Visualizations → Gauge

About a Gauge visualization

A gauge visualization is a dial chart similar to a speedometer with a scale range. A needle points to the aggregated measure on the dial with the scale range. Typically, the scale begins at 0. Depending on the aggregation type and calculated value, the end of the scale will differ. The gauge visualization supports adding additional gauge ranges that represent a fill color for a specific percentage, from 0 to 100.

A gauge is a great way to illustrate a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) as a calculated value in relation to a goal or target such as Total Profit for the fiscal year.

As a dashboard developer, you can use a gauge visualization to create an insight that shows the aggregated or calculated values of one or more business measures, such as revenue or profit. The result is a gauge chart on a dashboard tab that shows each measure as a speedometer or a dial with a needle pointing to the aggregated or calculated with the value plotted under the needle’s head and the column label at the top of the gauge.

The distinction between a visualization and an insight is that an insight is an instance of the visualization. As an instance, a gauge insight has unique configurations that a dashboard developer determines for displaying a gauge chart on a dashboard tab. Insight configurations affect the available user interactions for a dashboard consumer such as the ability to drill down into another dashboard.

Configurations for a gauge insight

A dashboard developer first selects a gauge visualization for an insight in the Analyzer. Using the Analyzer, a dashboard developer configures pill properties, filter properties, and insight settings. Insight settings and pill properties determine not only how the gauge chart appears as an insight in a dashboard tab, but also how a dashboard consumer can interact with the gauge chart.

The visualization selection in the Insight panel of the Analyzer determines the available trays. From the Data panel, a dashboard developer adds a column or a formula to a tray. A column or a formula in a tray is a Pill.

Each pill has configurable properties. The parent tray determines the available properties of a pill.

The available trays for a gauge insight are:

  • Measure
  • Individual Filter
Note

A gauge insight requires at least one measure pill.

Measure

To create an aggregation or calculation, you can add a column or a formula from the Data panel to the Measure tray.

A gauge insight shows the aggregated or calculated value of each measure pill as a number with the pill column label. A gauge insight can have multiple measure pills that are independent of each other.

You can select the measure pill to open the Properties panel. In the Properties panel, you can configure various properties such as the Aggregation and Format properties.

Individual Filter

To filter individual rows for the gauge insight, define an individual filter for the insight. You can add a column or a formula to the Individual Filter tray from the Data panel.

You can select the individual filter pill to open the Filter panel. Using the Filter panel, you can specify the filter operator, one or more filter values, or the filter expression itself with the Formula Builder. You can also disable the individual filter.

To learn more about filter expressions for an individual filter, review Concepts → Individual Filter.

Pill properties

The parent tray determines the available properties of a pill. There are various possible configurations for each pill type:

  • Measure pill properties
  • Individual filter pill properties for a filter expression

You can edit the properties of a measure pill with the Properties panel for a gauge insight.

To create a filter expression, you can edit the properties of an individual filter pill with the Filter panel.

For the Filter property of a measure pill, you can open the Filter panel from the Properties panel to create the filter expression.

To open the Properties panel or Filter panel, select the pill arrow.

Measure pill properties

The parent tray determines the available properties of a pill. Select the arrow to the right of the pill name to open the Properties panel and configure the related properties.

Here are the properties of a pill in the Measure tray in a gauge insight:

PropertyControlDescription
Column fully qualified namelabelThe fully qualified name of the selected column. This property is available only when you edit the properties of a column.
Select the information icon (i) to preview the column function (dimension, key, or measure) and samples of the column data. You can also use the Copy Column Name option to copy the column’s fully qualified name.
Formulatext boxSelect to invoke the Formula Builder and create the formula expression. This property is available only when you edit the properties of a formula added to the tray.
Data → Column Labeltext boxEnter the label for the measure pill. This will be the label of the measure aggregated value on the chart.
Data → Date Partdrop down listWhen the selected column is a date or timestamp, select the part of the date used. The options are:

