Bullet Charts
Bullet charts are compact visuals that compare performance against targets using bars and markers. Ideal for KPI tracking, they offer a clear view of progress, benchmarks, and goals.
1. Basic bullet charts
Chart setup to build a conditional column:
Axis
Drag the dimensions you want to use to break down and analyze the measures (e.g., Sub Region).
Values parameter
Drag multiple measures to analyze (e.g., 2021 Actuals,2021 Plan, 2022 Actuals).
Chart type
Select Conditional column from the Bullet section of the Chart Type dropdown menu.
This chart tracks progress based on targets. Explicit measure configuration is not required. The first measure added is used to render the featured measure(bar). The second measure is used to plot the reference line, and the third measure is used to plot the reference marker arrow.
Chart setup to build a comparative column:
Axis
Drag the dimensions you want to use to break down and analyze the measures (e.g., Sub Category).
Values parameter
Drag multiple measures to analyze (e.g., 2021 Actuals,2021 Plan, 2022 Actuals).
Chart type
Select the Comparative bullet column from the Bullet section of the Chart Type dropdown menu.
Tracks the progress based on targets. Explicit measure configuration is not required. The first measure added is used to render the featured measure(bar). The second measure is used to plot the reference line, and the third measure is used to plot the reference marker arrow.
Chart setup to build a qualitative column:
Axis
Drag the dimensions you want to use to break down and analyze the measures (e.g., Sub Region).
Values parameter
Drag multiple measures to analyze (e.g., 2021 Actuals,2021 Plan, 2022 Actuals).
Chart type
Select the Qualitative bullet column from the Bullet section of the Chart Type dropdown menu.
Tracks the progress based on targets. Explicit measure configuration is not required. The first measure added is used to render the featured measure(bar). The second measure is used to plot the reference line, and the third measure is used to plot the reference marker arrow.
Note: The comparison band options can be accessed from the Conditional formatting dropdown.
Customization & formatting under Canvas Settings
1.1. Variance bar option for qualitative bullet charts
Use the Show Variance Bar option under Canvas Settings to highlight variances in qualitative bullet charts.
1.2. Variance position
The variance bar can be rendered outside the Actuals bar or inside it.
Set custom colors for positive and negative variances.
1.3. Invert color
Enable the Invert color toggle to switch the positive and negative colors. In this case, green represents negative variance and red represents positive variance.
Chart setup to build a multi-measure bullet chart:
Axis
Axis parameter is not required
Values parameter
Drag multiple measures to analyze (e.g., Profit, COGS, Sales, Discounts).
Chart type
Select Multi measure bullet bar from the horizontal Bullet section of the Chart Type dropdown menu.
The bullet chat is Ideal for side-by-side visualization of multiple measures with different scaling factors. You can track the actuals against the target simultaneously for all the measures.
2. IBCS bullet charts
IBCS bullet
Chart setup to build an IBCS bullet chart:
Axis
Drag the dimensions you want to use to break down and analyze the measures (e.g., Sub Region).
Values parameter
Drag multiple measures to analyze (e.g., 2024 Actuals,2024 Plan).
Chart type
Select the IBCS bullet column from the Bullet section of the Chart Type dropdown menu.
Tracks progress based on targets. Explicit measure configuration is not necessary. The first measure added displays the feature measure (bar). The second measure is used to plot the target reference line.
Customization & formatting under Canvas Settings
1.1. Target indicator
Enable the Target Indicator toggle and assign a custom color to highlight the target value.
Customization & formatting under canvas Settings
1. Actual
Set the style (Solid, Hatched, Outline) and color to plot the Actual bar.
2. Target
Set the type of target marker - Line/Diamond/Square etc. You can also customize the color and size of the marker as well as the style: Solid/Outline/Hatched/Dashed/Dotted depending on the marker type.
3. Target achieved
Enable the Target Achieved toggle to display the percentage of the target achieved in the tooltip.
Additional formatting options
Here are the other settings that help you refine your bullet chart.
Migrating from xViz Bullet charts to Analytics+
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