Adding a chart to a report can make it easier for report users to understand and act on the information the report contains. A chart in a Pega Platform™ application can show in a dramatic fashion the changes of values over time (sales per division per quarter), the relative significance of different data values on the report (such as revenue generated by each product in the product line), or when values on a report exceed thresholds that are important to an organization (such as average days spent in each stage of the process).

A user reading a Report Definition with a chart can:

• Zoom in or out along a timeline or a trend report, to show the big picture or a critical section of the chart.
• Drill down to see the specific data contributing to a particular point, column, or area on the chart.
• Change the filter conditions for the report, perhaps to show only the top performing (or worst performing) products on a chart showing product sales.
• Switch between a 2D and a 3D display of the chart (for charts that support this option).
  

Report Definitions generate list reports and summarized reports. Only summarized reports can include charts. A summarized report has at least one column with a numeric aggregate value (a count, total, average, or similar value) and at least one group-by (unaggregated) column (case status, the day/week/month/quarter when items were entered, and so on).

For information about creating a Report Definition, see Reporting in Pega Platform - tutorial videos and Using the Report Browser, Report Viewer, and Report Editor.

Chart Editor access

The Chart Editor gives you the controls to create and edit charts for summarized reports.

To access the Chart Editor:

1. Open an existing summarized report or create a new one. An existing report appears in the Report Viewer. Unless editing is disabled for this report, click Edit Report to open the report in the Report Editor. When you create a new report, it appears immediately in the Report Editor.
2. Click the Add Chart to open the Chart Editor for this report.

In the Designer Studio you can open the Report Definition for the report you want to work with, and launch the Chart Editor in the Chart tab.

Available chart types

You can choose from a number of chart types, most with several subtypes. Click All Chart Types on the toolbar to see the Select Chart Type display, from which you can pick the most suitable chart.

Here is a brief description of each of the chart types:

• Map –Pega Platform provides hundreds of maps to use in displaying report data. You need to select an appropriate map and set default mappings for specific maps and the property values of specific classes on the Maps tab of the Reporting Settings landing page.

  Note: When you run the Chart Editor through the Report Editor, maps are not available because some configuration steps must be performed on the Reporting landing page. Open the Report Definition in the Designer Studio and open the Chart Editor on the Chart tab to see and select available map types and subtypes. See Use a map to illustrate a report.

• Combo – Combo charts let you combine a column chart and a line chart in a single display. In a combo chart, the values for one aggregated numeric column appear as columns on the chart, and the values for another aggregated numeric column appear as lines. In Single Y-Axis combo charts the same scale applies to both columns and lines; in Dual Y-Axis charts different scales are used for the columns and lines.
• Area – The data values display as lines with the area between them and the X-axis shown as colored regions.
• Funnel – Displays values for an ordered set of steps or stages in a process. You can, for instance, show the number of opportunities at each stage in a sales pipeline. Normally the first step, with the largest number of sales prospects, is represented by the largest part of the funnel.
• Pyramid – Like a funnel chart, but with the step or stage with the largest value shown at the bottom.
• Bubble – Show three sets of numeric column values in a single display. For example, an investments report could show, in a bubble chart, the age of each investment, the amount invested, and each instrument's ROI. The X and Y axes would represent two values, with the diameter of the bubbles representing the third.
• Pie – Values appear like wedges in a pie.
• Bar – Values appear as horizontal bars.
• Column – Values appear as vertical bars.
• Line – The values of each data column appear as points on a line.
• Spark – Spark columns and spark lines are microcharts, typically displaying trend information, that you can embed within a layout cell.
• Gauge – Gauges can be very effective in displaying burn rate, throughput and other measurements of current state. The options range in visual layout from tachometers to LED displays to a thermometer.

Adding a chart to a report

You can change the existing chart type and subtype at any time by selecting from the choices on the toolbar.

Click any chart type to display its subtypes; or click All Chart Types to display the full range of charts, as shown earlier.

You can change your report's chart type and subtype as often as you want. Often, the Chart Editor will be able to retain your your options and settings from the previously selected chart type. However, since not all options apply to all chart types, some settings may be lost when you switch chart types and may have to be reentered.

Adding data to the chart

The Design pane on the left of the Chart Editor lets you quickly specify which report columns to include in the chart, and how the report uses them. At the top of the pane is a list of Available Columns; those already used in the chart are indicated with check marks.

The lower part of the pane is a static picture of the selected chart type and subtype, with one or more Drop Zones, dotted rectangular areas that represent, depending on the chart, where and how report columns can be used within the chart.

To include a column in the chart, drag any column from the Available Columns list and drop it on a drop zone. A green check mark appears if the column is over a drop zone where it can be used. If a drop zone already has a column associated with it, dropping a different column there replaces the original column.

A gear icon appears to the left of the each drop zone. Click the icon to display the DataSettings form. Here you can specify formatting and other options that are specific to the column in the drop zone. The available options depend on the selected chart type, as well as the type of data in that column. Consult the online help documentation to learn about the options that are available.

Specifying chart settings

To the right on the toolbar are a series of links:

Click a link to display a form where you can specify settings for your chart.

Getting the right chart for the report

Choosing which chart to use depends on what message you want to convey. A confusing chart, or one that directs attention away from the important information in the report, can be worse than no chart at all. The three charts below all draw on the same data, and you have to use your knowledge of your message and your audience to decide whether one of these, or some other chart, would be the one to use.

You can experiment with charts for your report as long as you want until you find the chart type and subtype that best conveys the report's information. Then you can adjust colors, labels, and other settings until the resulting chart is both pleasing and compelling.

Displaying a chart by itself

In some circumstances you may want to display the chart by itself, without its supporting data. Pega 7 makes provides this option: see Display and export a chart by itself, without the report data.