Time Series

Overview

Time series charts show a series of data points, presented against an x axis that displays time in uniform intervals. Unlike categorical charts, time series charts can effectively show gaps in the data through the use of these uniform time intervals.

Using time series charts gives you access to additional features, such as yearly comparisons, unit adjustment and display options, and a date slider. These are described below.

Enable time series charts

Logically, you can use time series charts only when a time/date field is available in the horizontal axis.  The time series option is enabled on most chart types by default, but you can check by clicking on the triangle to the right of the date/time field, which will produce a pop-up menu.

If Default shows a tick beside it, time series is already on. However, you can select On if you want to ensure it always remains on, regardless of chart type.

If you have a line chart which is time series spanning more than one year range, you can use this option to split the single line into 12-month groups for easy comparison. When using this option, the units are set to month and cannot be changed.

1. Using the information above, ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
   
2. Click on the Settings tool to display the Chart Settings dialog box
   
3. Click on the Time Format section heading to expand it
   
4. Use the toggle for Yearly Comparison to enable the option
   
5. Click on the Close button in the top right corner to close the dialog box
   Your line chart will refresh, and year available year will appear as a seperate line
   

Change chart units

Changing the chart units lets you select the time granularity of the chart display independent of what the underlying table displays. This won't alter any continuous units displayed along your horizontal access if your units. It might alter discrete units on your horizontal access. 

Note that this option doesn't appear while the Yearly Comparison option is enabled.

1. Ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
2. Ensure that the Yearly Comparison option is toggled off (use the steps from the previous section if you need to check)
3. Click on the small blue triangle next to your date/time field to display the pop-up menu, then move your mouse to the Units option to display a sub-menu
   
   
   
4. Click on any of the unticked options and check your chart to see how it is altered (the bigger the difference between granularity, the more obvious the change will be)
   

Enable visible unit selection

The Visible User Selection options lets you change the time granularity  on published charts without any affect on the underlying data. This gives end users more flexibility in what they can see in chart vizualisations.

Note that this option will not be available if the Yearly Comparison option is enabled. See the Yearly Comparison section above for details on where to locate this option.

1. Using the information above, ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
2. Click on the Settings tool to display the Chart Settings dialog box
   

1. Click on the Interaction section heading to expand it
   
2. Click on the toggle for Visible Unit Selection to enabled it
3. Click on the Close button in the top right corner to close the dialog box
   To see the new option, let's preview the chart
4. Click on the Design tab in the top left corner of the page
   
   Your chart will now display a list of available units in the top left corner for the user to select
   
5. Click on the different options to get a feel for how the unit selector works
6. Click on the Charts tab in the top left corner of your screen to return to the Chart Builder

Date Slider

A date slider lets you to zoom in and out of time-banded data on published charts. This option won't affect the underlying chart data.

Note that this option will not be available if the Yearly Comparison option is enabled. See the Yearly Comparison section above for details on where to locate this option.

1. Using the information above, ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
2. Click on the Settings tool to display the Chart Settings dialog box
   
3. Click on the Interaction section heading to expand it
   
4. Click on the toggle for Date Slider to enabled it
5. Click on the Close button in the top right corner to close the dialog box
   To see the new option, let's preview the chart
6. Click on the Design tab in the top left corner of the page
   
   Your chart will now display a date slider just under the chart display
   
7. Hold your mouse button down on one end of the chart slide and move it, then release your mouse button to see the effect
   The data on your chart will expand or reduce to match the slider
   
8. Click on the Charts tab in the top left corner of your screen to return to the Chart Builder

Change the date format

You can change the date format on your charts to different styles more suited to your needs. This is available for all discrete charts that support time series.

Note that this option will not be available if the Yearly Comparison option is enabled. See the Yearly Comparison section above for details on where to locate this option.

To check or change your date format for a series, follow the steps below.

Display metric in color field 

You can add a metric value to the color field when creating a time series chart. This will allow the metric field’s values to be represented in the chart with the help of colors.

Note that this option will not be available if the Yearly Comparison option is enabled. See the Yearly Comparison section above for details on where to locate this option.

1. Using the information above, ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
2. If your chart is an auto-chart, consider changing it to a specific chart type that distinguishes colors, such as a bar chart
3. Drag a metric field to the color field in your chart builder
   
4. The colors of the chart data will change according to the value of the applied metric field. A legend will also appear at the bottom to help distinguish between the color range. 
   
   As seen in our example above, the 2019 bar has an average age of 23, and is therefore a lighter shade of color than the 2010 bar which has an average age of 33.

Control null behavior

If your data is missing any values (that is, it contains NULL values), then you can select how to control the gap in time granularity. Time granularity refers to the date or timestamp unit of your chart (millisecond, second, minute, hours, day, week, month, quarter, or year). You can choose to do the following to control the gap:

• break the line where there are gaps in time granularity,

• skip over the missing values without filling in the gaps with any additional values,

• or, treat each missing value as zero.

 Note: This functionality is provided for all variations of line charts that support continuous time series, including auto-charts, line charts, stepped charts, combination charts, and overlay chart.

1. Using the information above, ensure that Time Series is enabled for your chart (this requires a time/date field in your X axis)
   In our example, we have created a chart using the Ski Team view, with Invoiced Date in the Horizontal Axis field
2. Click on the blue triangle to the right of your time/date field, and from the pop-up menu that appears, select Time Data, then Continuous
   
   
3. Click on the same blue triangle and this time select Fill in Granularity Gaps, then Apply to all Series, then On
   This will enable null behavior for your chart
    
4. Click on the same blue triangle and this time select Null Behaviour, then select Break
   Presuming your data has some null values, your chart will display a break in the data
   
   
5. Click on the same blue triangle and select Null Behaviour, then select Skip
   Presuming your data has some null values, your chart will join any gaps (which is the default behavior for continuous time series charts)
   
6. Click on the same blue triangle and select Null Behaviour, then select Zero
   Presuming your data has some null values, your chart will use a value of zero for those null values
   

In addition to these null behavior options for line charts, you can also apply them to a trend line, when a Chart Function (such as Trend, Average, or Accumulation) is used. To enable this, switch on the Apply to all Trends setting from the date field menu.