Area Plot

Area plots are suitable for tracking and comparing changes in Data Values over a period of time. An area plot arranges a period horizontally, encodes data values into points, connects them by line, and fills the area below it with a color.

Clustered Area

You could use a clustered area plot to break down data values into subcategories for more granular analysis. For instance, the Clustered Area Demo shows the Net Sales changes over the year divided into clustered areas per product category.

Stacked Area

A stacked area is another way to break down data values into subcategories by placing corresponding area subsections on top of each other. The Stacked Area Demo shows the Net Sales changes over the year divided into stacked areas per product category.

Percentage Stacked Area

A percentage stacked area combines the stacked area and the Percentage axis scale. In addition to changes in data values, it also shows each subcategory's contribution to a total. For instance, the Percentage Stacked Area Demo shows the percentage share of product categories in Net Sales.

You can configure all these types using the Area plot template and its properties described in the following sections. The Area Stacked and Area Percent Stacked templates are just shortcuts to a specific configuration.

Range Area

A Range Area plot displays the range or difference between two sets of values across a continuous variable, such as time. For instance, the Range Area Demo displays the confidence intervals of sales forecasts over a year.

Range Area plots can display multiple ranges per category, such as showing sales forecasts for multiple products within a single plot. However, it does not make much sense to display stacked Range Area plots. Stacked plots are generally used to represent a part-to-whole relationship, which doesn't align with the purpose of Range Area plots, which emphasize the range between two data points and the variability within each category.

You can use the following demos to explore plot properties - open a link, toggle the Report explorer, select the Plot - Plot 1 node and use the Properties panel to modify the configuration.

• Clustered Area Demo

• Stacked Area Demo

• Percentage Stacked Area Demo

• Range Area Demo

You could also download the report files listed below and open them in the Standalone Report Designer.

• Clustered Area Report

• Stacked Area Report

• Percentage Stacked Area Report

• Percentage Stacked Area Report

Chart Wizard

If you add a chart into a report, set the plot type to Area on the first page of the Chart Wizard, and click the Next button, the wizard shows the Area Settings page that looks like the following:

For the Range Area plots, the Chart Wizard settings look slightly different:

The Data Values section allows you to add one or more Data Values.

The Data Categories section allows you to set the Category Encoding.

The Data Subcategories section allows you to configure the Details Encoding.

Data Values

The Area plot's Values collection determines data values that change over time. The Chart Wizard displays the Values collection as Fields in the Data Values section. Collection items consist of two properties:

• The Value is usually a bound field reference. The Properties Panel displays the Value as the collection, but Line plots take the first item only. In Range Area plots, a value consists of the lower and upper bounds of a range to be displayed, representing the minimum and maximum data points within each category. The Chart Wizard displays the Value as Field.

• The Aggregate is an optional function, such as Count or Average, that reduces many field values into a single one.

For instance, all the demos listed above have the Value={SalesAmount}, Aggregate=Sum Data Value.

Category Encoding

The Category Encoding of an Area plot is a set of properties that determine the period over which the plot generates connected data points representing those above Data Values.

• The Category is usually a bound field reference. Bound DataSet Records with the same value of that field fall into the same category. Distinct categories form the period. For instance, all the area plot demos are bound to the Sales DataSet containing several fields, including the SalesDate for each data record. The plot's Category is set to {MonthName(Month(SalesDate))} expression. Therefore the plot goes through the Sales DataSet, finds the distinct months from the SalesDate values, and generates one category per month. If you preview a demo output, you can see 12 months along the horizontal axis.

• The Category Sorting configuration determines the order of the category values appearance. For instance, the demo plots have the Category Sort Expression = {Month(SalesDate)}, Category Sort Direction = Ascending settings to ensure chronological order.

The Chart Wizard offers the simplified editor of the Categories Encoding in the Data Categories section:

• A single Category Expression displayed as Field is available.

• The Sorting configuration of the Category Encoding displays the Sort direction property only. The Sort Expression is automatically set to the same value as the Field property has.

Details Encoding

The Details Encoding allows you to break down those above Data Values into subcategories for more granular analysis of changes.

The Details property of the Area plot is the collection of items that define these subcategories. Each item includes several properties:

• The Values is usually one or more bound field references. Bound DataSet Records with the same values of these fields fall into the same subcategory. For instance, in the area demos, the plot Details value is {ProductCategory}. Consequently, the Net Sales area breaks down into multiple subsections corresponding to distinct product categories.

• The Exclude Nulls flag indicates whether DataSet Records with an undefined Details Value should be excluded from the visualization.

• The Group property determines how the plot arranges area subsections.

  • Stack - a plot places area subsections on top of each other. You can use this value to configure a Stacked Area plot. Note that this value is not applicable for Range Area plots.

  • Cluster - area subsections overlap each other. The Clustered Area Demo uses this value for the plot details.

  • None - equals to Cluster.

• The Sorting configuration determines the order of subsections appearance.

The Chart Wizard offers the simplified editor of the Details Encoding in the Data Subcategories section:

• A single Details Encoding item is available.

