Waterfall

Use a waterfall visualization to understand the cumulative effect a series of positive and negative values have on an initial value. The bars in a waterfall visualization are not totals.

A waterfall visualization shows how an initial value is increased and decreased by a series of intermediate values, leading to a final cumulative value shown in the far right column. The intermediate values can either be time-based or category-based.

Some examples of waterfall visualizations are as follows:
  • Viewing the net income after you add the increases and decreases of revenue and costs for an enterprise over a quarter.
  • Cumulative sales for products across a year with an annual total.

This waterfall visualization shows the revenue delta by quarter.

Waterfall visualization that shows the revenue delta by quarter

Creating a waterfall visualization

  1. Create a new dashboard.
  2. Open the sample data module: Select a source > Team content > Samples > Data > Sporting Goods Company.
  3. Click Visualizations and click Waterfall to add the waterfall visualization to the dashboard.
  4. Click Sources
    Sources icon
  5. Drag the following data items from the Policy Holders section:
    • Drag Quarter onto the x-axis field.
    • Drag Revenue onto the y-axis field.
  6. Set the properties for the Delta data item. Click Ellipsis, select, and Format > Currency set the following options:
    • Abbreviate
    • Currency: Default
    • Currency display: Default
  7. Set the properties for the appearance of the visualization. Click
    properties icon
    In the Visualization tab, you can set column color options, axis, legend position, and chart properties.

    For example, set these options:

    • Total column positive color: #8DC945
    • Show legend: Off
    In the General tab, you can set appearance, layout, position, and size.
    Note: Size properties are set in percent if the Dashboard > Canvas > Layout positioning property is set to Relative, and in px if Layout positioning is set to Absolute. To find out more, see Setting up the page in a dashboard.
    When you are done, click
    properties icon
    to close the Properties pane.
  8. Click Collapse
    collapse icon
    to return the Waterfall visualization to the dashboard.

Sub-categories

You can use sub-categories in waterfall visualizations. Use sub-categories to display how categories are build up.

  1. While in edit mode, drag month onto the Sub-categories field.

    You can see how the revenue of each month contributes to the quarters.

    Waterfall visualization that shows the revenue delta by quarter and month

Showing the sub-categories as actual or as changed values

You can display the values of the sub-categories as actual or as changes.

  1. While in edit mode, click properties icon. In the Visualization tab, click Chart > Sub-category values. Select from the menu either Actual or Change.

    You can see how the changes in revenue of each month contribute to the quarters.

    Waterfall visualization showing how the changes in revenue of each month contribute to the quarters.