how to add data and configure styles for a waterfall chart - Quick BI

A waterfall chart resembles flowing water and displays a smooth, top-down effect. It is also known as a cascade chart or bridge chart. Use it for business and financial analysis. This topic describes how to add data and configure styles for a waterfall chart.

Prerequisites

You have created a dashboard. For more information, see Create a Dashboard.

Chart Overview

Scenarios

A waterfall chart shows the accumulation process by displaying how positive values (such as revenue) and negative values (such as expenses) contribute to the total. It combines absolute and relative values to express quantitative changes between multiple specific values.

Benefits

Calculation capabilities: One-click configuration for year-on-year, month-on-month, and cumulative calculations.
Visualization effects: Supports bar chart effects. You can configure labels, legends, and cumulative values.

Example output

瀑布效果图

Limits

A waterfall chart consists of a Category Axis/Dimension and a Value Axis/Measure:

The category axis is determined by data dimensions. Select at least one dimension, such as province or product type.
The value axis is determined by data measures. Select at most one measure, such as order quantity or profit amount.

Chart Data Configuration

On the Data tab, select the required dimension and measure fields.
- In the Dimensions list, find province. Double-click or drag it to the Category Axis/Dimension area.
- In the Measure list, find Shipping Cost, and double-click or drag it to the Value Axis/Measure area.
Click Update. The system automatically updates the chart.
(Optional) If the data volume in province is large and causes excessive content to display on the waterfall chart interface, set a filter to screen out the required data.

Chart Style Configuration

You can configure chart styling. For more information, see Configure the Chart Title.

In the search box at the top of the configuration area, enter keywords to quickly find and configure configuration items. Click the icon on the right to expand/collapse all categories.

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Plot Area

In the Plot area, configure waterfall chart styles.

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Configuration Item	Description
Bar Color	Set the color scheme for the bar's initial value, cumulative value, increase, and decrease.
Column Width	Set the bar width.

Axes

In Axes, configure axis styles. The axes are displayed by default.

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Name	Configuration Item	Description
x-axis	Show X-Axis	Specify whether to display the X-axis.
	Show Title and Unit	Specify whether to display the axis title and unit on the X-axis.
	Show Axis Labels	Specify whether to display labels on the X-axis, and configure axis label display rules and text styles.
	Display Content	Set the display content to partial or all dimensions.
	Show Tick Marks	Specify whether to display tick marks on the X-axis.
	Show Axis	Specify whether to display the X-axis, including line style, line width, and color.
	Show Gridlines	Specify whether to display gridlines on the X-axis, including line style, line width, and color.
Y-Axis	Show Y-Axis	Specify whether to display the Y-axis.
	Show Title and Unit	Specify whether to display the axis title and unit.
	Show Axis Labels	Specify whether to display labels on the Y-axis, and configure label and scale range, and axis label display format settings.
	Show Tick Marks	Specify whether to display tick marks on the Y-axis.
	Show Axis	Specify whether to display the Y-axis, including line style, line width, and color.
	Show Gridlines	Specify whether to display gridlines on the Y-axis, including line style, line width, and color.
	Axis Value Range and Interval	Set the Y-axis value range (maximum and minimum values) and the interval size between tick marks. Maximum Value: Set the maximum value for the Y-axis. It is automatic by default. You can manually enter a value as needed. If the entered value is less than the maximum value of the measure field, it will not take effect. Minimum Value: Set the minimum value for the Y-axis. It is automatic by default. You can manually enter a value as needed. If the entered value is greater than the minimum value of the measure field, it will not take effect. Note If initial value is enabled in Data Labels, the calculation of the Y-axis minimum range considers the initial value. If the entered Y-axis minimum value is greater than the initial value, it will not take effect. Custom Interval: Set the interval size between tick marks on the Y-axis. It supports by step size or by number of divisions. By Step Size: Manually enter the difference between two adjacent tick marks on the Y-axis. By Number of Divisions: Divide the Y-axis into several equal parts based on the number of divisions. You can manually enter the specific number of divisions. The system will automatically distribute the Y-axis tick marks evenly according to this number.

Legend

In Legend, click the icon to enable the chart legend and configure its style.

Configuration Item	Description
Position	Set the display position and alignment of the legend. If the display position is Top or Bottom, select left, center, or right alignment. If the display position is Left or Right, select top, center, or bottom alignment. You can also set the distance between the legend and the chart content.
Text	Set the legend text style. Configure font color, size, weight, and whether it is italic.
Mobile Legend Configuration	PC and mobile legend settings are independent. Use the PC/Mobile switch button () at the top of the dashboard edit page to enter the mobile edit view. Configure a separate legend for the mobile end. Customize the mobile legend's position and text style.

Data Labels

In Data labels, specify whether to display data labels and configure their styles.

Chart Configuration Item	Configuration Item Descriptions
Full Display	Specify whether to display all data labels.
Text	Set the label text style.
Show Background	Specify whether to display the data label background. If selected, customize the label background color.
Initial Value	Specify whether to display the initial value label. If displayed, configure the following information: Initial Value Alias: The initial value name defaults to 'Initial Value'. Customize the name to better suit your business context, such as 'Beginning Balance' or 'Initial Cost'. Initial Value Type: Set the initial value type. Select Static Field or Dynamic. If you select Static Field, a fixed value is used as the starting point. This applies to scenarios with a fixed initial value. In the Initial Value input box, manually enter the value as needed. If you select Dynamic, the initial value dynamically updates based on the measure field value in the current chart's dataset. This applies to scenarios where the initial value needs automatic adjustment based on time and business conditions. Do the following: In the Initial Value drop-down list, select the measure field as the data source. In Aggregation Method, select an appropriate aggregation method for the field. This defines how to aggregate multiple data rows into a single initial value. In the Hide Dynamic Initial Value check box, specify whether to hide the initial value in the chart. If selected, the dynamic initial value still takes effect but does not display in the chart. Show Initial Value Tips: Specify whether to display the initial value as a tip. This makes the initial value clearer in the chart.
Cumulative Value	Set the cumulative value label style. Customize the cumulative value alias and specify whether to display cumulative value tips.

Tooltip

In Tooltip, click the icon to enable the tooltip and configure its style.

Chart Configuration Item	Description
Background Color	Set the background fill color of the tooltip box.
Text	Set the text style in the tooltip box. Configure font color, size, weight, and whether it is italic.
Mobile Tooltip	PC and mobile tooltip switches are independent. Use the PC/Mobile switch button () at the top of the dashboard edit page to enter the mobile edit view and edit the mobile tooltip. Font size can be set separately for PC and mobile. Other styles are configured uniformly.

Chart Analysis Configuration

Configuration items	Name	Description
Data interaction	Drilling	After you set drill-down fields in the field panel, set the display style for drill-down level rows here.
	Filter interaction	When your data for analysis appears in different charts, use filter interaction to link multiple charts. This lets you analyze data across charts. For details, see Filter interaction.
	Navigation	When your data for analysis appears across multiple dashboards, use dashboard navigation to link them for analysis. Navigation supports two types: parameter-based navigation and external links. For setup steps, see Navigation.

What to do next

When others need to view a dashboard, you can share it with specific people. For more information, see Share a Dashboard.
When you need to create complex dashboards with navigation menus for thematic analysis, you can integrate the created dashboards into a BI portal. For more information, see Create a PC BI Portal.