• A single Value item displayed as Field is available.

• The Group property of the Detail Encoding is displayed as Break-down method.

• The Sorting configuration of the Details Encoding displays the Sort direction property only. The Sort Expression is automatically set to the Field value.

Colors Encoding

The Colors Encoding enables the color legend of the Details Encoding and includes the Color expression and the optional Color Aggregate function that reduces many Color values into a single one.

The plot calculates distinct Color Encoding results for the subcategories produced by the Details Encoding, converts them to fill color of corresponding areas, and displays the match between colors and encoding results in the legend. Colors come from the Chart Palette.

For instance, the area plot demos use the {ProductCategory} expression for the Colors Encoding. Consequently, the report output shows the colors legend that matches Product Categories with fill color of corresponding areas.

Note: The Color property is the collection, but the Area plot takes the first item only.

Plot look-and-feel

The following properties allow you to fine-tune the outfit of shapes that form the Area plot. You can see their effect in action by modifying the configuration of any area demo.

The Opacity is a number in percentage that determine the opacity of areas filled with color. 100% means they are opaque, and 0% means that they are entirely transparent.

The Line Aspect property determines the style of the line that connects data points.

• Default means the straight line

• Spline means the bezier curve

• Step Center, Step Left and Step Right mean the stepped line with different step directions.

The Show Nulls property indicates the arrangement of data points for Null values.

• Gaps means that the plot will not draw a line between a null data point and its previous and next points

• Zero means that null data points will be considered to have 0 value

• Connected means that the plot will connect the previous and the next points of a null point

The Clipping Mode indicates the manner that the plot area draws a plot:

• Fit value means that the plot area should use all the available space to fit the plot

• Clip value means that the plot area cuts off the plot on the edge of its right or bottom padding

• None value equals to Fit

The line properties in the Style section determine the appearance of lines that connect data points.

The color expression in the Background section sets the fill color of areas and overwrites the Color Encoding described earlier.

Customizing Tooltips and Labels

The Text Encoding collection offers a way to configure area plots to display customized labels and tooltips on the data points. Each item within this collection has the following properties:

• Values: This is an expression that can reference the values of the bound fields.

• Aggregate: This optional function, such as Count or Average, can condense multiple field values into a single value, evaluated within the current detail or category context.

• Template Key: A string used within the Labels or Tooltip template to represent the text encoding item.

• Target: This property specifies whether the text encoding item is meant for the plot's labels or tooltips.

Adding items to the Text Encoding collection allows automatic display of configured values in Labels or Tooltips, based on the Target value of each item. To further customize the text of the labels and tooltips, you can employ the Tooltip Template and Label Text Template expressions.

Apart from Text Encoding items referenced by their keys, you can utilize the following pre-defined values:

• {valueField.name}: Represents the field name bound to a Data Value.

• {valueField.value}: Represents the current Data Value within the containing Category or Details.

• {PercentageDetail}: Represents the percentage share of the current Data Value among all values within the same Details.

• {PercentageCategory}: Represents the percentage share of the current Data Value among all values within the same Category.

• {categoryField.name}: Represents the field name bound to the Category Encoding.

• {categoryField.value}: Represents the current Category Encoding value.

• {detailFields.name}: Represents the field name bound to the Details Encoding.

• {detailFields.value}: Represents the current Details Encoding value.

• {colorField.name}: Represents the field name bound to the Color Encoding.

• {colorField.value}: Represents the current Color Encoding value.

These values can be combined and formatted using the interpolation syntax and supported format strings that are also used for the TextBox Report Item.

For example, the plot in the Stacked Area Demo uses an advanced tooltip configuration:

• The Text Encoding contains the SalesQuantity element that displays the number of sold items:

  • Aggregate = Sum

  • Value = {SalesQuantity}

  • Target = Tooltip

  • TemplateKey = SalesQuantity

• The Tooltip Template is configured with the following expression:

{detailFields.value} in {categoryField.value}
Amount: {valueField.value:C2}
Quantity: {SalesQuantity}

Labels Appearance

A subset of text properties in the Label Text section and the line properties in the Label Border section allow you to set up the corresponding visual parameters of the plot labels.

The Label Position and an optional Offset in pixels determine the location of labels relative to a parent data point symbol:

• Inside - on the bottom

• Outside - on the top

• Center - on the center

• Auto - equals to Outside

The Overlapping Labels property indicates the handling of overlapping labels. Possible values are:

• Auto - hides some labels to prevent the overlapping

• Show - shows all labels even if the overlapping persists

The line properties in the Label Line section allows you to add the connecting lines between labels and their parent data points. The Label Line Position determines the connection point of a label's bounding box and the line:

• Auto - selected automatically

• Center - on the center of the bounding box side

Action

This group of properties determine the Interactive Action when a report reader clicks inside a filled area. You can use bound field references to pass parameters in a drill-through report or configure a dynamic bookmark or URL. The field value is evaluated in the scope of the current detail. Visit the Drill-Through Reports Walkthrough for more information. It explains how to set up the drill-through column plot, but the same technique is applicable for an area plot.