A bullet chart is a powerful way of comparing the actual value with a target value and provides a richer data display using much less space compared to dashboard gauges and meters.
In the following example, the target value (also known as a reference line) is the thin black line; the actual value is the entire length of the bar; the gray shaded areas indicate the distribution range set to identify 60% and 80% goal completion. You can easily understand that the actual performance is well above the set target.
Download and connect to the sample data source. We are making this chart using 1 dimension and 2 measures.
Contents
Build a Bullet Chart
To build a Bullet Chart
- Connect to the sample data source in Aqua Data Studio.
- From the Dimensions pane, select State.
- From the Measures pane, select Actual profit and Profit target.
- Click the
tab and then click 
. Visualization builds a Bullet Chart.
Visualization builds a Bullet Chart within the context of distribution ranges and reference lines. The state forms the Y-axis, and Actual profit forms the X-axis. Visualization moves the Profit target to the Break Deck. By default, Visualization plots a reference line. It places a line at the average value along the axis and shades between 60% and 80% goal completion. The reference line helps you to see how each state performed against the average.
Other Actions
Other actions that you can perform on a plotted bullet chart are as follows:
- You can sort data by using various sort options available in the chart view or the Advanced dialog. For more information, see Sorting.
- You can use highlight actions to focus on selected lines. Visual Analytics makes the highlighted lines and its data labels prominent while dimming others in the view. For more information, see Highlight Actions.
- You can filter records directly from the chart view without manually adding any fields to the Filters Deck. For more information, see Filters.
- You can export worksheets containing visualization to Image, HTML, and PDF formats. For more information, see Export Visualizations.