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Formatting a Graph visualization

You can format a Graph visualization, to determine the shape used to display graph elements, whether to have Numerify360 for IT optimize space in the visualization by automatically sizing graph elements, and so on. For example:

• You can quickly define the color of an attribute element in a Graph visualization. For example, you can choose to display data for Electronics as red. When you change the display color for an attribute element, other graphs and heat maps in the dashboard will use the same color to display the element. All the graphs and heat maps must color the graph items based on the same attribute.
• You can display reference lines in a Graph visualization. A reference line, also referred to as a base line, is a user-defined vertical or horizontal line in the graph. Use reference lines to compare, reference, or measure against the data values displayed in the graph. For example, in a Graph visualization that displays regional revenue values, you can define a reference line for your target revenue, to see at a glance how each region compares to the target.
• You can display a trend line for each metric or for a specific metric only. A trendline represents trends in your data. You can extend a trend line beyond your existing data to forecast or predict future values.
• You can abbreviate the X-axis and Y-axis values in the visualization, or allow them to display fully.
• You can highlight metric data in a Graph visualization by applying formatting to the visualization when data fulfills a specific condition.
• If you are formatting the visualization in Formatting Mode, you can also click an area of the graph to format it. The appropriate formatting options are automatically displayed in the Properties panel.

Prerequisite

You must have already created the visualization that you want to format.

Steps to format a Graph visualization

1. Click the name of a dashboard to run it. Right-click the part of the visualization to format, such as graph items, row or column text, or axis lines, then select Format.
2. If the Properties panel is not displayed, from the View menu, ensure that Properties Panel is selected. If the Properties panel is hidden behind another panel, click the Properties icon to display the Properties panel.
3. To format a specific part of the visualization, such as the legend or graph axis, select the object to format, as follows:
   • To select high-level formatting options for the object, click the object. For example, you can click a row axis to format all graph axes in the visualization.
   • To select specific formatting options for the object, double-click the object. For example, you can double-click a row axis to format only the row axis in the visualization.
4. The Properties panel displays the relevant formatting options for the selected object, as described below. You can display formatting options for different parts of the Graph visualization by selecting items in the drop-down list at the top of the Properties panel, such as Legend or Rows and Columns. To display the formatting options for a specific part of the graph, select the part of the graph, such as a bar, line, graph legend, or row header. The Properties panel is automatically updated to display the relevant formatting properties.
   • Data Exploration options are general graph formatting options to determine how to display graph axes, the maximum and minimum size of graph items, whether to display the legend or labels for graph items, whether to display banding, and so on.
   • Trend Lines options enable, define, and format trend lines. For example, you can select the type of trend line and the line color to display for a specific metric. You can extrapolate values from the trend line to create forecasts.
   • Reference Lines options enable, define, and format reference lines. For example, you can select the type of reference line to display (such as maximum or median), the level (each chart, each row, each column), and whether to display labels.
   • Title and Container options format the title, background, and borders of the visualization.
   • Legend options format the legend of the visualization, including whether or not to display the legend.
   • Axis options format the graph axes of the visualization. You can display and format axis labels, axis titles, and grid lines. You can also format axis lines.
   • Rows and Columns options format the rows and columns of the graphs in the visualization. You can format all the rows and columns the same way, or format row text, column text, row headers, column headers, row values, and column values individually.
   • Shapes options format the graph items, such as graph markers and data labels.
5. To exit formatting mode, right-click the visualization and select Exit Format.

To display a reference line in a Graph visualization

Reference lines are available if the X or Y axis contains a metric. Reference lines are not available for 100% stacked graphs. You can add multiple reference lines, using different reference line types, to the same Graph visualization.

