Tutorial
Treemaps graphically represent information about objects by dividing the display into areas (typically
rectangles) that are proportional to the size of each object. It also enables the display of hierarchical
information by nesting each area into subregions. It was invented and first used in the early 1990s by Ben
Shneiderman at the University of Maryland for the management of the disk space of his server. Treemaps
display rows of data as groups of squares that can be arranged, sized and colored to graphically reveal
underlying data patterns. This visualization technique allows users to explore and easily recognize
complicated data relationships. For background information about the Treemap method, algorithm and history,
please refer to the Treemapping Wikipedia article.
Macrofocus TreeMap conveniently supports loading of data from a broad range of sources, including spreadsheets (e.g. Microsoft Excel), specialized applications, and tabular data file, as well as common relational databases and online data providers. We provide some example datasets that will get you started within minutes.
Once you have loaded some data, you have the possibility to adjust the default settings using
the configuration panel in the upper-left part of the window. This panel gives
the possibility to defined how the data should be grouped in subcategories, what should be displayed within
each area of the TreeMap view, to which size each of the area should be proportional to, as well as how
the area should be colored. Some settings only apply to categorical variables (group by), some only to
numerical variables (size), and some to both (labeling and coloring). More fined-tuned configuration can be
achieved using the options provided in the Details,
Variables, and Layout panels.
On the right side, you will find the TreeMap view that corresponds to the chosen
settings in the Configuration panel. The areas will always attempt fill the available space in an optimal
way.
Moving your mouse over the each area will display a popup window show some of the values configured in the
the Details panel. You can also rely on the TreeTable view
to lookup the exact values.
You can also zoom into the treemap by using the range sliders on
the top and left of the display area (you can zoom out by double-clicking on the slider). To work on a
subset of the data, or to search for specific values, use the Filters panel.
Once you are happy with your TreeMap configuration, you can save the current configuration and the data by going to the File menu.
After you played around a bit, you will have found that it is very easy to quickly access specific values for specific objects. It is much faster than looking it up in a big table or issuing a database query. Just click on an object in any of the views and there you go. Individual values can not only be easily found, but they are also embedded in the overall context and you immediately see how they relate to other objects.
In addition to quick data access, the different views provide various ways of revealing interesting patterns in the data and allow you to make sense of it.