Create and use a bubble chart

A bubble chart can be used to visualize how categorical data is related.

Bubble charts can answer questions about data, such as: How is it related? How many are there? How is it distributed?

Example

An insurance company is reviewing the types of policies it offers to compare to the findings from a recently completed market research project. The principals want to know how many policies the company has sold in each class, relative to the other classes. A bubble chart with categories can be used to visually compare the count of each policy class to the other policy classes.

Create a bubble chart

To create a bubble chart, complete the following steps:

1. Select one of the following combinations of data:
   • One string field
   • One string field and one number field or a rate/ratio field

   Note:

   If you do not select a number or rate/ratio field, the data will be aggregated and a count will be displayed.

   You can search for fields using the search bar in the data pane.

2. Create the chart using the following steps:
   1. Drag the selected fields to a new card.
   2. Hover over the Chart drop zone.
   3. Drop the selected fields on Bubble Chart.

Tip:

You can also create charts using the Chart menu above the data pane or the Visualization type button on an existing card. For the Chart menu, only charts that are compatible with the data selection will be enabled. For the Visualization type menu, only compatible visualizations (including maps, charts, or tables) will be displayed.

Usage notes

Bubble charts are styled by unique values.

Each bubble on the bubble chart can represent either a count of features in that category or the sum of a number or rate/ratio field.

This visualization creates a result dataset in the data pane, which includes the fields used to create the chart. The result dataset can be used to create additional visualizations, rename the fields on the chart axes or in the pop-ups, or apply filters to the chart.

Use the Layer options button to open the Layer options pane and do the following to update the configuration options:

• Use the Legend tab to make selections on the chart. To change the color associated with a value, click the symbol and choose a color from the palette or provide a hexadecimal value. The pop-out legend button displays the legend as a separate card on the page.

• Use the Appearance tab to change the symbol color (single symbol only), outline color, and representation on the chart.

  The chart representation can be changed between the Bars and Lollipops options. Bars are preferred for representing values precisely. Lollipops may be preferred for charts with a large number of values or when all values are near the maximum.

Use the Card filter button to remove any unwanted data from the card, or to show only the top or bottom n values. Filters can be applied to all string, number, rate/ratio, and date/time fields. A card filter does not affect other cards using the same dataset.

Use the Selection tools button to select features on the chart using the single select tool, or invert the selection.

Use the Visualization type button to switch directly between a bubble chart and other visualizations, such as a unique values map, summary table, column chart, or donut chart.

Use the Sort button to change the sort order of the chart. The chart can be sorted in ascending, descending, alphabetical, or reverse alphabetical order. The default order is Sort descending.

Use the Maximize button to enlarge the card. Other cards on the page will be reduced to thumbnails. The card can be returned to its previous size using the Restore down button .

Use the Enable cross filters button to allow filters to be created on the card using selections on other cards. Cross filters can be removed using the Disable cross filters button .

Use the Flip card button to view the back of the card. The Card info tab provides information about the data on the card and the Export data tab allows users to export the data from the card.

Use the Card options button to access the following options:

• Appearance button —Change the background color, foreground color, and border of the card.
• Edit labels button —Create custom labels for the chart axes. To edit the labels, click the Edit labels button and click the axis to make it editable.
• Order button —Move the card forward or move the card backward relative to other cards on the page.
• Delete button —Remove the card from the page. If you did not intend to delete the card, you can retrieve it using the Undo button .

Resources

Use the following resources to learn more about charts:

• Create a chart
• Chart layer options
• Chart toolbar