1. Click the name of a dashboard to run it.
2. On the numeric axis of the Graph visualization to add a reference line to, right-click the label of the metric to display a reference line for. Point to Add Reference Line, and determine the type of reference line to display by selecting one of the following:
   • To display a reference line at the level of the highest data point in the graph, select Maximum.
   • To display a reference line at the level of the lowest data point in the graph, select Minimum.
   • To display a reference line at the average value of all data points in the graph, select Average.
   • To display a reference line at the median value of all data points in the graph, select Median.
   • To display a reference line at the height of the first data point plotted in the graph, select First.
   • To display a reference line at the height of the last data point plotted in the graph, select Last.
   • To display a reference line at a custom value, select Constant. In the field, type the value.
   • Your reference line is created and displayed in the graph.
3. Right-click the metric label on the numeric axis, and select Edit Reference Line. The Properties panel opens, displaying the reference line formatting properties.

To define the reference line

4. By default, a constant reference line is labeled Constant, but you can change the name. Select the reference line in the list and type the new name.
5. Determine whether to display a single reference line across each graph in the visualization, or use the same reference line across each row, column, or individual graph. From the Level drop-down list, select one of the following:
   • To display a separate reference line for each chart in the visualization, select Per cell.
   • To display a separate reference line for each row of charts in the visualization, select Per row.
   • To display a separate reference line for each column of charts in the visualization, select Per column.
   • To have each chart share the same reference line, select Entire table.
     The Level option is available for all reference line types except Constant.
6. To show a label for the reference line, do the following:
   1. Select the Show label check box.
   2. You can select multiple display options:
      • To display the type of reference line shown in the visualization, such as Maximum or Average, click Type.
      • To display the name of the metric used to create the reference line, click Metric.
      • To display the value of the reference line, click Value.
7. If a label is displayed, format the label text using the following Font options:
   • Select the font type from the first drop-down list.
   • Determine whether to apply Bold, Italic, Underline, or Strikethrough formatting to the text, by clicking the appropriate icon.
   • Select the font size from the drop-down list.
   • Select the font color from the color palette.
8. To add another reference line based on this metric, click Add in the Type field, and select the height of the reference line. (The different options are described above.) Continue creating the reference line.
9. To add a reference line based on another metric, select the metric from the drop-down list on the Properties panel. Click Add in the Type field, and select the height of the reference line. (The different options are described above.) Continue creating the reference line.
10. To remove a reference line, right-click the metric’s label on the numeric axis of the Graph visualization, point to Remove Reference Line, and select the reference line to remove.

To display a trend line in a Graph visualization

Trend lines are not available for stacked or clustered graphs for which there is more than one metric series displayed in the graph, or for percent graphs. At least one axis must have numeric values displayed on it.

