Intelligence – School Calendar Explorer

Inntopia’s School Calendar Explorer combines a comprehensive, human-vetted data set with an interactive business intelligence dashboard to give travel providers, airlines, travel agents, and DMOs an unprecedented view of year-over-year school break and holiday patterns across the United States.

Charts on the interactive main dashboard provide several options to explore data. You can zoom in and out to get a closer view of chart data for particular dates, use dashboard icons to drill down and up into various levels of detail, view charts in a larger window, export data to a .pdf or to Microsoft® Excel, and view data in table format. Viewing % On Break map data as a table allows you to sort the data.

The School Calendar Explorer is a premium report and requires a subscription and appropriate individual log-in permissions. A subscription is available as both an add-on feature to current Marketing Cloud platform users or as a stand-alone feature for non-users. For more information or to purchase, contact your Inntopia Account Manager or visit Inntopia.com.

The % on Break chart provides a visual representation of when school breaks are scheduled based on selections made in the Date Range – School Year, Month, Age – School Type, and Location – State, MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Areas), City, School District filters.

Based on the filters you choose, you can interact with the chart to view more detailed information by date or view the data as a table to see each day and the percent of students on break. Interacting with the chart displays additional information about which and how many school districts are on break and where they are located.

  1. Interact with the chart to view more date-specific information.
  2. The orange and black lines represent the two most relevant school years for comparison.
  3. Legend indicates which school years are currently represented by the orange and black lines.

Note: In the School Calendar Explorer, a school year is defined as July 1 to June 30; therefore, the school years represented by the orange and black lines on the chart adjust when newer data for the current year becomes available.

The % On Break chart has a slider on the left side that lets you zoom into the chart to view slight variances in the percentage data for specific dates. For example, the following chart is displayed at its default zoom, showing a maximum of 50% of students on break; however, the variance between each year for March 1 and 2 is small and is therefore difficult to see.

Use the mouse to drag the slider circles up and down to zoom in or out of a specific percentage range. By zooming in on the same example chart as above, you can now more easily see the variations between each year for March 1 and 2.

The % On Break map provides a visual representation of school break information by location. You can interact with the map to view more localized information (state, county, or city).

  • As you select Date Range, Age, and Location filters, the map data updates in real time.
  • The map is interactive and can be dragged to view other locations. You can also zoom in or out using the wheel on your mouse or using standard zoom gestures on a track pad.
  • View the data as a table to see each state, county, and city and the percentage of students on break.

  • To view more information about a location, hover your mouse over an orange bubble.

    Clicking on one or more bubbles updates the % On Break line chart to reflect information for the selected bubble(s). To reset the % On Break chart to your original filter settings, click anywhere on the dashboard.

  • To view county- or city-level school breaks, use the dashboard icons to drill up or down between the hierarchy levels.

The School Calendar Explorer includes a list of school holidays that correlates with the criteria you select for viewing school breaks. The list includes the day of the week the holidays land on in each year.

For example, if you select criteria to view school breaks for the months of December and January for grades K-12, the holiday list will include all possible holidays for the selected time frame. In this example, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day are listed.

Notes:
  • In the School Calendar Explorer, a school year is defined as July 1 to June 30.
  • Holidays listed are not specific to a selected geographical region.

To view a School Calendar Explorer chart in a larger format with more detail, click the Focus Mode dashboard icon. The chart appears in a new window in which you can use the % On Break slider and the dashboard icons to look more closely at the data. If the dashboard icons are not visible, hover the mouse over the chart to expose the icon menu.

To return to the main School Calendar Explorer dashboard, click Back to report in the upper-left corner.

When viewing school break data, the information displayed in the % On Break line chart and the geographical map changes as you select each filter option. You can select as many or as few filter options as you want.

Note: By default, all options in the filter drop-down lists are selected. To select individual options, first deselect all drop-down filter options by clicking Select All, then, using the Ctrl or Command keys on your keyboard, select single or multiple filter options.

  1. Log into Inntopia Marketing Cloud.

    For users of the stand-alone version of the School Calendar Explorer, the following home screen appears:

    For users of the Marketing Cloud Insight portal, a variation of the following screen appears:

  2. From the left menu, click Intelligence. The Intelligence menu expands.

    (If you are a stand-alone user, you can also launch the School Calendar Explorer by clicking on the orange Launch School Calendar Explorer box.)

  3. From the Intelligence menu, click School Calendar Explorer. The School Calendar Explorer appears.

  4. In the Date Range Filters section, determine the date range for the data set.
    1. From the School Year drop-down list, select the school years you want to include in the data set. (By default, both the current and the next year are selected to display year-over-year differences.)
    2. From the Month drop-down list, select the month(s) you want to include in the data set. (By default, all months are selected.)

