical levels. B) dashboards would be the preferred choice to monitor production quality. C) scorecards are best for real-time tracking of a marketing campaign. D) scorecards are preferred for tracking the achievement of strategic goals.
answer
C
question
What is Six Sigma? A) a letter in the Greek alphabet that statisticians use to measure process variability B) a methodology aimed at reducing the number of defects in a business process C) a methodology aimed at reducing the amount of variability in a business process D) a methodology aimed at measuring the amount of variability in a business process
answer
B
question
A(n) ________ is a communication artifact, concerning business matters, prepared with the specific intention of relaying information in a presentable form.
answer
business report
question
Travel and Transport created an online BI self-service system that allowed ________ to access information directly.
answer
clients
question
There are only a few categories of business report: informal, ________, and short.
answer
formal
question
________ management reports are used to manage business performance through outcome-oriented metrics in many organizations.
answer
Metric
question
In the Delta Lloyd Group case study, the ________ is the stage of the reporting process in which consolidated figures are cited, formatted, and described to form the final text of the report.
answer
last mile
question
In the Blastrac case study, Tableau analytics software was used to replace massive ________ that were loaded with data from multiple ERP systems.
answer
spreadsheets
question
________ charts are useful in displaying nominal data or numerical data that splits nicely into different categories so you can quickly see comparative results and trends.
answer
Bar
question
________ charts or network diagrams show precedence relationships among the project activities/tasks.
answer
PERT
question
________ are typically used together with other charts and graphs, as opposed to by themselves, and show postal codes, country names, etc.
answer
Maps
question
Typical charts, graphs, and other visual elements used in visualization-based applications usually involve ________ dimensions.
answer
2
question
Visual analytics is widely regarded as the combination of visualization and ________ analytics.
answer
predictive
question
Dashboards present visual displays of important information that are consolidated and arranged on a single ________.
answer
screen
question
With dashboards, the layer of information that uses graphical, abstracted data to keep tabs on key performance metrics is the ________ layer.
answer
monitoring
question
In the Saudi Telecom company case study, information ________ software allowed managers to see trends and correct issues before they became problems.
answer
visualization
question
Performance dashboards enable ________ operations that allow the users to view underlying data sources and obtain more detail.
answer
drill-down/drill-through
question
With a dashboard, information on sources of the data being presented, the quality and currency of underlying data provide contextual ________ for users.
answer
metadata
question
Business performance management comprises a ________ set of processes that link strategy to execution with the goal of optimizing business performance.
answer
closed-loop
question
In the Mace case study, the IBM Cognos software enabled the rapid creation of integrated reports across 60 countries, replacing a large and complex ________.
answer
spreadsheet
question
A strategically aligned metric is also known as a key ________.
answer
performance indicator
question
The ________ perspective of the organization suggested by the balanced scorecard focuses on business processes and how well they are running.
answer
internal business process
question
List and describe the three major categories of business reports.
answer
β Metric management reports--manage business performance through outcome-oriented metrics. β Dashboard-type reports--graphical representation of performance indicators β Balanced scorecard type reports--attempts to present an integrated view of success in an organization; includes financial and nonfinancial (customer, business process, and learning and growth perspectives)
question
types of specialized charts and graphs
answer
β Histograms β Gantt charts β PERT charts β Geographic maps β Bullets β Heat maps β Highlight tables β Tree maps
question
What are the three layers of information of a BI dashboard?
answer
1. Monitoring--KPIs 2. Analysis--root cause of problems 3. Management--detailed operational data that identify what action to take to resolve problem
question
practices of dashboard design
answer
β Benchmark key performance indicators with industry standards β Wrap the dashboard metrics with contextual metadata β Validate the dashboard design by a usability specialist β Prioritize and rank alerts/exceptions streamed to the dashboard β Enrich the dashboard with business users' comments β Present information in three different levels β Pick the right visual construct using dashboard design principles β Provide for guided analytics
question
What are the four processes that define a closed-loop BPM cycle?
answer
1. Strategize--identifying and stating organization's mission, vision and objectives; plan 2. Plan: Strategic, tactical and operational; Operational planning ex. budgets, plans, forecasts, models, initiatives and targets 3. Monitor/Analyze: A comprehensive framework: what to monitor and how to monitor. (performance dashboards, reports and analytical tools) 4. Act and Adjust--what do we need to do differently?
question
distinguishing features of key performance indicators
answer
β Strategy. KPIs embody a strategic objective. β Targets. KPIs measure performance against specific targets. Targets are defined in strategy, planning, or budgeting sessions and can take different forms (e.g., achievement targets, reduction targets, absolute targets). β Ranges. Targets have performance ranges (e.g., above, on, or below target). β Encodings. Ranges are encoded in software, enabling the visual display of performance (e.g., green, yellow, red). Encodings can be based on percentages or more complex rules. β Time frames. Targets are assigned time frames by which they must be accomplished. A time frame is often divided into smaller intervals to provide performance mileposts. β Benchmarks. Targets are measured against a baseline or benchmark. The previous year's results often serve as a benchmark, but arbitrary numbers or external benchmarks may also be used.
question
What are the three nonfinancial objectives of the balanced scorecard?
answer
1. Customer 2. Internal business process 3. Learning and growth
question
Six Sigma rests on a simple performance improvement model known as DMAIC. What are the steps involved?
answer
1. Define 2. Measure 3. Analyze 4. Improve 5. Control
question
What are the basic ingredients of a good collection of performance measures?
answer
a) focus on key factors b) mix of past, present and future c) balance the needs of shareholders, employees, partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders. d) Measures should start at the top and flow down to the bottom. e) targets that are based on research and reality rather than be arbitrary
question
In the Expedia case study, what three steps were taken to convert drivers of departmental performance into a scorecard?
answer
β Deciding how to measure satisfaction. This required the group to determine which measures in the 20 databases would be useful for demonstrating a customer's level of satisfaction. This became the basis for the scorecards and KPIs. β Setting the right performance targets. This required the group to determine whether KPI targets had short-term or long-term payoffs. β Putting data into context. The group had to tie the data to ongoing customer satisfaction projects.