Axis range alignment for more charts when changing Metrics by Parameter

dashboard with aligned axes range

This week I’ll describe solution I have discovered few days before, when I worked on visualization where I wanted to compare variability of selected measures between 2 competitors (in case below I’ll use Global Superstore data and compere 2 Countries)

I wanted to meet these conditions:

  • allow users to select which Measure will be displayed
  • to show both countries next to each others (data for each country were in different dataset)
  • align axis range for both countries to be easy to compare them

Note: In this example I connect Orders table twice (as 2 Data Sources) and for one case set in Data Source Filter value for Country on United Kingdom and for second on United States.

Data sources

Using Parameter for selecting the Measure

I wanted to use 3 measures and let user to select which will be displayed. So I created the Parameter this way:

  • right click into Data panel and select Create Parameter
  • name it “Select Measure
  • set Data type as String
  • in Allowable values select List
  • in Values write name of these measures: “Profit“, “Sales“, “Shipping Cost

Creating parameter

After I clicked on OK the Parameter appeared in Data panel. I right clicked on it and selected Show Parameter Control to display it in my Sheet.

To be able to use selected measure in my vizz I had to created Calculated field.

Calculated filed for measure

And I was ready to build the vizz

  • put Order Date into Columns
  • put Selected measure UK unto Rows
  • put Order ID into Details
  • in Show Me select box-and-whisker plots

selected measure variability

Then I repeated the same set of steps in second Data Set to create same chart for second country.

Creating the Dashboard

I put both charts into dashboard, added Title (I used Parameter also in title to make clear which measure is displayed) and did a little bit of formatting.

dashboard with Parameter

The last thing I had to solve was different range of axes for both chart, because otherwise was difficult to visually compare both countries.

Axis range alignment

Calculation of Measures

I decided to solve it by finding Max and Min value of Selected Measure in both countries and then use this Measures as Reference line in both charts.

First I calculated Min and Max value in each country. Below is example of calculation of Max value in UK dataset. Because I was interested in value for whole Order I aggregated measure on this level by function FIXED.

calculation for max value

Then I found Min and Max value in both datasets. Below is example of calculation of Max value.

calculation for total max value

Completion of vizzies

  • put both Total measures into Detail Marks
  • from Analytics panel drag Reference line into Table
  • set the line as in picture below (once for Max and second for Min)
  • Replicate the same steps in second vizz

Reference line

Finally I got the required result. User can select measure and the axis range for both counties is aligned.

dashboard with aligned axes range

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