Waterfall Chart

A Waterfall chart is a data visualization that shows how a series of positive and negative changes affect an initial value, culminating in a final value.

A Waterfall Chart is a visualization that illustrates the cumulative effect of sequentially applied positive and negative values. It starts with an initial value, then applies a series of increments and decrements, and finally displays the resulting total. This makes it easy to see how each contributing factor impacts the overall outcome.

The chart is particularly useful for financial analysis, variance reporting, and operational breakdowns, as it visually separates increases, decreases, and totals in a step-by-step flow.

When to Use a Waterfall Chart

Use a Waterfall Chart when you want to:

• Show incremental changes in a value over time or across categories.

• Explain how a starting point (e.g., revenue, budget) is affected by gains and losses before reaching the final value.

• Perform variance analysis, such as comparing actual vs. planned results.

• Highlight key contributors to an overall increase or decrease.

Examples:

• Displaying how monthly profit changes due to revenue, expenses, and taxes.

• Showing budget adjustments that move from the initial allocation to the final spend.

• Breaking down inventory changes (purchases, returns, damages) leading to the closing stock.

Chart Properties

This section describes the available chart properties for customizing views, including General Settings, View Filter, Column Colors, Category Axis, Primary Value Axis, and Insights.

General Settings

• Order – Define how data is displayed:

  • None – Default sequence.

  • Ascending – Display values in increasing order.

  • Descending – Display values in decreasing order.

  • Manual Sort – Manually arrange dimensions using indicator signs.

If Ascending or Descending is selected:

• Order By – Select the field to use for sorting.

• Limit – Restrict the number of data points displayed.

• Exclude Global Filter – Exclude this chart from report-level filters.

• Enable Base Zero – Force the value axis to start at zero.

• Show Legend – Display a legend for the chart.

Note: Currently, only the Floating legend style is supported.

View Filter

• Filter – Apply conditions to restrict the dataset displayed (e.g., filter by time period or category).

Column Colors

• Assign colors for:

  • Positive fields

  • Negative fields

  • Total fields

Use consistent, intuitive colors (e.g., green = positive, red = negative) to improve readability.

Category Axis

• Title – Add a descriptive title for the category axis.

• Axis Label – Enable/disable category labels.

• Label Angle – Adjust angle for axis labels (e.g., 0°, 45°, 90°) to improve readability.

Primary Value Axis

• Title – Add a descriptive title (e.g., Revenue, Profit).

• Axis Label – Show/hide labels on the primary value axis.

• Format Type – Choose how values are formatted:

  • None, Auto, Percent, Thousand, Lacs, Crore, Million, Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion

• Currency Type – Select a symbol: None, Rupees, Euro, Pound, USD, Yen, Cent.

• Precision – Define the number of decimals to display (up to 5).

Insights

Use Insights to add context or highlight important findings directly on the chart.

• Text – Add custom text; emphasize values by wrapping them in asterisks (e.g., 70%, Critical).

• Font Size – Adjust annotation text size.

• Font Color – Select annotation color.

• Text Align – Align text: Left, Right, Center.

• Position – Place annotation at the Bottom or Right of the chart.