Chart display options

Every chart type in DataPrism draws by its own rules, and the Visual tab holds the settings that change the drawing. This page explains how each chart type draws and the display options beyond the basics. The pane's full section list is on Format a visual; the rows each visual can load are on Visuals.

Bar charts

• Every measure the chart plots draws one bar, and a field in Legend splits each measure into one bar per legend value.
• Without a field in X-Axis, a bar chart draws one group of bars, one bar per measure, with no category name on the axis. There is no category to click, so the group cannot filter other visuals.
• Layout draws the bars Clustered (the default), Stacked or 100% stacked. 100% stacked scales every stack to its share of that stack's total.
• When a legend brings more series than the chart draws, the extra series are left out and a badge counts what is shown. See Chart states and rendering rules.

Combo charts

• Bars from Bar Series (Left Y-Axis) draw against the left value axis, and series from Line Series (Right Y-Axis) against the right one.
• When the chart mixes bars and lines, a second value axis draws on the right; Show secondary Y axis switches it on or off.
• In the legend, area series come first, then bars, then lines.
• Clicking a category filters the other visuals on the page; hold Ctrl (Windows and Linux) or Cmd (macOS) to add it to the selection. See Filters, slicers and interactions for how a selection reaches other visuals.

Line and area charts

• Type draws the series as Line or Area; the default is Line.
• A line chart needs a field in X-Axis; without one it cannot draw.
• An Area fills down to zero, so its value axis includes zero. A Line scales its axis to the values, so small movements stay visible.
• Data markers are on by default; Show data markers switches them off.
• A missing point leaves a gap in the line; the line does not join across it.

Pie and donut charts

• With a field in Legend, a pie draws one slice per legend value; when several measures sit in Values, the slices are sized by the first measure. Without a legend field, it draws one slice per measure.
• A slice drawn from a Values measure is not a value of any column, so it cannot filter other visuals; a slice drawn from a legend value can.
• A donut draws a wide centre that carries a KPI: it shows the total, the slice you hover or select, or the sum of several selected slices.
• Slice labels sit outside the pie, joined by a leader line. A slice smaller than about 2% keeps its label off; hover the slice to read its value in the tooltip.
• When the same measure appears twice, the labels keep the repeats apart, for example Amount (sum) and Amount (avg), or a number such as Revenue (2).

The legend

• Position places the legend on the Left, Right or Bottom; the default is Bottom.
• A Bottom legend is one centred row under the plot. A Left or Right legend is a column beside the plot, at most 30% of the tile's width, with its own scroll.
• Hovering a legend entry highlights its series and dims the others. On a pie, the legend and the slices share one highlight.
• On a pie, legend items can be used with the keyboard: Tab to one, then press Enter or Space.
• While a selection is active, hover highlighting pauses; clear the selection and hovering highlights again.

Data labels and tooltips

• Show data labels draws a value on the chart, and Label contents chooses what a label shows. On a pie, the choices cover the category, the value, the percent, or a combination of them.
• Labels are thinned so the rest stay readable: a crowded run drops some labels, and a zero or empty value draws no label at all.
• A visual's tooltips can be switched off; that hides them from hovering, and the drawing itself does not change.
• An empty member reads as (Blank) wherever the visual names it: a matrix row, a funnel stage, a slice or legend item, or a tooltip.

Number formats

• Format offers Auto, Number, Currency and Percent; a date measure offers Auto or Date instead.
• Auto leaves the value in its column's own format. Percent shows a share, for example 12.5%.
• Currency adds a picker: USD ($), EUR (€), GBP (£), CNY (¥), RUB (₽), GEL (₾) and JPY (¥).
• A category that holds plain numbers shows them as they are, without added decimals.
• A large plain value on a line or combo label can shorten, for example 1.5k.

Colours and animation

• Data colours sets one colour per series on charts that draw named series. A palette colour resolves against the theme; a colour set to an exact value keeps its shade in every theme.
• Colours stay with their series: a series keeps its own colour even when another series carries the same name.
• Recolouring a funnel updates its stages and its compare stages; see Compare mode.
• When a visual's result updates, after a filter or a refresh, its marks animate into their new places. A visual that draws for the first time appears without that animation.
• If your device asks for reduced motion, charts skip their animations.
• Hovering a pie slice only changes its opacity; the slice does not grow. A hovered funnel stage brightens.

Questions, answered

What happens if I leave the X-Axis well empty on a bar chart?

The chart draws one group of bars, one bar per measure, with no category name on the axis. There is no category to click, so this group cannot filter other visuals. Add a field to X-Axis to get categories.

Why did my combo chart get a second value axis?

A combo carries bars and lines, and it draws a second value axis on the right when both are present and Show secondary Y axis is on. Switch the setting off to keep one value axis.

Why does my area chart start at zero?

An Area fills down to zero, so its value axis includes zero. Switch Type to Line and the axis scales to the values instead, which keeps small movements visible.

Why is there a gap in my line?

A point is missing at that position, and the line does not join across it. That keeps a missing value from being drawn as if it were data.

What do the numbers in the middle of my donut mean?

The centre shows the total, or the slice you hover or select; with several slices selected it shows their sum.

Why can't I filter other visuals from my pie chart?

That pie divides by its Values measures: a slice is not a value of any column, so it cannot filter. Put a field in Legend, and the slices become legend values that can filter.

Why are some data labels missing?

A zero or empty value draws no label at all, and a crowded run drops some labels so the rest stay readable. On a pie, a slice under about 2% keeps its callout off. Hover a point or slice to read its value in the tooltip.

Why does hovering the legend stop highlighting while a selection is active?

Hover highlighting pauses while a selection is active, so it does not compete with the selection. Clear the selection and hovering highlights again.

Why do my charts sometimes not animate?

A visual that draws for the first time appears without its update animation; later updates animate. If your device asks for reduced motion, charts skip their animations altogether.

What does "(Blank)" mean on my chart?

The member the visual is naming has no value. It appears as (Blank) in a matrix row, a funnel stage, a legend item or slice, or a tooltip. Filter the column, or fill the missing values in the data, to avoid it.

Why does my legend show a series as "Revenue (2)"?

The visual carries the same name twice, and the repeats are numbered to keep them apart, for example Revenue and Revenue (2). When the repeats differ in aggregation, they read that way instead, for example Amount (sum) and Amount (avg).