Skip to main content
Documentation
Documentation
Adaptive Planning
Last Updated: 2023-06-23
Reference: Waterfall Chart Settings

Reference: Waterfall Chart Settings

A
waterfall
 visualizes data to show where you started, where you ended, and how you got there. The initial and the final values are often represented by whole columns, while the intermediate values are denoted by floating columns.
If a data point has no value for the waterfall step,
Dashboards
 draws a line from the two data values and skips over the empty point. No data point appears for the empty point.

Appearance Settings

Appearance Settings Tab Select the
Appearance Settings
 tab on the right to change the appearance for the selected chart.
General
Multiple Variance Account
Enables you to customize waterfall charts by manually adding an opening, closing, and variance accounts in
Data Settings
.
Name
Enter the chart title.
Character Limit: 50
Open & Close Color
Sets the color for this waterfall step type.
Subtotal Color
Displays when you enable Multiple Variance Account.
Sets the color for this waterfall step type.
Positive Variance Color
Sets the color for this waterfall step type.
Negative Variance Color
Sets the color for this waterfall step type.
Show in Presentation Mode
We select this option by default to display the chart in presentation mode. Turn the toggle off to hide the chart in presentation mode.
Data Labels
Expand the Data Labels section to change display options for data labels.
Show Data Labels
Display or hide data labels.
Font
Configure the font type and color for label text on the horizontal axis. Displays when
Legend
 is on.
Labels Type
Select the display format:
  • Percent (%): Displays percentages.
  • Data: Displays numerical values.
Axis
Define the presentation of the primary and secondary axes, including the labels. You can set primary and secondary axes independently. Settings for the
secondary
 axis display only when you have set a secondary axis. You can set a secondary axis from the
Series Y Axis
 field in the
Account
 section of the
Data Settings
 tab.
Font
Configure the font type and color for label text on the horizontal axis. Displays when
Legend
 is on.
Axis Title
Select the format of the axis title.
Axis Start From Zero
Select how the axis starts when
Axis Auto Scaling
 is on:
  • On
    : Axis starts at zero.
  • Off
    : Axis starts at the minimum value in the data set.
Legend
Provides settings for styling the legend on the chart.
Legend
Display or hide the chart legend.
Font
Configure the font type and color for label text on the horizontal axis. Displays when
Legend
 is on.
Reference Value
These 2 sections are available when you select
Variance
 or
Variance Percent
 for
Display
. The options in each section are the same, and they define the reference and comparison values for the variance. Example: The value from the Working Budget version of the current year compared to the value from the Actuals version of the previous year.
Version
Select the version for the variance to reference. Default:
From version selector
.
Time Alignment
Determines how to align time when comparing data from different periods. Possible values:
  • Current (default)
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Trailing
  • Leading
Period
Sets the period of time to evaluate, such as month, quarter, or year. Default:
From Period Selector
(Stratum on Time Settings)
Period Count
Enter a positive numeric value for the number of periods to count backwards or forwards. Available when you select
Leading
 or
Trailing
 for
Time Alignment
. Example: Select
Trailing
 for
Time Alignment
, then enter
1
 for
Period Count
. When the current year is 2016, the data reference is 2015.
Offset Count
Available when
Time Alignment
 is
Next
 or
Previous
, indicates the number of periods to count backward or forward in time.
Offset Period
Sets the period of time to offset when the time alignment is Next or Previous. Possible values include month, quarter, or year. Default:
From Period Selector
(Stratum on Time Settings)
Data Range
Evaluate data based on:
  • Total Period
    (default).
  • To Date
    .
Comparison Value
Defines the scope for the value being compared to the reference value. Example: Comparing Planned Revenue to Actuals. Default: Actuals
Version
The account value from a second version that compares the reference value of the baseline version.
Time Alignment
Determines how the steps in a waterfall chart align. See the Time Alignment table for more information.
Possible values:
  • Current (default)
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Trailing
  • Leading
Period
Sets the period of time to evaluate, such as month, quarter, or year. Default:
From Period Selector
(Stratum on Time Settings)
Period Count
Enter a positive numeric value for the number of periods to count backwards or forwards. Available when you select
Leading
 or
Trailing
 for
Time Alignment
. Example: Select
Trailing
 for
Time Alignment
, then enter
1
 for
Period Count
. When the current year is 2016, the data reference is 2015.
Offset Count
Available when
Time Alignment
 is
Next
 or
Previous
, indicates the number of periods to count backward or forward in time.
Offset Period
Sets the period of time to offset when the time alignment is Next or Previous. Possible values include month, quarter, or year. Default:
From Period Selector
(Stratum on Time Settings)
Data Range
Evaluate data based on:
  • Total Period
    (default).
  • To Date
    .

