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Configure Bar Charts

Bar charts can be used to show comparisons of data against targets and limits in either a vertical or horizontal chart.

You can compare only one specific set of data, where each bar represents the data, or you can cluster sets of data so that each specific set of data has its own bar, but the related sets are clustered and compared against other clustered data.

For example, this clustered bar chart shows 4 plants and 3 sets of data (clustered) for each plant: overall equipment effectiveness, downtime, and yield. In the same chart, you can see how downtime and yield affect the overall effectiveness of each plant, and how each plant compares against the others. The data is visualized in percentages.

clustered bar chart

Define Bar Chart Attributes

After you have created and configured some basic attributes for a chart, you can begin to design the “look” of the chart. Here, we show you the basic attributes that you need to set in order design a basic bar chart. To see all of the possible attributes you can configure, see Charts Attributes & Keywords Reference Guide.

Name X and Y Axes

Name the X and Y axes, as these labels will appear on the chart to identify the data represented. For example, the Downtime Bar Chart below shows Plant Downtime and Percent as the labels. You can see these labels in the chart above.

create and configure bar charts

Select Query Chart Type

Here’s where you decide how you want to cluster data, or not.

configure bar charts

Standard Bar Chart

standard query bar chart

Stacked Bar Chart

stacked bar chart

Clustered Bar Chart

clustered bar chart

Select Chart Orientation

configure bar charts

Select Numbers & Unit of Measure Format

Use the pulldown menu to decide if the data information should be numbers, units of measure, or both.

configure bar charts

Create & Name Bars

Now it’s time to add bars to your chart. You can add up to 20 bars.

Give a label to each bar or cluster of bars. For example, Bar 1 Name here is Plant 1.

configure bar charts

Enter Values and/or Interface

To add data to your chart, you add a value, calculation and/or interface for each bar. Or you can also use queries and Connect Strings to connect to an SQL database.

configure bar charts

Design Charts with Targets & Visualizations

You have the option to add targets and baselines to your chart to add more meaning to the data. For example, if you create a chart to show yield for manufacturing plants, you may set a baseline of minimum acceptable yield and a target for expected yield.

Set a Target and/or Baseline

Targets can be entered as values, or returned from an interface. To enter a value, use the Target column, otherwise use the Target Interface column to select a previously defined interface.

You can add up to 5 additional lines to each chart.

Note: Formulas and Functions can be used in the Target and Baseline attribute columns.

configure bar charts

Give the Target a Name and Color

The Target Name, if you decide to use one, displays as a tooltip when you hover over the line in the chart.

Target Color adds color to the Target line. Use the pulldown menu to select a color.

Add Conditional Coloring

Conditional Coloring allows you to change the color of the bar above and below the Target line based on the value comparison.

Above Target Color and Below Target Color allow you to select those Conditional Colors, and you can name each in the Above and Below Target Name.

For example, if you set targets for performance, you can set the color to green above the target line and use Pass as an Above Target Name.

Learn more

Charts Attributes & Keywords Reference Guide
Add Custom Chart Colors
Configure Light & Dark Themes for Visual KPI Sites
Navigating Charts

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