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To insert a waterfall chartLocate this document in the navigation structure

Context

A waterfall chart is a specialized type of bar chart. Typically, it can be used to show how an initial value is affected by a series of intermediate positive or negative values. The start and end values are always displayed in a column as totals. The individual interim values are not displayed as subtotals, but as delta values.

In Analysis, the crosstab values of the first key figure are drawn into the waterfall chart cell by cell from top to bottom. Total rows in the crosstab are always ignored. The start and end column are displayed in gray color, negative delta values in red, and positive delta values in green.

You can also insert a waterfall chart for a query with hierarchies. The hierarchy nodes should be expanded upwards. Expanded nodes are displayed as columns and are also displayed in gray color.

To insert a meaningful waterfall chart, the crosstab view must meet specific requirements. You can define structures for a query in the BEx Query Designer to create queries that meet these requirements:
  • Only one dimension should be in the view.
  • The first data row should be the desired start column in the waterfall chart.
  • The last data row should be the desired end column in the waterfall chart.
  • The intermediate data rows should represent delta values showing the changes between the start and end column.

Procedure

  1. Select a cell of the crosstab that you want to visualize in a waterfall chart.
    For the waterfall chart, the data of the first key figure in the crosstab will be used.
  2. To insert a vertical waterfall chart, choose Start of the navigation path Chart Next navigation step Insert Waterfall Chart End of the navigation path from the ribbon.
    To insert a horizontal waterfall chart, choose Start of the navigation path Chart Next navigation step Insert Pivoted Waterfall Chart End of the navigation path.
    The chart is added to the analysis. You can position it in the worksheet using drag and drop.

    If you change the data of the first key figure displayed in the crosstab, e.g. by expanding a hierarchy node, the chart is adapted automatically.

    Note You should not modify the waterfall chart using Microsoft Excel options for charts.
  3. You can move the chart to another worksheet in the workbook.
    On the Component tab in the design panel, select the chart you want to move, and open the Move to dialog. Select the sheet that should contain the chart and press OK.

Results

The chart is added to the analysis according to your configuration. The chart is updated automatically when you change the displayed data in the crosstab.