  ●  Full (default)
  ●  Year
  ●  Quarter
  ●  Month
  ●  Day
Data → Aggregationdrop down listSelect the aggregation function to apply to the measure values. The available options vary according to the column or formula data type. The options are:

  ●  Average
  ●  Count
  ●  Distinct
  ●  Median
  ●  Min
  ●  Max
  ●  Sum
  ●  Formula
  ●  None
Data → Scaledrop down listSelect the chart scale. The options are:

  ●  None
  ●  Percent (%)
  ●  Thousands (K)
  ●  Millions (M)
The default is None.
Data → Filterdrag and dropDrag a column or formula to filter the measure values before applying the aggregation function. Use the Filter panel to specify the filter properties
Format → Number FormatselectSelect the format of the measure aggregated value (e.g. Dollar Rounded)
Format → Decimal Placestext boxThis property appears when you select Decimal, Dollar, Euro, Yen, or Percent as the Format Number. Enter the number of decimal places to use with the measure aggregated value.
Format → Thousands SeparatortoggleThis property appears for all Format options, except No Format. Enable this property to include a comma separator for values of 1000 or greater
Format → PercentagetoggleEnable this property to display the measure aggregated value as a percentage
Format → Prefixtext boxEnter a custom string, for example a currency symbol, to add at the beginning of the measure aggregated value. The string must not contain single quotes.
Format → Suffixtext boxEnter a custom string, for example a currency symbol, to add at the end of the measure aggregated value. The string must not contain single quotes.
Format → Date Formattext boxSelect a date format. This property is available when you edit the properties of a date column or formula.
Format → Date Masktext boxEnter a customized date format
Format → Minimumtext boxEnter a number as the minimum gauge range value
Format → Maximumtext boxEnter a number as the maximum gauge range value.
When the value of the measure exceeds the maximum, Incorta ignores the Maximum value you specified.
Format → Gauge RangelinkSelect + Add Gauge Range to add a custom range with a background specific color within a gauge.
You can enter more than one gauge range.
Gauge Range → Stop (%)text boxEnter the range percentage value that you want to change its background color
Gauge Range → ColorselectSelect the background color of the gauge range you entered in Stop (%) field
Drill Down → Dashboards Drill DownlinkSelect + Add Dashboard to select a dashboard tab to drill down to when the user selects the aggregated value for this measure in the insight
Add Dashboard → Include Runtime FilterstoggleEnable this property to pass the applied filter, if any, from one dashboard to another
Add Dashboard → Search Dashboardtext boxEnter a search string to filter the dashboard tree. From the results, select a dashboard tab to drill down to.
Advanced → Base Fielddrag and dropDrag a column to join two physical schema objects that are not directly joined. To learn more, review Concepts → Base Table.
Advanced → Query PlanbuttonSelect to access the Query Plan Viewer to check the Direct Data Map path that Incorta Analytics Service uses to retrieve or calculate the measure

Individual filter pill properties for a filter expression

To filter individual rows for the gauge insight, define an individual filter for the insight. You can add a column or a formula to the Individual Filter tray from the Data panel.

Individual filter properties for a filter expression with a column as a pill

Here are the properties of a filter expression for a column as a pill in the Individual Filter tray for a gauge insight:

PropertyControlDescription
Column fully qualified namelabelThe fully qualified name of the selected column. This property is available only when you edit the properties of a column.
Select the information icon (i) to preview the column function (dimension, key, or measure) and samples of the column data. You can also use the Copy Column Name option to copy the column’s fully qualified name.
Data → Column Labeltext boxEnter the label for the individual filter pill
Date Partdrop down listWhen the filter column is a date or timestamp, select the part of the date used. The options are:

