The most common Shape Chart is a Scatter Chart or Scatter Plot. Scatter Charts use Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variables for a set of data and are a useful summary of bivariate data. A variation of a Scatter Chart is a Bubble Chart where the size of the shape indicates a value.

Contents

• Build a Scatter Plot Chart
• Build a Bubble Chart
• Data Labels
  • Show Data Labels
  • Allow labels to overlap other labels
  • Data Label Repositioning
  • Show/Hide Individual Data Labels
• Change Shape Size
• Change Shape Type
• Plot a Symbol Map
• Other Actions

Build a Scatter Plot Chart

To build a Scatter Plot Chart

1. Connect to sample data source in Aqua Data Studio.
2. From the Dimensions pane, select City.
3. From Measures pane, select Profit and Freight.
4. Click the tab, and then click. Visualization builds a Scatter Plot Chart.
   

You will notice that Visualization has moved the City Dimension to Break Deck and Profit and Freight Measures to Columns and Rows respectively. We have moved the City Dimension to the Color Deck so that you can view each city in a different color. 

Build a Bubble Chart

To build a Bubble Chart

1. Connect to sample data source in Aqua Data Studio.
2. From the Dimensions Pane, select ShipDate.
3. From the Measures Pane, select Profit, Freight, Tax Amount.
4. Click the tab and then click. Visualization builds the Bubble Chart.
   

You will notice that Visualization moved Tax Amount to the Size Deck and ShipDate and Proft to the Rows Deck and Freight to the Column Deck. We have moved ShipDate to the Color Deck so that each year is displayed in a different color. 

Data Labels

Show Data Labels

When Visualization builds a Shape Chart, the data labels are not displayed by default on the chart. You can show/hide data labels in the chart view, using these methods:

• : Click this icon on the Visual Analytics toolbar to see data labels for dimension fields in the chart view.
  
• Label Deck: Place a field in this deck to display labels on a per-measure basis. In this example, we have a chart view containing profit and freight costs for various product categories in various territories. If you just want to view the freight values, then open the Freight accordion > open the Label Deck > select the Show Data Labels check box.
  

Allow labels to overlap other labels

When you enable data labels, Visual Analytics only shows those labels that can be displayed without overlap. When you choose to see all data labels, Visual Analytics shows all labels even those that overlap other labels. To see all data labels, open the Label Deck and then select the Allow Labels to overlap other labels check box. To reposition data labels, see Data Label Repositioning.

Data Label Repositioning

You can reposition data labels to best fit your chart view. When you click and drag a label to a new location, Visual Analytics automatically draws a leader line from the label to the data point. 

You can also reset the position of individual data labels to their previous position, by right-clicking the data label and choosing Reset Position.

You can turn on and off leader line for individual data points, by right-clicking the data label and choosing Show/Hide Leader Line.

Show/Hide Individual Data Labels

You can show or hide data label for individual data points even when data label control is turned on or off for the complete view. To do this, right-click the data label and choose a Show Data Label sub-menu option. To show hidden data labels again, undo your last action by pressing the undo buttons on the Visual Analytics toolbar, or press CTRL+Z for undoing your last action.
 
Show Labels

Hide Labels

Change Shape Size

To change shape size 

1. In the Chart Properties Deck, click the Size Deck.
2. Move the slider to the right, to increase the shape size or to the left to decrease the shape size.
   If you click Reset Shape Size, Visual Analytics reverts the chart to its original appearance.
   

You can also add a measure field to vary the size of the shape. In the following example, we have added Total Amount from Measures into the Size Deck. This alters the circles so that their size represents the sum of Total Amount for each City. 

Change Shape Type

To change the shape type

1. In the Chart Properties Deck, click Shape Deck.
2. Select a shape type.
   

Plot a Symbol Map

You can plot a symbol map by placing a geographical dimension in the Geo Deck.
 
To plot a Symbol Map Chart

• From the Dimensions pane, move City and place it in the Geo Deck.
  

Visual Analytics plots shape for each city based on freight. In the vizx file, we have removed Profit from the Columns Deck. For more information on Symbol Map, see How to Make a Symbol Map.
 
In the Geo Deck, you also have the option to show/hide borders for the plotted state/city. The borders add clarity between different states of the plotted country. By default, the state borders appear for the plotted data. 

Other Actions

• You can customize the foreground and background color for all labels. For more information, see Label Appearance. 
• 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 shapes. Visual Analytics makes the highlighted shapes, and their 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.