Add Reference Line

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to add a reference line and sort a chart.

Prerequisites
Add a Dynamic Reference Line
Sort Chart
Change Dimension
Summary

Reference lines are used to show important values on charts.

There are two types of reference lines: fixed and dynamic.

Fixed reference lines are created with a specific reference value, and don’t change.
Dynamic reference lines are updated when filters, ranking, and sorting are applied to the chart.

Review the Help Portal for more information on Add Features to Your Chart.

In this lesson add a dynamic reference line to a chart, to show the average salary expenses. Then sort the salary from highest to lowest.

After completing the lesson, your story (in edit mode) should look similar to:

Prerequisites

You have completed the following units and lessons:

Getting Started with SAP Analytics Cloud
Create your Story
Add Numeric Point Charts
Add Time Series Chart
Add Table
Add Geo Map
Explored Data with Just Ask
Linked Analysis and Input Controls
Add Variances
Add Thresholds

If you did not complete the prerequisite units, you can continue from a pre-created sample story.

Note

You already created a story, skip to

Please create a copy of MyStory - Select - Reference Line in your private My Files folder.

From the Navigation Bar click Files, and search for MyStory - Select - Reference Line.

Check the box, and click the Copy To icon from the Files Toolbar.

Save a copy to your private folder.

Click on My Files and name your story with your username _MyStory, update Description, then click OK.

Add a Dynamic Reference Line

Looking at your bar chart with the total salary spending, it would be good to know where the overall average is. We can indicate this by adding a reference line.

Open your story in edit mode if not already.

Locate _MyStory from the navigation bar at Files > My Files, or Stories > Recent Files.

Select Edit.

Open the Right Side Panel (Builder / Styling) from the View menu in the main toolbar, if not already open.

Select the Bar Chart, then in the Builder tab, expand Chart Add-Ons, and select Reference Line.

[Alternative] Another option to open the Create Reference Line panel.

[Alternative] Click on Bar Chart’s More Actions menu then select More Options > + Add > Reference Line.

The Create Reference Line panel opens on the right.

Select Dynamic.

Expand the Accounts drop down, and select Salary.

Leave the Aggregation default as Average excl. NULL.

Enter the Label as Avg Salary.

Click Done.

Deselect the Right Side Panel (Builder / Styling) from the View menu in the main toolbar, to close the panel.
Quality Check: Does your bar chart look like this?

Hover your cursor over the Avg Salary label, to view details.

Sort Chart

The chart wil be even easier to read when we sort it. Let’s do that.

Select the Bar Chart.
Click the More Actions icon, then select Sort > Salary > Highest to Lowest.

Save your story.

Quality Check: Does your bar chart look like this?

Change Dimension

As the reference line is dynamic, it also adjusts as you change the dimension in the chart.

Change the dimension input control.

Select the Department dimension.

View the updated reference line.

Change the dimension back to Employment Type.

Summary

Well Done! You have added a dynamic reference line and saw how it changed when filtering by a different dimension.

Prerequisites
Add a Dynamic Reference Line
Sort Chart
Change Dimension
Summary