Data Settings

Select the
Data Settings
 tab in the right panel to configure settings for the data series.
Accounts
Expand the Accounts section to view, change, delete, or add accounts to the chart. Each account represents a data series on the chart.
Account
Each account in a chart has its own settings:
  • Expand to change the settings for the data series.
  • To remove an account from the chart, select
    Delete
     from the related actions menu of the account.
  • To reorder accounts, drag and drop the the handler icon. The order affects the format and placement of the data series in a chart.
  • Add
     to add accounts or dashboard metrics to the chart.
Name
Sets the display name of the data series. Character limit: 50 characters.
Account
Changes the account in the chart.
Filter
Filters the data by levels, level attributes, custom dimensions, and dimension attributes.
Display Units
Format the display units:
  • Follow Account
    : Use the display units set from the account. We use this format by default.
  • #,000,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as millions with 1 decimal.
  • # (#,##0)
    : Display as thousands with no decimals.
  • #,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as thousands with 1 decimal.
Opening Account
Displays instead of
Account
 when you enable
Multiple Variance Accounts
.
Name
Sets the display name of the data series. Character limit: 50 characters.
Account
Changes the account in the chart.
Version
The default setting uses the version selector.
Filter
Filters the data by levels, level attributes, custom dimensions, and dimension attributes.
Display Units
Format the display units:
  • Follow Account
    : Use the display units set from the account. We use this format by default.
  • #,000,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as millions with 1 decimal.
  • # (#,##0)
    : Display as thousands with no decimals.
  • #,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as thousands with 1 decimal.
Negative Number Format
Format the display units for negative numbers:
  • -123,456,789.12
    : Use a negative sign to indicate a negative value.
  • (123,456,789.12)
    : Enclose a negative value in parentheses.
Time Alignment
Determines how the steps in a waterfall chart align. See the Time Alignment table for more information.
Possible values:
  • Current (default)
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Trailing
  • Leading
Variance Accounts
Displays instead of
Account
 when you enable
Multiple Variance Accounts
.
Display
  • Account
    : Visualize the account as a single data point.
  • Breakdown
    : Visualize each child account separately.
  • Subtotal
    : Visualize the account as an intermediate subtotal column.
Name
Sets the display name of the data series. Character limit: 50 characters.
Account
Changes the account in the chart.
Version
The default setting uses the version selector.
Filter
Filters the data by levels, level attributes, custom dimensions, and dimension attributes.
Display Units
Format the display units:
  • Follow Account
    : Use the display units set from the account. We use this format by default.
  • #,000,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as millions with 1 decimal.
  • # (#,##0)
    : Display as thousands with no decimals.
  • #,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as thousands with 1 decimal.
Negative Number Format
Format the display units for negative numbers:
  • -123,456,789.12
    : Use a negative sign to indicate a negative value.
  • (123,456,789.12)
    : Enclose a negative value in parentheses.
Time Alignment
Determines how to align time when comparing data from different periods. Possible values:
  • Current (default)
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Trailing
  • Leading
Closing Account
Displays instead of
Account
 when you enable
Multiple Variance Accounts
.
Name
Sets the display name of the data series. Character limit: 50 characters.
Account
Changes the account in the chart.
Version
The default setting uses the version selector.
Filter
Filters the data by levels, level attributes, custom dimensions, and dimension attributes.
Display Units
Format the display units:
  • Follow Account
    : Use the display units set from the account. We use this format by default.
  • #,000,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as millions with 1 decimal.
  • # (#,##0)
    : Display as thousands with no decimals.
  • #,000 (#,##0.#)
    : Display as thousands with 1 decimal.
Negative Number Format
Format the display units for negative numbers:
  • -123,456,789.12
    : Use a negative sign to indicate a negative value.
  • (123,456,789.12)
    : Enclose a negative value in parentheses.
Time Alignment
Determines how the steps in a waterfall chart align. See the Time Alignment table for more information.
Possible values:
  • Current (default)
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Trailing
  • Leading
Breakdown
Settings that determine how to break data into granular groups. Example: By time (months, quarters, years) or by dimension (level, location, product).
Type
Possible values:
  • Dimension: If selected, you must select a Dimension, such as level, dimension, or attribute value.
  • Metric
  • Time: If selected, you must select a Period Breakdown.
Dimension
Required when you select
Dimension
 as the breakdown type. Specifies how to break down the analysis even further for any breakdown method. The dimension specifies how to evaluate the breakdown.
Period Breakdown
Determines the period for breaking down the data. Possible values:
  • From Period Selector
  • Month
  • Quarter
  • Year
Sorting & Limits
Settings for limiting data and sorting the data series on a waterfall chart.
Max Data Points
Sets the maximum number of data points allowed between the reference and comparison points on the x-axis.
Limit: 50
Sort Order
Determines how to order the data points:
  • Default (based on the Breakdown in Data Settings)
  • Largest Positive to Largest Negative
  • Largest Negative to Largest Positive
  • Largest to Smallest (Absolute)
  • Smallest to Largest (Absolute)

Time Settings

DIS-timeSettingsTab.png Select the
Time Settings
 tab on the right to change data settings for the selected chart.
General Section
Calendar
Displays when your instance uses alternate calendars. Select the calendar to use.
Stratum
Select the time strata for the data set.
Pin - Unpin Time
Sets time on the chart as pinned or unpinned:
Blue pinPin (blue): Time is a fixed time period. The period of time for pinned charts is based on the selected time strata. For example, if you select the strata:
  • Month: Choose periods based on month-year.
  • Quarter: Choose periods based on quarter-year.
  • Year: Choose periods based on the year.
Set a specific date, such as May 2017.
Grey pinUnpin (grey): Time is relative to the reference period indicated in the perspective context. Relative time is based on the selected strata. Select:
  • Current: Matches the current reference date.
  • Backwards: Adjusts backward by the number you enter.
  • Forwards: Adjusts forward by the number you enter.