Specify the Bubble Size in a Bubble Chart

In a bubble chart, you use a measure or fact to determine the size of the bubbles.

You can use the Bubble Measure in the Measures drop zone of the chart to specify bubble size. You can then specify the size range of the bubbles in the chart. You can also specify what value the smallest bubbles represent. For example, your bubble measure is revenue, and you set the minimum and maximum bubble size to 5 pt and 20 pt, respectively. You set the smallest bubble to represent the value zero. All the bubbles on your chart will be between 5 and 20 pts and any bubbles between 0 and 5 pts on this scale will appear at 5 pt.

You can combine bubble size with colors by value to create a chart that shows multiple dimensions.

Procedure

  1. Select the chart object.
  2. In Properties pane, under General, double-click the Bubble Size property.
  3. Under Smallest bubble, select what value the smallest bubbles represent:
    • To show data items with a value of zero at the minimum bubble size, click Zero.
      Tip: This setting is consistent with Microsoft Excel 2003.
    • To show data items with a value of zero at the minimum bubble size and show negative bubbles as hollow, select the Zero. Negatives shown as hollow check box.
      Tip: This setting is consistent with Microsoft Excel 2007.
    • To set the minimum bubble size to the minimum data value, click Minimum data value, and type a size for the minimum and maximum bubble size.
      Note: The minimum data value can be positive or negative.