Visualizing data as charts

As an editor or administrator, you can create bar charts by using the BMC Bar Chart visualization to compare values across different categories.

Example dashboard

To configure the BMC Bar Chart visualization plug-in

1. From the navigation menu , click Dashboard.
2. Click Add visualization.
3. In the Query section, select BMC Helix and add your queries. For instructions, see Configuring-dashboards-with-additional-customizations.
4. In the Panel tab, expand Visualization and select BMC Bar Chart.
   
5. Under Panel options, configure the following settings:
   
   1. Specify a panel name and optional description. 
   2. Specify whether you want to use the transparent background for the panel.
   3. Panel links — Add one or more links to navigate to other content.
   4. Repeat options — Select a variable. The panel is created for each variable value. 
      Note: The panel creation is not visible in the edit mode. Navigate to the dashboard and update the variable or reload the dashboard.
6. Under BMC Bar Chart, configure the following settings:
   
   1. Category, Category Label, Category Type, Category Unit, Order — Configure the values as you want to see them in the bar chart. The category settings are for the X-axis.
   2. Orientation — Select horizontal or vertical orientation for your bar chart.
   3. Mode — Select a separated or stacked bar chart for multiple value bars. In a stacked bar chart, each series is stacked on top of another.
   4. Rotate x-axis tick labels — If you want to rotate X-axis labels, specify or select the angle of rotation.
   5. Bar width — Drag the scroll bar to specify the width of the bar.

   6. Value, Value Label, Max Width of Y-Axis Labels, Value Unit — Configure the values as you want to see them in the bar chart. The value settings are for the Y-axis.

      For the Max Width of Y-Axis Labels option, configure the value in the range 1 to 1500 when the labels are truncated. If the labels already appear correctly, increasing the value does not affect the label display.

   7. Tooltip — Select to display a tooltip for the entire series or the series that you are currently hovering over.
   8. Color Scheme — Select color schemes for the fields. Select a color from the set of colors or use custom colors.
7. Under Data Labels, configure the following settings:
   1. Bar Data — Select the bar data field.
   2. Show Data Labels — Click to show or hide labels.
   3. Data label Alignment, Text size, and Label color — Select the alignment of labels, text size, and color. These options are visible only when you select to show data labels.
   4. Show Total and Total Text Size — Specify whether you want to view the total value at the top of each stack and configure the text size of the value. This option is applicable only to a stacked bar chart.
8. Under Legend, configure the following settings:
   1. Show Legends — Click to show or hide legends.
   2. Legend Position and Legend Alignment — Select a legend position and alignment. These options are visible only when you select to show legends.
9. Under Standard options, configure the following settings:
   1. Min — Define a minimum value for the Y-axis. Used in combination with the max value to adjust the scaling of bars for display.
   2. Max — Define the maximum value for the Y-axis. Used in combination with the min value to adjust the scaling of bars for display.
   3. Decimals — By default, this is set to 0 (Zero) to indicate that there are no decimal points in the X or Y-axis of the chart. Configure the values as you want to see them in the bar chart.
10. Under Data links, add a link to navigate to other dashboards.
11. Save the panel.