Introduction: Lipstick Column Chart
Compact and precise visual comparison of two measures with a Lipstick Chart
Regularly the standard Clustered column chart is used to compare two measures within a number of categories. If one of these measures has been added as a reference (secondary measure) to increase the context of the primary measure it would be better to clearly show this priority difference.
This is precisely what the Lipstick Column Chart does: it shows the primary measure per category on the foreground, and places the secondary measure behind it for a precise comparison of both values. Since both values are placed on top of each other it also becomes a more compact alternative to show both measures per category.
Key features of the Lipstick Chart are:
- Format objects: each of the bars (both primary and secondary) can be formatted like the bars in the Power BI Clustered bar/column chart;
- Axis formatting options: are in line with the options you know from the Power BI Clustered column & bar charts, so no need to learn a new interface; theme colors and settings are supported;
- Selection & Highlighting: like in standard Power BI charts you can make use of the Selection & Highlighting functions within the Lipstick Chart;
- Context menu: like in standard Power BI charts you have access to the context menu to Include/Exclude data points;
- Full Tooltip support: besides the default Tooltip behavior (show the value of the element you hover) you can also add additional feeds to the tooltip;
- Full Bookmark support: like any of the standard visuals the Lipstick Column Chart supports Bookmarks.
How to use: Build visual
In the Build visual pane, of the three fields you need to specify at least the first two fields, being: Axis and Values. Tooltips is optional.
- Axis: here you add the field(s) containing the categories you want to place on the x-axis. If you place multiple fields here you can drill through the different fields as if they were levels of a hierarchy. You can also use any hierarchy you already have in your data set.
- Values: this is where you specify the measures as they will be displayed on the y-axis. The value of each measure will determine the location of the markers on the y-axis scale. By default it will SUM all the values per category, but you can also select any of the other aggregation functions (like Average, Minimum, Maximum, Count, etc.).
- Tooltips: the fields added here will show in the tooltip when the user hovers a specific data point.
How to use: Format visual
The Visual specific settings contain formatting properties that allow you to change the default behavior of the visual:
- License: here you can enter your license information to disable any license reminders.
- Legend: here you can toggle the Title option on and add a Legend Name Title, or change the Color and Text Size.
- X-Axis: the formatting options for the X-axis (category axis) are similar to the options available within the Clustered column chart (standard Power BI visual). These familiar options allow you to change the visibility and formatting of the x-axis elements (like: title, labels, gridlines, etc.). Here you can also find the option to change the width ratio between both bars, called Bar ratio.
- Y-Axis: the formatting options for the Y-axis (value axis) are similar to the options available within the Clustered column chart (standard Power BI visual). These familiar options allow you to change the visibility and formatting of the y-axis elements (like: Start and End values, display units, decimal places, gridlines, etc.).
- Data colors: within this section you can change the color of the two bar series or add conditional formatting.
- Data labels: within this section you can enable and change the format of the data labels. You can adjust the color of the two bar series, change the display units and decimal places, and set the label position on both series. Switch off/ on the overflow text and set the text size and font. The background can be switched off/on per value and you can set a background color and opacity.
The General settings contain options that affect the visual container and are consistent across all visual types. Here you can also customize the general Title and Tooltips.
How to use: Analytics
You can highlight many interesting trends and insights by creating dynamic reference lines in the Analytics pane. To see the analytic lines, select the visual and click the Analytics icon (magnifying glass).
Available Analytics lines:
- Constant line: displays the value specified, helps to track metrics and desired goals
- Min line: displays the lowest value points on the axis
- Max line: displays the highest value points on the axis
- Average line: displays the data average
- Median line: displays the middle value
- Percentile line: displays the value (or score) below which x% of the observations may be found
Format your line by specifying the Color, Transparency percentage, Line width, style and position. For most lines you can specify the visual Measure to base your line upon, by selecting Primary or Secondary value from the drop-down menu.
If you want to have a data label, switch Data label On. You get additional formatting options for your data label, such as: Color, Text, Horizontal and Vertical position, Display units and Value decimal places.
For any questions or remarks about this Visual, please contact us by email at Nova Silva Support.