Circumplex Chart
Overview
The Circumplex Chart (also known as a Polar Area Chart or Nightingale Rose Chart) combines elements of a Bar Chart and a Pie Chart, displayed on a polar coordinate grid.
Categories are divided into equal angular segments.
The distance of each segment from the center depends on its value along a polar axis.
Rings in the chart act as scales, making it easy to compare relative sizes.
Sub-categories can be represented as divisions of each angular slice, with values shown by their area or radius.
This chart is particularly useful when you want to show multi-dimensional data distributions in a radial layout.
Best Situations to Use
Use a Circumplex chart when:
You need to display three or more measurable variables in a two-dimensional radial chart.
You want to compare categories and sub-categories in a circular format instead of linear.
You want to highlight relative magnitudes across segments (e.g., proportions, frequencies).
Visual storytelling requires a polar representation (e.g., seasonality, cycles, or circular patterns).
Examples:
Showing the proportion of expenses by department across multiple regions.
Displaying survey responses categorized by question themes and sub-themes.
Analyzing cyclical patterns (e.g., monthly weather data, quarterly financial trends).
Variations
Circumplex charts can be customized into different styles:
Clustered Circumplex with Polygon Web Type – Uses series colors with polygonal grid lines.
Overlaid Circumplex with Circular Web Type – Overlaps multiple datasets on a circular grid.
Doughnut Variation – Adds a central hole for emphasizing proportional comparisons.
Properties
General
Component Name – Auto-generated unique identifier.
Position (Left, Top) – Placement coordinates on the dashboard.
Height / Width – Chart size configuration.
Initial Visibility – Toggle visibility on load.
Max Button – Enable maximize mode.
Color From Drill – Inherit colors dynamically from drill-down.
Use Series Colors – Apply predefined palette.
Series Colors – Configure custom palette.
Animation – Enable smooth transitions.
Clockwise Direction – Plot data clockwise or counterclockwise.
Chart Type – Define base type (pie, radar).
Doughnut Width – Adjust center hole size (for doughnut-style charts).
Web Type – Choose polygon or circular web grids.
Web Stroke Color – Outline color for grid lines.
Category Stroke Color – Border color for category areas.
Tooltip
Show/hide tooltips for interactive insights.
Customize background, border, opacity, font size, and box width.
Adjust precision for numerical values.
Highlighter mode to emphasize hovered categories.
Background & Styling
Gradient rotation, opacity, and multiple color options.
Border color, width, and rounded radius.
Shadows for depth (custom color and transparency).
Title & Subtitle
Show/hide title and subtitle.
Customize text (color, size, weight, style, alignment, decoration).
Option to pull title text dynamically from dataset.
Legend
Show or hide chart legend.
Customize font (size, style, weight, family, decoration).
Option to hide on load.
Formatter
Units (e.g., %, $, count).
Decimal precision.
Currency formatting.
Number formatting (Indian / International).
Axis Labels
Font color, size, style, weight, and family.
Marker font size for web/grid points.
Axis Setup
Auto Axis Setup – Dynamic scaling.
Base Zero – Ensure baseline starts at zero.
Min/Max Values – Manually set axis ranges.
Export Options
Enable context menu for quick export.
Supported formats: Excel, CSV, JPEG, PNG, PPT, PDF, Print.
Configure custom export heading, subheading, and file name.
Define default global export type (e.g., Screenshot, Tabular).
Example Use Cases
Business: Departmental expense contributions across regions.
Research: Survey results with multiple categories and sub-categories.
Healthcare: Patient distribution across symptoms and treatments.
Environmental: Seasonal rainfall or temperature patterns shown cyclically.
Sample Data Setup:
Category Field: Country
Sub-Category Field: Region
Series Fields: Multiple numeric measures (e.g., population, expenditure, score).
⚠️ Note:
Category fields can be string, numeric, or date types.
Series fields must be numeric.
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