  ●  Full (default)
  ●  Year
  ●  Quarter
  ●  Month
  ●  Day
Operatordrop down listSelect the operator to use in the filter expression
Valuesmulti-selectSelect the value(s) to evaluate the column value against. Some operators do not require a value to evaluate against, such as Null and True, and some require more than one value, such as Between.
If applicable, enter a string in the search bar to filter the list of values. To add a value to the list, enter it in the text box below the list and select +.
Advanced → Disable FiltertoggleEnable this property to disable the filter. Disabled filters are deleted when you save the insight.
Individual filter properties for a filter expression with a formula as a pill

Here are the properties of a filter expression for a formula as a pill in the Individual Filter tray for a gauge insight:

PropertyControlDescription
Formula labellabelThe formula pill label
Data → Column Labeltext boxEnter the label for the individual filter formula pill
Formula → DynamictoggleEnable this property to select a filter expression session variable as a value
Formulatext boxDisable Dynamic to configure this property. Enter the formula in the Formula Builder to create the filter expression.
Operatordrop down listSelect the operator to use in the filter expression
Valuesmulti-selectSelect the value(s) to evaluate the column value against, if required. Some operators do not require a value to evaluate against, such as Null and True, and some require more than one value, such as Between. In the case that you enable Dynamic, select a filter expression session variable.
If applicable, enter a string in the search bar to filter the list of values. To add a value to the list, enter it in the text box below the list and select +.
Advanced → Disable FiltertoggleEnable this property to disable the filter. Disabled filters are deleted when you save the insight.

Settings panel

With the Settings panel, you can configure additional properties for the gauge insight. To open the Setting panel, in the Analyzer, in the Action bar, select Settings (gear icon).

PropertyControlDescription
General → Auto RefreshtoggleEnable this property to automatically refresh the insight preview while editing it in the Analyzer.
A tenant configuration in the CMC Clusters Manager can globally enable or disable this feature at the tenant level.
General → Data SamplingtoggleEnabled by default. Enable this property to use only a sample of the insight query data set, rather than the whole query set, when creating the insight.
Advanced → Max Groupstext boxSet the maximum number of groups that cannot be exceeded in the insight

User interactions for a gauge insight

As a dashboard consumer, you can interact with a gauge insight on a dashboard tab. Some interactions will affect only the gauge insight. Other interactions will affect both the gauge insight and the dashboard. The creation of one or more dashboard runtime filters is an example of a user interaction that affects all applicable insights on all tabs of a dashboard.

Note

Some user interactions require specific configurations by a dashboard developer and therefore may not be available.

The following is one of the possible user interactions for a gauge insight:

  • Select a number on the chart to open the Go to menu and select a dashboard tab to navigate to (requires a dashboard drill down configuration for the measure pill)
Note

A dashboard runtime filter appears as a filter bar pill and displays the filter expression.

More Options menu for a gauge insight

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) enforces access to certain features and functionality. With Discretionary Access Control (DAC), a user who owns the dashboard can control the access to the dashboard. Access rights include the ability to view, share, and edit the dashboard. Together, RBAC and DAC affect the available selections in both the Action bar and the More Options menu for an insight.

For more information about RBAC and DAC, review Tools → Security Manager.

Download as

  • For the gauge insight, select More Options (⋮ vertical ellipsis).
  • Select Download as.
  • Select the download file format:
    • PNG
    • JPEG
    • SVG
    • PDF

View as Table

The View as Table is an Incorta Labs feature and a tenant configuration. A CMC Administrator must enable the feature.

In order to view a gauge insight as a Listing Table, follow these steps:

  • For the gauge insight, select More Options (⋮ vertical ellipsis).
  • Select View as Regular Table

For a Listing Table, you can:

Set Alert

You can set an alert that identifies specific changes to a gauge insight by defining a filter expression for a measure filter, individual filter, and/or aggregate filter in an aggregated table or a listing table.

  • For the gauge insight, select More Options (⋮ vertical ellipsis).
  • Select Set Alert. The Analyzer opens with an aggregated table insight that has the Grouping dimension pill and the measure pill from the gauge insight. Refer to the Scheduler document for additional information on Data Alerts.

