How to create an Analysis Chart
TimeCache Analysis Charts graphically display a comparison of the time logged against different billing categories, clients or projects/matters. They can also show you an analysis of charges by billing category.

To show an analysis report, choose View>Reports>Analysis Chart.


Pick the options you want for your chart. The Analyze by options let you choose among:
  • Time: Analyzes your time by billing category, on projects you select in the next step
  • Charges: Analyzes your charges by billing category, on projects you select in the next step
  • Project: Analyzes your time by project
  • Client: Analyzes your time by client

TimeCache uses your settings for report dates (from the Report Dates panel of TimeCache Preferences) for the default dates for this chart setup dialog. Be sure to enter the dates you want included in the analysis.

By clicking the appropriate checkboxes, you can include Retainers, entries billed to a retainer, and invoiced entries in the items that TimeCache uses to calculate percentages. You can include expense categories in the chart if you have chosen Charges as the Analyze by type.

After you click OK, a Project list dialog appears. Pick the projects to include in the analysis. In the case of a Clients report, you select clients instead of projects.

TimeCache displays a chart that displays your percentages for up to 16 categories, projects or clients (depending on the type of chart you're displaying) that have time to report (or charges to include if you selected a Charges report). Categories, etc. with no amounts to report are not included in the chart.

If your choices would produce more than 16 values, TimeCache offers to select the 16 highest values it found.

 
You can switch the view from a pie chart to a bar chart (or vice-versa) by clicking the appropriate buttons at bottom left of the chart window.

Either type of chart shows a maximum of 16 different values. If you are displaying a pie chart, keep in mind that the pie slices represent the relationship of each value behind the slice to the total amount represented. This can lead to skewed numbers if your choices for the analysis resulted in more than 16 values -- which TimeCache truncates to at most 16. Also, if any value is less than 1%, TimeCache does not add a pie slice for that value, but lumps it into an "Other" category.

You can change the colors used in Analysis charts on the Analysis chart colors panel of TimeCache Preferences.

Viewing chart values
Clicking Details at the bottom right of the chart window displays another window with the values behind the analysis, in time or charges, and in percentages. The Details window shows all values included in the report — it is not limited to the 16 values of the chart.

 
You can save this information to a tab-delimited text file if you would like to use it in another application. To do so, click Save, and provide a file name and location to save it.