Sparklines

Sparklines

A Sparkline is a small, generalized chart that provides a condensed visual representation of the data from which it is drawn. They are an effective way to show trends and birds-eye-view comparisons.  In Mercury, a Sparkline resides in a Table Report column. Each sparkline cell in the Table contains a small chart representing other columns of that row's data.  Only numeric fields are available to be part of a sparkline.  
This article is about creating sparklines on the report canvas within a Table Report.  You can also include a sparkline directly in the underlying report layout.  For more information, see Reports. 

Create a Sparkline

Sparklines created from the Report Canvas require established Sparkline Themes. Request themes from your Administrator if none have been established. 

  1. On the table report ribbon, click on the Sparkline button to open the Create Sparklines form. 

      
1.  Provide a name in the Column Caption text field. This will be used as the report column header.
2.  Choose the column position. Options include, First, Last and After.

The selection option After brings up a pick-list of the existing report columns to allow a following position to be chosen.

3.  Select the Sparkline Theme. Click the drop-down arrow in the Load Properties From: field and choose a Theme. The properties will refresh to the option chosen. Themes are setup and edited at the Administrator level.

  1. The Properties form opens. Make any changes required. The Sparkline Properties Table below provides descriptions of all the available options.

Click anywhere outside the Properties box to return to the Create a Sparkline Form.
4.  Add or Remove data elements by selecting the Name in the Available or Selected panes and clicking Add or Remove as required.
5.  Click OK to apply the new Sparkline to the Report.
The modified report will need to be saved as a report Favorite to preserve the new Sparkline column. To learn how to create a report Favorite, please refer to the section on Creating a Favorite in the Favorites article. 

The following Table provides descriptions of all the Property Sections and Items available with the respective chart types.

Section
Item
Description
General
Sparkline Type
Options include Line, Area, Bar, and WinLoss
Highlight Point
Highlight Negative points
Enables data points of interest to be viewed differently. This is available for all Sparkline types.

HighlightMinPoint

HighlightMaxPoint

HighlightStartPoint

HighlightEndPoint
Color
Marker Brush
Color option for all data points other than the defined points of interest.

BackColor
Line, Bar or Area field color.

MinPointColor
Set colors for Markers at different data points of interest. This is available for all Sparkline types.

MaxpointColor

StartPointColor

EndPointColor

NegativepointColor
Marker
Start Point Marker Size
Set sizes for Markers at data points of interest. Not applicable to the Bar or WinLoss Sparkline types.
Marker size may be between 0 and 10 pts.

End Point Marker Size

Marker Size

Min Point Marker Size

Max Point Marker Size

Show Markers
Makes Markers visible. Not applicable to the Bar or WinLoss Sparkline types.
Type Specific
Line Width
Applicable to Line and Area Charts. Line Width may be between 0 and 10 pts.

Area Opacity
Area Chart only. Sets translucence of the Area fill color.

Bar Distance
Allows for spacing adjustment between the Bars in the Bar and WinLoss sparkline options.
Sample Area 


Editing a Sparkline

  1. Use the Right-Click Menu to access the Sparkline Editor. Right-Click on the Sparkline column header.
 
  1. Access the properties for edit by clicking the Sparkline: field drop-down arrow and make the changes to the properties.

  1. Click anywhere outside the Edit Sparkline for column... window to close the Properties drop-down and click OK to apply the changes to the report.

You will see that the changed Sparkline will be renamed to “Custom” in the Load Properties From: field. 

  1. To save the new Sparkline version, the report will need to be saved as a Favorite. To learn how to create a report Favorite, please refer to the section on Creating a Favorite in the article, Favorites.

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