Bullet chart

The bullet chart (Bullet chart) displays a gauge with extended options. Bullet charts can be used to visualize and compare performance of a measure to a target value and to a qualitative scale, such as poor, average, and good.

In a bullet chart you need one measure, which determines the length of the bar.

You can also add a dimension. This will show one gauge for every dimension value. If you do not define a dimension, the chart will show a single gauge.

Example:  

The example shows a bullet chart with sales performance for each quarter. It also shows the performance relative to target and performance range, which are different for each quarter.

When to use it

Bullet charts let you compare and measure performance with more enriched information than a common gauge. This is helpful when comparing performance according to a target and a simple performance rating. For example: you can show how sales relate to a target value, and in context of poor, good, and stretched performance.

Creating a bullet chart

You can create a bullet chart on the sheet you are editing.

Do the following:

1. From the assets panel, drag an empty bullet chart to the sheet.
   
2. Click Add dimension to select the dimension that define how many gauges are shown.

3. Click the Add measure button to select the value measure of the chart that defines the length of the bar.

   Once the measure is selected the bullet chart is displayed with default settings. Each gauge is displayed with an individual range. If you want to use a common range, you can set it with Appearance>Y-axis>Common range.

4. To add a target value, click Target under the measure. You can define a fixed value or use a measure with target values.

5. To add performance ranges, set Use segments under the measure to On.

   Click Add limit to set a range limit for the segments. You can adjust the color of each segment by clicking on it.

   You can define a fixed limit value or an expression.

The bullet chart is now displayed with the dimension and measure you selected.

Setting a target value

You can add a target value which is displayed as a marker line. If the measure contains sales numbers, this could be budgeted sales for example.

You can define a fixed value or use a measure with target values.

Setting performance ranges

To add performance ranges, set Use segments under the measure to On.

You need to add the limits for the ranges you want to use for showing indicators with Add limit. You can set a limit value in three ways.

• Use the slider.
• Type a value in the text box.
• Set an expression that returns the limit value.

Changing the color scheme

You can change color scheme of the value bar and the target by setting Appearance > Colors > Colors to Custom. You can set single colors or use an expression.

When you have added the limits, you can select the color and the symbol of the indicator for each defined range.

Adding a custom tooltip

You can add measures, charts, and images as tooltips. To add custom tooltips, select Appearance>Tooltip>Custom.

• If you want to add a measure as a tooltip, you can add it from a field using From a field. You can also use an expression to add a measure. Click to open the expression editor. The existing expression is displayed by default. You can add a title and description to the tooltip. You can change the label of the tooltip using Label as well as its formatting using Number formatting.

• If you want to add a chart as a tooltip, select a master visualization from the list of Master items.

  • Set the size of the tooltip container. Qlik Sense fits the chart into the container.
    • Small. Sets the width and height of the container to 140 pixels.
    • Medium. Sets the width and height of the container to 200 pixels.
    • Large. Sets the width and height of the container to 340 pixels.
    Tip noteAfter you add the chart, you can edit it by clicking Edit master item. See Editing a master visualization.

• If you want to add an image as a tooltip, choose whether to add an image from your Media library or from a URL.

  • Set the size of the tooltip container. Qlik Sense fits the image into the container.
    • Small. Sets the width and height of the container to 50 pixels.
    • Medium. Sets the width and height of the container to 200 pixels.
    • Large. Sets the width and height of the container to 340 pixels.
    • Original. Qlik Sense fits the image into the container. If the image is larger than 340 pixels, it is scaled down.
  • Media library: Appears when you choose Media library for Type. Click to select an image from your media library.
  • URL: Appears when you choose URL for Type. Enter a URL.

Setting the scale of the axis

If you use a dimension to show several gauges, you can select how to show the scale of the axis with Appearance>Y-axis>Common range.

• If you want each dimension gauge to use the same scale, enable Common range. If the range measure depends on the dimension value, the range bars will have different lengths.

  This is useful when you want to be able to compare the actual values.

  You can also set a common axis for all gauges with Appearance>Y-axis>Common range.

• If you want each range bar to be equally long, disable Common range.

  This is useful when you want to be able to compare the relative performance of each dimension value.

Changing the orientation of the labels

To change the orientation of the chart's labels, the chart's presentation must be vertical. This can be set with Appearance > Presentation > Vertical. Label orientation can then be selected with Appearance > X-axis > Label orientation. The following orientations are available:

• Auto: Automatically selects one of the other options depending on the space available on the chart.

• Horizontal: Labels are arranged in a single horizontal line.

• Tilted: Labels are stacked horizontally at an angle.

• Layered: Labels are staggered across two horizontal lines.

To view examples of label orientation, see X-axis and Y-axis.