  5. From the Type drop-down list in the Age Filters section, select the general age bracket/school type(s) to include in the data set. You can display K–12 (kindergarten through grade 12) schools only, colleges only, or both. (By default, all school types are selected.)

  6. In the Location Filters section, determine the geographical areas to include in the data set:
    1. From the State drop-down list, select the state(s) you want to include in the data set. (By default, all states are selected.)

    2. From the MSA drop-down list, select the Metropolitan Statistical Area(s) (MSA) to include in the data set. The MSAs available to select from the list directly correlate to the individual states you select. (By default, all MSAs relevant to the currently selected state(s) are selected.)

    3. From the City drop-down list, select the city or cities to include in the data set. The cities available to select from the list directly correlate to the individual MSAs you select. (By default, all cities relevant to the currently selected MSAs are selected.)

    4. From the School District drop-down list, select which school district(s) to include in the data set. The school districts available to select from the list directly correlate to the individual cities you select. (By default, all school districts relevant to the currently selected cities are selected.)

    The % On Break line chart, % On Break by State map, and list of holidays are updated to reflect your selected filter criteria.

  7. To view the % On Break line chart data in a table format, right-click anywhere on the chart and from the menu, click Show as a table.

    A new screen appears showing both the % On Break line chart and its data represented in table format.

    To return to the main screen, click Back to Report

  8. To view the % On Break by State map data in table, toggle the Map/Table button to Table.

    The data is now represented in table format in place of the map. To sort table data, click on the column headers.

  9. To view data from a wider perspective:

    1. From the % on Break chart, select the Drill Up dashboard icon.

      The chart displays a wider view (next level up) of the aggregate number of students on break for the chosen filters. The below example shows a monthly-level view of the data.

    2. For a detailed and expanded view of data for a month, right-click on a black dot on the chart for a month, and from the menu, click Drill through and then click Date Detail.

      The Detailed Data page appears showing the year-over-year percentage differential for each day in the selected month.

To learn more about % On Break data and view additional and detailed school break calendar data, click here.

On the % On Break chart, you can view school break metrics for a specific day including the number of students on break for that day during the current year, the upcoming year, and the year-over-year on-break differential.

  1. For information about a specific date, hover your mouse over the orange or black line corresponding to the date you want to view. A pop-up box and two corresponding dots appear on each chart line.

  2. Hover your mouse pointer over either the orange or black dot and right-click to open a menu.

  3. From the menu, click Drill through and then click Date Detail.

    The Detailed Data for <Date> page appears with Year-Over-Year % on Break, Marketing Analysis, and Top 5 MSA on Break sections.

The YOY % on Break Diff by Month, Day and Period Name chart displays the differential between the previous school year and the current/upcoming school year.

    To view what percentage of the top five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) are on break, you can interact with the Top 5 MSA On Break chart.

  1. To view the details of each MSA represented in the chart, hover the mouse over individual sections of the chart. The MSA name and the percentage of students on break within the MSA appears.

  2. To view underlying data for a specific MSA, click on that MSA's section on the pie chart. The detailed data for the selected school year at the top of the page updates.

    To return to the prior view, click on the MSA in the pie chart a second time.

  3. To view the chart in a larger format, click the Focus Mode dashboard icon.

  4. To return to the Detailed Data page, in the upper-left corner, click Back to report.

The Analysis dashboard lets you explore the data based on criteria you select. By creating your own analysis, you can dig into your data and discover interesting trends.

Custom analysis starts with the base level of % On Break. You can explore additional levels by splitting the data into selected criteria, such as State, County, City, or MSA and uncover further trends by adding a third or fourth level to the analysis.

  1. From the % On Break chart, hover over a date, right-click to expose the menu, and in the Drill Through option, click Date Detail. The Detailed Data for <month year> screen appears with the Marketing Analysis section shown on the screen.

  2. Custom analyses are best viewed in a larger format. To increase the size of the custom Marketing Analysis Customer Analysis chart, hover the mouse pointer over the section and click the Focus Mode icon.

    The chart appears in a new window.

  3. To choose how to split the data, click the plus icon (+) to the right of the base level.

    A list of criteria opens.

  4. From the list, select a criterion. The base amount is split into each category within the selected criterion. Plus signs indicate the data can be split even further.

  5. To continue to branch the data to display specific information for the selected criterion within the various data levels, click the corresponding plus signs.

  6. To display specific information for an item within open levels, click on an individual record.

  7. To remove a criterion level, click the X above the level.

  8. To return to the main Campaign Analysis dashboard, click Back to report.

To get a more focused view of a specific break period, you can pinpoint specific dates or a date range on the % On Break line chart and then include just those dates in an alternative view of the % On Break chart.

  1. From the % On Break chart, hover your mouse on the line where it corresponds to a specific date. The details appear in a pop-up box.

