Multiseries Line Chart
Multiseries Line Charts are used when you want to present a single value in more than one series (Categories). Effectively, a multiseries chart consists of two dimensions and a measure. Users need to add a single Category, Value and Series field to create something similar to a pivot chart. Usually, the main category is of a continuous nature - like time or some sequential number - in order for a line chart to add analytic value. However, the series can be any other type of dimension. For example, if you want to show the number of quantity ordered over time for various continents, then you need to add orderDate as Category, quantityOrdered as Value, and continents as the Series.
Use the Multiseries Line Chart to show continuity of aggregated values that happens in your data and is most common for time-based series.
Creating a Multiseries Line Chart
To create a Multiseries Line Chart, drag and drop a data field from the Data Panel onto either the corresponding shelf or the canvas.
In the case below, we want to show how the number of total orders changes throughout the quarters in the countries that we sell to. We drag and drop orderDate as Category, quantityOrdered as Value, continents as the Series, and continued styling the chart in the Configuration Panel.
If you have only one category you’d like to visualize, you can use a Line Chart.
Styling the Multiseries Line Chart
In the Configuration Panel on the right of the Chart Builder, you can style different aspects of your chart.
General
The General section is available for all chart types, and the options vary depending on the chart selected. For more information on the options, see General Chart Settings.
Note: Use the Table Calculations option to add calculations to your chart. For more information, see Table Calculations.
Styles
The Styles section enables you to control various visual elements of the charts, such as colors, labels, and more. It is available for most chart types, and the options vary depending on the chart selected. For a glossary of all styles, see Styles. Style options specific to this chart are listed below.
Theme. Set one of the predetermined themes for a more unified look of your charts.
- Match colors across charts. Select to Unify the colors of each categorical value throughout the page and application.
Axis Labels - Show or hide the labels of the axes.
Category axis (normally the X-axis)
- Label - give the axis a custom label.
- Values - show or hide values on the axis.
- Values Rotation - if values are enabled, decide how you want them to be displayed.
Values axis (typically y axis)
- Label - give the axis a custom label.
- Values - show or hide values on the axis.
- Values Rotation - if value labels are enabled, decide how you want them to be displayed. You can use this option to avoid overlapping labels.
- Format - set the format of the values choosing between Default, Abbreviated, Decimal (set the number of decimal points), Currency (choose the currency from the drop-down menu and set the number of decimal points), Percentage (set the number of decimal points), Scientific. Values can also be formatted from the Values column pill.
- Scale Type - the default scale type is Linear; however, a linear scale is not appropriate for data that is spread over a wide range. Use the Logarithmic scale to display numerical data over a wide range of values in a compact way.
- Min Range - set the minimum value for the axis. By default, this is set to the minimum value in the analyzed data.
- Max Range - set the maximum value for the axis. By default, this is set to the maximum value in the analyzed data.
- Steps - Depending on how wide the axis range is, the default configuration could display a lot of tick marks, making it hard to read or analyze the chart. Intervals are set to Auto by default, meaning the chart will calculate the appropriate intervals based on the axis scale range and the dataset values. In the example below, the range of data is from 0 to 8,000. So when we set the step to 1000 units, we get 8 tick marks and when set to 10,000, only 1 tick mark is displayed. It’s important to keep in mind that when the axis range is vast (e.g., 0 - 10,000,000), setting the “Steps” option to 1 will create 10 million tick marks, causing performance issues on the chart and probably blocking the browser. To avoid this situation, the chart will ignore the defined value and fall back to automatic mode.
Line Thickness - set how thick you want your line to be: thin, normal or bold.
Line Style - choose one of the predetermined line styles - solid, dashed or dotted.
Line Type - decide between one of the 5 line types available - straight, monotone, cardinal, step before, or step after.
Offset. Determines the offset of the chart. Select whether to configure a manual offset as a Percentage or in Pixels, and enter the desired values in the Left and Top/Bottom fields. To enable the platform to automatically manage the offsets, click Reset to Default to set the values under Left and Top/Bottom to Auto.
Sorting
Like all Multiseries Charts, you can sort by either the category or aggregated values from the column pills. If the column is not included in the chart, go to the Sorting section of the Configuration Panel and pick your desired column from the dropdown, and select the sorting direction.
For more information, see Sorting.
Layers
Add a Trend Line or a Reference Line to your chart to allow users to visually compare the data against some set trend or reference value.
Format
The Small Multiples feature is available in all XY Charts. You can apply Conditional Formatting to your Multiseries Chart.
Filters
You can also add Filters to your data by expanding the Filters section in the configuration panel or by clicking on the Filters button in the toolbar above the canvas. Filters that are created in the Chart Builder are hidden from End Users. These types of filters can’t be edited or interacted with in the view mode. For more information, see Filters.
For more on Multiseries Charts, watch the Multiseries Chart video