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Configuring ChartsLocate this document in the navigation structure

Developers configure the measures and dimensions displayed in charts by setting the role property to the desired value per chart type. Additional definitions apply to all chart types.

You can use the same annotation file with different qualifiers to present charts with different chart views. You do this by specifying different qualifiers in the annotation file for each card. The following sections of the annotation file apply to all chart types:

  • UI.Identification: Specify the navigation targets activated when the user clicks the card and list the parameters to pass to the target application. This definition is mandatory. For more information, see Configuring Card Navigation.
  • UI.SelectionVariant.SelectOptions: You can specify the filter values that are applied to the card, which are applied when retrieving the card data.
  • UI.PresentationVariant.SortOrder: You can specify the sort order to be used.
  • UI.PresentationVariant.MaxItems: Using this property, you can limit the maximum number of records to be fetched from the backend. If this variant isn't used, then all records from the backend will be displayed in the chart.
    Tip Don't use this for charts that rely on complete data sets; for example, the donut chart card, otherwise the results won't be meaningful.
  • UI.Chart: Specify the dimensions and measures that make up the chart, the chart type, and the way that the measures/dimensions are used for the chart. This definition is mandatory.
    • UI.Chart.MeasureAttributes.Measure annotation: Defines the measures used in the chart.
    • UI.Chart.MeasureAttributes.Role annotation: the manner in which a measure is used within the chart. This is configured differently for each chart type, as described below.
    • UI.Chart.DimensionAttributes.Dimension annotation: the dimensions used in the chart.
    • UI.Chart.DimensionAttributes.Role annotation: the manner in which a dimension is used within the chart.This is configured differently for each chart type, as described below.
Chart Types

Overview pages can make use of line, donut, bubble, column, stacked column, and vertical bullet charts.

The value assigned to the role property for dimensions and measures in the annotation file determines the visualization of the chart. For dimensions, you can set the role to category or series. If no value is specified, it's defaulted to category.

For measures, you can set the role to values: axis1, axis2 or axis3. If no value is specified, it's defaulted to axis1. The actual interpretation of the role value specified in the annotation file varies according to the chart type used, as detailed in the next chapter.

Time Series Chart

Time series chart cards are cards with regular charts but have time axis in the category axis instead of the categorical axis. The advantage in using time series axis is that the representation of the time based dimension is much cleaner and more responsive to the change in card size. The display level and format in the time axis would be in the default format offered by the visual chart: Day (01)/Month (Jan)/Year (2016).

Analytic cards will automatically use the time axis only if the following conditions are met:

  • Chart type is either line, bubble, column or combination
  • Chart is configured with only one dimension
  • The data type of the dimension is either edm.datetime or edm.string. In case the data type is edm.string, then it must have the additional OData metadata annotation: sap:semantics of yearmonthday If it's a bubble chart, there must be exactly two measures
  • If it's a combination chart card, then there must be at least two measures.
Note

Only line, bubble, column and combination chart cards support the time axis.

More Information

For more information on the type of charts used in overview pages, see Charts Used in Overview Pages.