Notebook Creating Chart

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Learn how to create a new chart, add entities and links, and begin building a basic network

Creating Your First Chart

Creating a chart in Analyst's Notebook is the first step in visualizing relationships and conducting analysis. This process involves setting up a new chart, adding entities, creating links between them, and organizing your visualization effectively.

Starting a New Chart

To create a new chart in Analyst's Notebook:

• Launch i2 Analyst's Notebook
• Select "File" > "New" or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N
• Choose a chart template if prompted, or start with a blank chart
• Set up your chart properties, including page size and orientation

Adding Entities to Your Chart

Entities represent the objects of interest in your analysis, such as people, organizations, events, or locations. To add entities:

• Select the appropriate entity type from the palette on the left side of the screen
• Click on the chart where you want to place the entity
• Enter the entity's identity and label information in the dialog box
• Add any additional attributes or properties as needed
• Click "OK" to create the entity

Creating Links Between Entities

Links represent relationships between entities. To create links between entities on your chart:

• Select the link tool from the palette
• Click on the first entity (the source)
• Drag to the second entity (the target) and release
• Enter the link's identity and label information in the dialog box
• Select the appropriate link type to represent the relationship
• Add any additional attributes or properties as needed
• Click "OK" to create the link

Organizing Your Chart

As you add more entities and links, organizing your chart becomes important for clarity and analysis:

• Use the Auto Layout feature to automatically arrange entities
• Manually position entities by dragging them to appropriate locations
• Group related entities together to show clusters or subnetworks
• Use theme lines to organize entities by common characteristics
• Adjust the zoom level to focus on specific areas of interest

Saving and Managing Your Chart

Once you've created your chart, it's important to save and manage it properly:

• Select "File" {'>'} "Save" or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S
• Choose a location and filename for your chart
• Select the appropriate file format (.anb is the standard format)
• Consider using version numbers in filenames for tracking changes
• Regularly save your work to prevent data loss

Creating Your First Chart

Starting a new chart in Analyst's Notebook requires planning beyond simply placing entities on the canvas. A well-structured chart begins with a clear analytical question and a defined scope.

• Define the Question: Every Intelligence chart should answer a specific analytical question. Before creating the chart, write down the question in one sentence. This focus prevents the chart from becoming an undirected collection of data.
• Set Boundaries: Determine what data will be included and what will be left out. An investigation into a fraud ring may include financial records and communications data but exclude unrelated personal relationships.
• Choose the Chart Type: Analyst's Notebook offers different chart types for different analytical needs - link charts for relationship analysis, timeline charts for temporal analysis, and combination charts for multi-dimensional problems.

Entity Creation Best Practices

Entities are the building blocks of any chart. Consistent entity creation practices prevent confusion as the chart grows:

• Single Instance Rule: Each real-world person, organisation, or location should appear exactly once in the chart. Duplicate entities are the most common error in Analyst's Notebook charts and can lead to incorrect analytical conclusions.
• Attribute Completeness: Fill in all available attributes for each entity. An entity with only a name provides limited analytical value - one with phone numbers, addresses, associations, and notes provides a rich analytical target.
• Entity Naming: Use a consistent naming convention from the start. A recommended approach: SURNAME, Given Name for individuals; full legal name for organisations; City, Country for locations.
• Icon Selection: Choose entity icons that communicate meaning at a glance. Use standard icons for common entity types and reserve custom icons for specific categories that appear frequently in your investigation.

Building Links Between Entities

Links define the structure of the chart and require as much care as entity creation:

• Link Direction: Understand when links should be directed (A calls B) versus undirected (A and B are siblings). Directed links enable analysis of flow and hierarchy.
• Link Semantics: Use precise link types rather than generic "associated with" links. A "subscriber of" link between a person and a phone number carries more analytical weight than a generic "related to" link.
• Temporal Links: Where possible, include temporal attributes on links - when a call was made, when a transaction occurred. Temporal links enable timeline analysis and can reveal patterns and rhythms.
• Strength and Frequency: Where data supports it, encode the strength or frequency of a relationship as a link attribute. A phone number that appears 200 times in call records is more significant than one that appears twice.