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Adaptive Planning
Last Updated: 2025-11-14
Example: Create a Crosstab to Slice Data with Dimensions and Time

Example: Create a Crosstab to Slice Data with Dimensions and Time

A
crosstab
 visualizes data in tabular format. This chart is often used to compare relationships between data sets.
This walkthrough explains how to create a crosstab for a quarterly review. This chart will visualize revenue that slices data by location and product groups.
Crosstab Chart Showing Revenue for Q1 in Months Broken Down by Country and Sales Region

Prerequisites

Learn about Concept: Crosstab Charts, its structure, and how to slice data.
You need:
  • Edit access to a personal or shared perspective.
  • Security:
    • Access Dashboards
       permission.
    • Edit Dashboards
       permission.
This example uses
Working Budget
 as the default version and the following accounts and dimensions:
  • Columns: Revenue Cube account
  • Rows: Location dimension broken down by Group dimension

Techniques for Adding Data to a Column or Row

Add a Column or Add a Row
You can add accounts, dimensions, or time as a column or a row. You can only add accounts or time as a column or row not both.
From the Column section or Row section, select the
Add
 icon and select
Add Dimension
 or
Add Time
 from the drop-down. If a specific dimension or Time is used once as a column or row, it cannot be reused in the same chart and will be unavailable for selection.
Add Icon and List when Adding a Column to a Crosstab Chart
To reorder, use the Handler iconDIS-handlerIcon.png to drag and drop the the dimension or Time from to the new position within the column or row. The chart reflects this change.
Dimensions as a Column or Row
When you select
Add Dimension
, a selection panel displays. Select the dimension, attribute, or dimension member to add as a column or as a row.
If the dimension member has no breakdown data, a message is displayed on the chart upon selection:
No break down is available for the following dimension members: [member names]
Remove dimension members or pin the selection to default to the parent dimension member or dimension. Click the
Pin
 icon DISC-pin.png next to the dimension to pin:
A pinned Dimension

Create a Crosstab Chart

In this walkthrough, add a crosstab chart to a dashboard, add the revenue account as a column, and change the default time settings.
After completing these steps, you will have a crosstab chart that looks like:
Crosstab Chart with Revenue as the Column
The selections in the Time Setting tab determine the time scope. The initial period in this example is current month and year.
  1. Navigate to the perspective and dashboard for the new chart.
  2. Click
    Edit
     from the toolbar to make changes to the dashboard.
  3. In the left panel, click the
    Charts
     button to view a list of chart types. Drag and drop the
    Crosstab
     chart to the design area to create a crosstab chart.
  4. In the left panel, click the
    Accounts
     button to view a list of accounts. Drag the Revenue account to the chart.
  5. In the right panel, click the
    Appearance Settings
     button to change the appearance of the chart.
  6. Click the
    Data Settings
     button to view the data settings. Note that by default the
    Revenue
     account is a column and no rows are defined.
Add Time as Columns
You want to show revenue for each month in the quarter. You will add the Time dimension as a column and change the Time Settings for the quarter in review.
After completing these steps, you will have a crosstab chart that looks like:
Crosstab Showing Revenue Broken Down by Months in a Quarter
  1. In the
    Data Settings
     tab, select the
    Add
     and select
    Add Time
    .
  2. Click the
    Time Settings
     button to edit the time settings. Change pinned time:
    • Stratum: Month
    • Span: Range
    • Data Range: Total Period
    • Pinned time: Jan-2018 - Mar-2018
Add Location as Rows
For this crosstab chart, you want to compare product revenue for each sales location. You will add the Location dimension as a row and add the Group dimension to break down data by product line.
After completing these steps, you will have a crosstab chart that looks like:
Crosstab Chart Showing Revenue for Q1 in Months Broken Down by Country and Sales Region
The selections in the Time Setting tab determine the time scope. The initial period in this example is current month and year.
  1. In the
    Data Settings
     tab, navigate to the Rows section.
  2. Select
    Add
     to add a new row. Select
    Add Dimension
     from the list. From the selection panel, navigate to the dimension:
    Location
    .
  3. Select the
    Add
     icon and select
    Add Dimension
    . From the selection panel, navigate to the dimension attribute:
    Group
    .
This completes this walkthrough.