Charting Options Summary

Select the options you want and click any Chart button to see the chart(s) you've selected.

Click the Reset button to change all options back to their default values.

Chart Selection
Chart Appearance
Results Information
Printing Tips


Step 1. Select chart(s) to create:

This section allows you to select charts to create, depending on the information available for the current request.

By-variables allows you change the order that by-variables are charted. The by-variables are the selections made on the Request Form tab for the "Group results by" categories in the query. The categories selected as by-variables index your query results. The first or primary by-variable values are represented by tick marks on the domain axis (x axis). The secondary by-variable values, if they exist, are represented by extra sets of bars or lines, one for each secondary by-variable value. Charts are not supported for queries with more than three by-variables.

Measures allows you to pick which measure(s) to chart. You can pick one or more items from the measures list. By default one chart will be created for each measure. You can also choose to chart all selected measures on the same chart. See "Combine Measures in one Chart" below.

Notes:  
  • Any suppressed data values are not included in the set of values represented in your chart. The exclusion of suppressed values may cause the total and sub-total values to differ and may affect the ratios shown in the charts.
  • If you wish to change the range of categories available to chart, then limit the data request to the desired set of categories when you select the query criteria on the Request Form tab. For example, if you wish the chart to focus on comparing specific years, then limit the query to the desired years.

Step 2. Control chart appearance:

This section allows you to control the design of the chart.

All Chart Options

Chart Type allows you to change the type of chart displayed.
Note:   If you select Pie Chart, and there is a secondary by-variable, then you will get one chart for each combination of secondary by-variable value and measure selected. Also, note that any suppressed data values are not included in the set of total values and ratios represented in your Pie Chart.

Height in Pixels allows you to change the size of the charts returned.

Width in Pixels allows you to change the size of the charts returned.

Use Codes as Labels displays the by-variable codes, instead of the user friendly labels, on axes and legends. Not particularly useful for by-variables that use arbitrary codes. This option is more useful for by-variables that have a recognized standard code set, such as FIPS, ICD-10, etc. For example, the FIPS code for Puerto Rico is 72.

Value Precision allows you to change the number of decimal values that are used in the data.

Notes:  
  • This option may affect tick mark labels on the range axis (y axis).
    • If you select one of the options below that display values on the chart line, bar or pie section, then the labels placed on the chart use this precision.
    • If you select a precision greater than the precision inherent in the data returned from the request, then only actual precision present in the data will get displayed. Hence, no padding trailing zeros are ever added to values displayed.
  • This option does not affect the display of values that are whole numbers.

Chart Title allows you to add a title that just appears on the Charts page.

New Page Each Chart causes each chart to start on a new page when this page is printed.

Bar and Line Chart Options

Plot Orientation allows you to change between vertically and horizontally oriented charts. When charting by-variables with a large number of values, a horizontal orientation may be best.

Show Values puts the actual value charted on the bar or line.

Note:   Any suppressed data values are not included in the set of values represented in your chart. The exclusion of suppressed values may cause the total and sub-total values to differ.

Hide Titles allows you to remove the title displayed over each chart. By default, titles are a combination of by-variables and measures charted. They can be redundant since this info also appears on the domain axis (x axis) and the range axis (y axis).

Axis Spacing affects spacing between tick marks on the by-variable axis (x-axis). Particularly useful when secondary by-variables are present and chart type is a bar chart. Option can be used to improve separation between clusters of bars so that it is more apparent which cluster of bars for the secondary by-variable values go with each tick mark. A larger value puts greater separation between bar clusters. Acceptable values are 0.1 to 2.8.

Note:   Some charts do not display correctly when the axis spacing values are at the extreme ends of this range (0.1 to 2.8). Such axis spacing values may cause the bars to disappear and lines to fall outside the axis. If this occurs, then just select a value closer to middle of this range.

Combine Measures in one Chart allows you to chart multiple measures on one chart. All measures selected in the Measures list box will appear on the same chart. The first measure will be charted using the selected chart type, remaining measures will be charted as lines. When there is a secondary by-variable a mechanism is required to distinguish the secondary by-variable values within each measure. Listed below are the different color and shape schemes available to distinguish secondary by-variable values within each measure. The scheme selection affects the chart only when there is a secondary by-variable.

1st Measure Multicolor charts each measure in a different color except for the first measure. Within the first measure the secondary by-variable values are distinguished by using a different color. For all remaining measures the secondary by-variable values are distinguished by using a different shape. This scheme works best with a bar chart for the first measure.

1st Measure Color Gradient works like 1st Measure Multicolor except a color gradient, rather than different colors, is used to distinguish secondary by-variable values within the first measure. This also works best with a bar chart as first measure.

Unique Color charts all combinations of measures and secondary by-variable values using a different color. Works for any type of chart.

Measure by Color charts each measure in a different color. Within each measure the secondary by-variable values are distinguished by using a different shape. This scheme works best with a line chart for the first measure.

Note:   If a bar chart is selected from the Chart Type list box, then the secondary by-variable values can not be distinguished for the first measure since all bars have the same shape.

Pie Chart Options

Section Labels allows you to switch between displaying actual values or percentages on the pie sections.

Pie Rotation allows you to rotate the pie charts. Acceptable values are -360 degrees to 360 degrees.


This page last reviewed: Friday, June 17, 2022
This information is provided as technical reference material. Please contact us at cwus@cdc.gov.