1. Click the name of a dashboard to run it.
2. On the numeric axis of the Graph visualization to add a trend line to, right-click the label of the metric to display a trend line for. Select Enable Trendline. A trend line is displayed for the metric.
3. Right-click the metric label on the numeric axis, and select Edit Trendline. The Properties panel opens, displaying the trend line formatting properties.
4. From the Line color palette, select the color to display the trend line.
5. From the drop-down list next to Line, select the line style to use to display the trend line. The default is Thin.
6. From the Model drop-down list, select the type of trend line to display. The options are:
   • Best-fit: Display the trend line that best fits the data, defined as the trend line with the highest r-squared value.
   • Linear: Display a linear trend line, which is a best-fit straight line that is used with simple linear data sets. Your data is linear if the pattern in its data points resembles a line. A linear trend line represents data that is increasing or decreasing at a steady rate.
   • Logarithmic: Display a logarithmic trend line, which is a best-fit curved line that is most useful when the rate of change in the data increases or decreases quickly and then levels out. Available if the graph values are positive.
   • Exponential: Display an exponential trend line, which is a curved line that is most useful when data values rise or fall at increasingly higher rates.
   • Power: Display a power trend line, which is a curved line that is best used with data sets that compare measurements that increase at a specific rate.
   • Polynomial: Display a polynomial trend line, which is a curved line that is used when data fluctuates. For example, you can use a polynomial trend line to analyze gains and losses over a large data set. The order of the polynomial corresponds to the number of upward and downward fluctuations in the data. Your data fluctuates if the pattern in its data points resembles a line with hills and valleys. Generally speaking, an order 2 polynomial has up to one hill or valley, an order 3 polynomial has up to two hills or valleys, and so on. In the field, type the degree of the polynomial, from 2 to 6.
7. Determine whether to display a single trend line across each graph in the visualization, or use the same trend line across each row, column, or individual graph. From the Level drop-down list, select one of the following:
   • To display a separate trend line for each chart in the visualization, select Per cell.
   • To display a separate trend line for each row of charts in the visualization, select Per row.
   • To display a separate trend line for each column of charts in the visualization, select Per column.
   • To have each chart share the same trend line, select Entire table.
8. By default, a separate trend line is displayed for each attribute in the Break By area. To display a single line for the break-by attributes, clear the Include Break By Attribute check box.
   Note: The Include Break By Attribute check box is available for graphs other than scatter or bubble, and if the graph has metrics displayed on only one axis.
9. You can enable forecasting, which displays the trend line past the available data. To enable forecasting, do one of the following:
   • If there are metrics on only one axis on the graph, complete the following steps:
     1. Select the Enable forecasting check box.
     2. To display additional periods to the right of the graph, type the number of periods in the Forward field.
     3. To display additional periods to the left of the graph, type the number of periods in the Backward field.
     4. To display additional periods in the graph based on seasons, select the Seasonality check box.
        Note: The Seasonality check box is available for the time-based attributes Quarter, Month, and Day.
   • If there are metrics on both axes on the graph, complete the following steps:
     1. Select the Enable forecasting check box.
     2. From the drop-down list, select the metric to display the trend line for.
     3. In the Min field, type the minimum value at which to display the trend line. This value must be less than the minimum value available in the data.
     4. In the Max field, type the maximum value at which to display the trend line. This value must be greater than the maximum value available in the data.
10. To remove a trend line, right-click the metric label on the numeric axis, and select Enable Trendline. The trend line is removed for the metric.

To determine whether X-axis and Y-axis values in a Graph visualization are abbreviated

1. Click the name of a dashboard to run it.
2. Click the Graph visualization to format.
3. If the Editor panel is not displayed, from the View menu, select Editor Panel.
4. In the Editor panel, right-click a metric in the Vertical or Horizontal area, and select one of the following:
   • To abbreviate metric values, select Condense Labels (default).
   • To display metric values without abbreviation, clear Condense Labels. If this metric is included on the same area (the Horizontal area or Vertical area) and the same axis as other metrics in the visualization, perform the following steps for each metric that shares the same area and axis:
     1. Right-click the metric in the Editor panel, and clear Condense Labels.
     2. Right-click the metric in the Editor panel, point to Number Format, then select the appropriate options to apply the same number formatting to this metric as the first metric that you formatted. Click OK to apply your changes. For detailed steps to apply number formatting to a metric, see To change the number formatting applied to a metric in a visualization.
     3. Repeat the appropriate steps above to format both X-axis and Y-axis values.

To change the color of an attribute element

You can select the display color of a specific attribute element (such as the Southeast region or 2014) in a graph, and other graphs and heat maps in the dashboard will use the same color to display the element. All the graphs and heat maps must color the graph items based on the same attribute.

For example, a dashboard contains a bar graph and a pie chart, both showing data colored by geographical region. An area graph displays data colored by product category. If you select dark green for the Southeast region's bar riser in the graph, the slice for Southeast is colored dark green in the pie chart. Since the area graph is colored by category, the region's color does not apply to the area graph.

1. Place the same attribute in the Color By area of all graph and heat map visualizations that will use the same color scheme. Web automatically selects the colors of the attribute elements.
2. For each attribute element that you want to color, in the graph, do one of the following:
   • Right-click the item in the graph (such as a bar riser, pie slice, or bubble) that represents the attribute element to color, then point to Shape Fill Color. From the color palette, select the color to use to display the item.
   • In the graph legend, right-click the colored square that represents the graph item that represents the attribute element to color. From the Fill color palette, select the color to use to display the item.
3. To restore an attribute value to its default color, in the color palette, select Automatic.

All visualizations that color graph items by the attribute automatically display the attribute element in the selected color.