Build a Visualization by Adding Data from Data Panel

You can build visualizations by adding data elements such as measure, text, or attribute from the Data Panel to a canvas.

Topics:

As you build the visualization, you add as many data elements as required or move them to specific areas on the canvas to explore and analyze your data.

• Different Methods to Add Data

• Automatically Create Best Visualization

• Add Data to the Visualization Using Grammar Panel

• Add Data to the Visualization Using Assignments Panel

• Modify a Visualization's Tooltips

Different Methods to Add Data

You can use different methods to add data from the Data Panel to create or update visualizations on a canvas.

Use one of the following methods to add data from the Data Panel:

• Drag data elements from the Data Panel and drop them onto the canvas.
• Select a data element or use Shift-click or Ctrl-click to select multiple data elements in the Data Panel, then right-click to select either a particular visualization type or the option to create a visualization automatically.
• Double-click a data element or use Shift-click or Ctrl-click to select multiple data elements in the Data Panel, then right-click to add them to the canvas.

When you update an existing visualization, you can add data from the Data Panel onto the Grammar Panel or Assignments Pane on the canvas. You can move the data elements from one area to another in the Grammar Panel or Assignments Pane. The visualization is updated based on your selection.

You can create a visualization by selecting a visualization type from the Visualization tab of the Data Panel and adding data elements to the canvas.

Automatically Create Best Visualization

You can automatically create the best visualization on the canvas based on a set of data elements.

1. Confirm that you’re working in the Visualize canvas.
2. To automatically create a visualization on the canvas, do one of the following:
   • Drag data elements from the Data Panel and drop them directly onto the canvas.
   • Right-click data elements on the Data Panel and click Create Best Visualization.
   • Double-click data elements to add it to the canvas.
   A visualization is automatically created on the canvas, and the best visualization type is selected based on the preconfigured logic. The selected data element is also positioned on a specific area of the Grammar Panel. For example, if you add a revenue measure to the canvas, the data element is placed in the Values area of the Grammar Panel, and Tile is selected as the visualization type.
3. Continue adding data elements directly to the canvas to build your visualization.

The visualization type and the position of the data elements on the Grammar Panel might change when you add more data elements to the canvas.

You turn off the mode to automatically create visualizations when you perform actions such as:

• Changing the visualization properties such as type.
• Adding or removing analyses from the Analytics tab in the Data Panel.
• Dropping a data element onto a specific area of the Grammar Panel or Assignments Pane.
• Changing the filter setting.

When the automatically create visualization mode is turned off, you can select the wizard icon or Auto Visualization in the visualization type list to turn on the automatically create mode.

Add Data to the Visualization Using Grammar Panel

After you’ve selected the data sets for your project, you can begin to add data elements such as measures and attributes to visualizations.

You can select compatible data elements from the data sets and drop them onto the Grammar Panel in the Visualize canvas. Based on your selections, visualizations are created on the canvas. The Grammar Panel contains sections such as Columns, Rows, Values, and Category.

Description of the illustration explore1_new.png

1. Open or create a project.
2. If you created a project, then add a data set to it.
3. Confirm that you’re working in the Visualize canvas.

   Use one of the following methods to add data elements to the Grammar Panel:

   You can only drop data elements based on attribute and type onto a specific Grammar Panel section.

   • Drag and drop one or more data elements from the Data Panel to the Grammar Panel in the Visualize canvas.

     The data elements are automatically positioned, and if necessary the visualization changes to optimize its layout.

   • Replace a data element by dragging it from the Data Panel and dropping it over an existing data element.
   • Swap data elements by dragging a data element already inside the Visualize canvas and dropping it over another data element.
   • Reorder data elements in the Grammar Panel section (for example, Columns, Rows, Values) to optimize the visualization, if you’ve multiple data elements in the Grammar Panel section.
   • Remove a data element by selecting a data element in the Grammar Panel, and click X.

Add Data to the Visualization Using Assignments Panel

You can use the Assignment Panel to help you position data elements in the optimal locations for exploring content.

You must create a project or open an existing project and add one or more data sets to the project before you can add data elements to the Assignment Panel. The sections in the Assignment Panel are the same as in the Grammar Panel.

1. Confirm that you’re working on the Visualize canvas.
2. Select a visualization on the canvas.

   Alternatively, drag and drop a data element to the blank canvas or between visualizations on the canvas to create a new visualization.

3. Drag a data element to the visualization (but not to a specific drop target); you'll see a blue outline around the recommended assignments in the visualization.

   Hover the data element on the Assignment Panel to identify other valid assignments.

4. Drop the data element on the selected assignment.

To display the Assignment Panel, click Show Assignments on the visualization toolbar.

Modify a Visualization's Tooltips

When you hover over a data point in a visualization, a tooltip displays and provides specific information about the data point. You can choose to see all tooltips or only the measures included in the Tooltip section of the Grammar Panel.

For example, if you create a simple bar chart visualization that shows revenue for countries in the Americas region, the tooltip displays the region's name, the country's name, and exact revenue amount. If you add Target Revenue to the Tooltip section of the Grammar Panel, then the target revenue amount is displayed in the tooltip and the user can easily compare the actual revenues with the target revenues. Set the Tooltip field in the General Properties Pane to Tooltip Grammar Only if you want the tool tip to contain only the target revenue amount.

Note the following restrictions:

• You can drag and drop only measure columns to the Tooltip section in the Grammar Panel.
• The Tooltip section in the Grammar Panel doesn't display for all visualization types.

1. Confirm that you’re working on the Visualize canvas and select a visualization.
2. Drag and drop one or more measure columns from the Data Panel to the Tooltip section in the Grammar Panel.
   Hover the mouse pointer over a data point on the visualization to display the tooltip. Because the Tooltip field is set to All Data by default, the tooltip contains the data point's values for all columns included in the visualization. The data values for the columns that you added to the Tooltip section are displayed at the bottom of the tooltip.
3. Optional: Use the Tooltip field to display only the data values that you want or to turn off the tooltip.
   • If you want the tooltip to display data values for only the columns you dragged to the Tooltip section, then set the Tooltip field to Tooltip Grammar Only.
   • If you don't want the tooltip to be displayed, then confirm that there are no columns in the Tooltip section and set the Tooltip field to Tool Tip Grammar Only.