Creating Gauge Visualizations

    In this tutorial, you will learn how to create Gauge visualizations using a sample spreadsheet.

    Example of different Gauge Visualizations

    Access the links below for the gauge view walkthroughs:

    Key Concepts

    There are two different layouts to choose from when using gauge charts:

    • Bounds Configuration. The bounds configuration for gauges covers the lowest and highest possible values in your gauges. It is usually set to the lowest value in your data source by default, but you can change it to exclude specific data.

    • Bands Configuration. The bands configuration allows you to establish three different ranges for your information (Higher than, between, and Less than). You can override the default values with ranges tailored to your data source.

    Sample Data Source

    For this tutorial, you will use the Gauge Views sheet in the Slingshot Visualization Tutorials.

    Note

    Excel files as local files are not supported in this release. In order to follow these tutorials, make sure you upload the file to one of the supported cloud services or add it as a Web Resource.

    Creating a Linear Gauge

    1. Depending on where you want to save the dashboard, you can open a dashboard list in My Analytics, a workspace or a project. You can always move the dashboard to another location later on.

    2. Click/tap on the + Dashboard button.

      New dashboard button in My Analytics

    3. Select your data source (Slingshot Tutorials Spreadsheet) from the list of data sources. If the data source is new, you will need to first add it from the + Data Source button in the top-right corner.

      Data source sample in a list of data sources

    4. Choose the Gauge Views sheet.

      Gauge Views sheet in a data source

    5. Open the Visualization Picker and select Linear Gauge.

      Linear gauge in a list of chart types

    6. This linear gauge, for example, will display Life Expectancy by Country. Drag and drop the Country Name field to Label and one of the Year fields into Values.

      Data presented in a linear chart

    Creating a Circular Gauge

    1. Depending on where you want to save the dashboard, you can open a dashboard list in My Analytics, a workspace or a project. You can always move the dashboard to another location later on.

    2. Click/tap on the + Dashboard button.

      New dashboard button in My Analytics

    3. Select your data source (Slingshot Tutorials Spreadsheet) from the list of data sources. If the data source is new, you will need to first add it from the + Data Source button in the top-right corner.

      Data source sample in a list of data sources

    4. Choose the Gauge Views sheet.

      Selecting Gauge Views spreadsheet

    5. Open the Visualization Picker and select Circular Gauge.

      Circular gauge in a list of chart types

    6. This linear gauge, for example, will display Life Expectancy by Country. Drag and drop the Country Name field to Label and one of the Year fields into Values.

      Data presented in a circular chart

    Circular Gauges are particularly useful to show average values as well as sum of values. In order to change the aggregation for the field displayed in Values:
    1. Access Field Settings for your Value Add-Data-Filter-CircularGauge Select the field in Value to access
    2. Choose a different Aggregation CircularGauge-Aggregation Expand the Aggregation drop-down and select a different option (for example, Average).

    Creating a Text Gauge

    1. Depending on where you want to save the dashboard, you can open a dashboard list in My Analytics, a workspace or a project. You can always move the dashboard to another location later on.

    2. Click/tap on the + Dashboard button.

      New dashboard button in My Analytics

    3. Select your data source (Slingshot Tutorials Spreadsheet) from the list of data sources. If the data source is new, you will need to first add it from the + Data Source button in the top-right corner.

      Data source sample in a list of data sources

    4. Choose the Gauge Views sheet.

      Gauge Views sheet in a data source

    5. Open the Visualization Picker and select Text Gauge.

      Text Gauge in a list of chart types

    6. This text gauge, for example, will display Life Expectancy by Country. Drag and drop one of the year fields into Values, and then the Country Name field into Data Filters. Then, select the specific country you want by selecting the field.

      Data presented in a text gauge

    The text gauge sample above utilizes the average aggregation. In order to learn how to change your field's aggregation, review these instructions.

    Creating a Bullet Graph

    1. Depending on where you want to save the dashboard, you can open a dashboard list in My Analytics, a workspace or a project. You can always move the dashboard to another location later on.

    2. Click/tap on the + Dashboard button.

      New dashboard button in My Analytics

    3. Select your data source (Slingshot Tutorials Spreadsheet) from the list of data sources. If the data source is new, you will need to first add it from the + Data Source button in the top-right corner.

      Data source sample in a list of data sources

    4. Choose the Gauge Views sheet.

      Selecting Gauge Views spreadsheet

    5. Open the Visualization Picker and select Bullet Graph.

      Bullet graph in a list of chart types

    6. This bullet graph, for example, will display Life Expectancy by Country. Drag and drop the Country Name field to Label, one of the years into Values and another Year into Target.

      Data presneted in a bullet graph

    Adding Bounds to your Gauge

    Bounds allow you to set the lowest and highest values in your gauges. As mentioned in Key Concepts, you can change it to exclude specific data. In order to do this:
    1. Change Settings Tutorials-Navigate-Settings Go to the Settings section of the Visualization Editor.
    2. Change the Default selection in Limits Tutorials-Limits-Bounds Depending on whether you want to set the minimum or maximum value (or both), enter the value you want the chart to start or end with.

    Changing Band Colors

    The colors for the three different ranges (Higher than, Lower than and Between) can be changed between the predefined colors. In order to do so:
    1. Change Settings Tutorials-Navigate-Settings Go to the Settings section of the Visualization Editor.
    2. Access the Colors drop-down Tutorials-Colors-Drop-down Expand the drop-down of the range for which you want to change the color. Select one of Slingshot's three predefined colors for your band color.