  2. To view a range of specific dates, press and hold the Ctrl or Command key on your keyboard while clicking on the line corresponding to additional days. Each click is represented with a dot on the line.

  3. Hover your mouse directly over a dot, right-click, and from the menu, click Include.

    The % On Break chart updates to show only the dates you selected.

  4. For instructions on how to view that data from a wider perspective, click here.

 

The Q&A dashboard provides plainly worded analysis for additional metrics not currently available on the main Intelligence dashboards. You can select pre-defined suggested questions, or you can type your own questions. The pre-defined suggested questions may vary depending on the data being viewed in the various dashboards.

  1. Open an Intelligence dashboard and click the Q&A button. On the Destination Explorer Analysis tab, click the Q&A button. The Q&A dashboard appears with pre-defined suggested questions displayed.

  2. To display more or hide pre-defined suggested questions, click Show all suggestions or Show fewer suggestions.

  3. Click on any of the pre-defined questions. The question text appears in the Ask a question about your data field and the data and metrics corresponding to the question you selected appear.

  4. To return to the main Q&A dashboard, delete the question appearing in the Ask a question about your data field.

  1. From an Intelligence dashboard, click the Q&A button. On the Destination Explorer Analysis tab, click the Q&A button. The Q&A dashboard appears.

  2. In the Ask a question about your data field, begin typing a question. As you type, the question field will auto-complete and offer relevant and contextual suggestions from which to choose.

    Some words you entered may be highlighted in various ways. To further refine your question, click on the highlighted words.

    The selected analysis appears.

The contextual highlights in the Q&A are a feature of Microsoft Power BI™. A few of the more common contextual highlights are defined below. For more information, consult the Microsoft Power BI documentation.

Highlight

Meaning

Blue underline

Q&A has successfully matched this word in the data set.

Orange dotted underline

Q&A has low confidence in the in the term in respect to the data set. Click the word to see a list of suggestions.

Red double underline

Q&A does not recognize this term in respect to the data set. Continue typing to add more information or select from one of the possible suggestions.

Some combination of the Microsoft Power BI® dashboard icons defined below appear in the upper right corners of the maps or individual charts on the Intelligence dashboards to further explore the data.

The dashboard icons available on each dashboard vary. Not all dashboard icons appear on every intelligence dashboard.

If the icons are not visible, click or hover your mouse on a map or chart.

Icon Name Definition

Drill Up

Provides a wider view of data.
Drill Mode

Turn on Drill mode.
Drill Mode On

Drill mode is set to On, allowing you to select a data point in which to see a narrower view of data.
Drill Down

When Drill mode is set to On, click to drill down to the next level in the detail hierarchy. For example, if you are looking at data for year, the next level shown would be month.
Expand Detail

Expand all one level down in the detail hierarchy.
Smart Narrative View a quick text summary of the visual.
Copy as Image with Caption Copy a static image of the visual along with a caption showing relevant meta data and filter information.
Filters and Slicers

View filters and slicers affecting this visual. Filters are applied to the data set by Inntopia (such as Sent Date). Slicers are selected by you to narrow the data set (such as Campaign Name).
Focus mode

Opens the chart in a larger window to view and interact with more focused, detailed information.
More options

Displays the Export data, Show Table, Spotlight, Get Insights, and Sort Axis options.
Export

Export data to Microsoft Excel.
Show Table

Show data as a table in a larger window.
Spotlight

Bring focus to the selected chart.
Toggle Layout

Switch to vertical layout. When the table view is enabled, the chart and data table appear in a vertical layout.
Toggle Layout

Switch to horizontal layout. When the table view is enabled, the chart and data table appear in a horizontal layout.
Rectangle Select

Use the mouse to select an area in which to focus. Bubbles in the selected area are displayed in dark orange on the map. The KPIs update to represent the selected area.
Get Insights To view Microsoft BI recognized insights about your data, open the Insights panel.
N/A Sort Axis Re-sort the chart based on the data. The specific options available depend on the chart’s data.

You can export data from any Intelligence feature to a .csv or .xlsx file for further analysis. You can also export Intelligence data directly to a .pdf file. For more information and detailed instructions, visit Export Intelligence Data.

Note: For best results in exporting intelligence data, Inntopia suggests exporting to a .csv or .xlsx file.

Note: For best results in exporting School Calendar data, Inntopia suggests exporting to a .csv or .xlsx file.

The Inntopia Marketing Cloud platform uses Microsoft Power BI® to provide superior data analytics through visualization in its Intelligence reports. While this documentation makes every effort to provide an accurate representation of how to navigate and what you see on these visualizations, regular updates to the Power BI software by Microsoft may result in some variations in function and visuals in the reports. In addition, Microsoft Power BI recognizes how you use the application and caches your preferences, making your default view different from the images displayed in this documentation.