Open Lineage

Starting with 2023.7.0, you can view the data lineage of each insight on the dashboard. The Data Lineage Viewer v2 displays the entities (tables, views, variables, and columns) that the insight references.

  • For the gauge insight, select More Options (⋮ vertical ellipsis icon).
  • Select Open Lineage. The Data Lineage Viewer v2 opens displaying the data lineage diagram of the insight.

Steps to create a gauge insight

For an existing dashboard, to create a Gauge insight for a given dashboard tab, follow these steps:

  • If not already open, open a dashboard.
  • To add a new insight to the dashboard, in the Action bar, select +.
  • If needed, in the Analyzer, in the Data panel, select Manage Dataset.
  • In the Manage Data Sets panel, select one or more business schema views and/or one or more physical schema tables.
  • To close the Manage Data Sets panel, select X or any other area of the Analyzer.
  • In the Insight panel, first, select V.
  • In Others, select the Gauge visualization.
  • From the Data panel, drag one or more columns to various trays in the Insight panel:
    • Measure
    • Individual Filter
  • Configure the pill properties using the Properties panel or Filter panel.
  • Configure various insight properties using the Settings panel.
Adding insights starting 2023.4.0

After introducing the dashboard free-form layout in 2023.4.0:

  • The steps to add an insight to a dashboard are as follows:
    • In the Action bar, select Edit (pen icon).
    • From the Insight panel, drag the visualization that you want to the canvas, and then hover over the new insight and select Edit (pen icon) to launch the Analyzer.
  • To open an insight in the Analyzer, hover over the insight, and then select Edit (pen icon).
  • The steps to edit the insight in the Analyzer are still the same.

Example of a gauge insight

In this example, you will create a gauge insight that shows sales the total revenue, total cost, and gross profit. The example uses the SALES schema that comes with the Sample Data.

Note

In the CMC, you can create a tenant that includes Sample Data. The Sample Data includes the SALES schema.

Add an insight starting 2023.4.0

  • In the Action bar, select Edit (pen icon).
  • From the Insight panel, from Others, drag Gauge to the canvas, and then hover over the new insight and select Edit (pen icon) to launch the Analyzer.
  • In the Data panel, select Manage Dataset.
  • In the Manage Data Sets panel, in Tables, under the SALES schema, select the Sales table.
  • Close the Manage Data Sets panel.
  • From the Data panel, drag the Cost and Revenue columns to the Measure tray.
  • For the Cost column pill, in the Properties panel, do the following:
    • Specify Number Format to be Dollar Rounded.
    • Add 4 Gauge Ranges, as follows:
      • Stop (%) : 25, Background: Green (Hex: #70B94E)
      • Stop (%) : 50, Background: Yellow (Hex: #FFEB3B)
      • Stop (%) : 75, Background: Orange (Hex: #FFA500)
      • Stop (%) : 100, Background: Red (Hex: #E12717)
Note

To add a custom background color, select the + icon in the Custom section, add the Hex code, then select Add.

  • For the Revenue column pill, in the Properties panel, do the following:

    • Specify Number Format to be Dollar Rounded.
    • Add 5 Gauge Ranges as follows:
      • Stop (%) : 20, Background: Red (Hex: #E12717)
      • Stop (%) : 40, Background: Orange (Hex: #FFA500)
      • Stop (%) : 60, Background: Yellow (Hex: #FFEB3B)
      • Stop (%) : 80, Background: Light Green (Hex: #70B94E)
      • Stop (%) : 100, Background: Dark Green (Hex: #26792B)
  • Drag a formula to the Measure tray.

    • In the Formula Builder, create the following formula to calculate the gross profit:

      sum(SALES.SALES.AMOUNT_SOLD) - sum(SALES.SALES.COST_OF_GOODS)

    • In the Properties panel, for Column Label, enter Gross Profit.

    • For Number Format, select Dollar Rounded.

  • Name the insight Sales.

  • Select Save.