In the previous recipe we created a vertical line graph, simple but effective. There is still something that we can do to smooth edges, improve the readability, and make it more pleasant for the eye.
We run the 22 Internet Sales by Product Category and Month graph, and save it as 23 Bikes Internet Sales by Month. Next, we apply a view filter to the graph. We learned in the previous chapter how view filters work; we can add one to this dataset so that only the bikes are displayed. If you don't see the View Filter area click on the View |View Filter menu, and create a new one with the condition Product Category In List {Bikes}.
And now we start the aesthetic process:
- First thing the background; click inside the graph on an empty area, close to the border so that the edge changes from continuous line to dashes. Once you have the background selected you can right-click and choose Format Background… from the context menu.
- In the Preferences window, change the Color dropdown to White and click on Apply.
- In the left Properties Categories tree, select Frame and change the Color selector to White and click on the Apply button.
- Now go to the top of the Properties Categories tree and select Options.
- Towards the end of the right pane there is a checkbox labeled Enable curved lines, check it and click on Apply. Now confirm with OK.
- On the top left of the frame right-click on the first value of Y, should be 2,000,000 and select Format Y1 Axis Label. When the Preferences window appears, click on Number Formatting on the left tree; now set the Category listbox to
Fixed, Decimal places tozero, uncheck Use Thousand separator, and choose the valueThousandsin the combobox labeled Abbreviation. - Click on Apply and notice that the number now shows 2000K. Without leaving the Preferences window, go to Axes | Category | Grids and Scales in the left tree.
- Enable both Show Major and Show Minor, leaving the defaults Regular Grid and Inner Ticks respectively; enable Use Manual Number of Categories and set Between Gridlines to
2. Apply. - In the left tree move to Major Gridlines, set the Color to
Grey-50%, Apply and do the same for Minor Gridlines. Click on Apply and then on OK. - The X axis labels sometimes get too close to each other and look cluttered, especially in large datasets. We can add space between them by showing just one every three or four values, to give more breath to the horizon. Do this by clicking on the Set Layout to Manual button on the toolbar, like the one shown in this icon:
- Now right-click on one X axis value and select Grid and Scales from the context menu. In Axes | Category | Axis Labels, click on the radio button labeled Use Manual number of Categories and set Between Labels number to
3(or4or5depending on the size of your screen). - The legend is now useless since we only have one series of data; hide it clicking on the Show Legends button on the toolbar. You can modify the title to read Bikes Sales Amount from Internet Sales.
- And lastly—since we're touching the title—we can click on it and drag it inside the graph area. You can position it where you like, resize, or modify the background box color, as you please. It looks better now, doesn't it:
There are plenty of options in the Graph Preferences window, and it is easy to get lost. Look in the help (F1 key) of the application for some clues, or just try changing a value and see the effect on the chart. As they say, some days of trial and error can save you minutes of reading the manual.
If you'd like to read more, there is a very good article about graphs at http://www.microstrategyblog.com/2013/02/how-i-like-my-microstrategy-graphs/.
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