# Bubble Chart

\
A **Bubble Chart** visualizes data across **three to four dimensions**: two fields map to the **X** and **Y** axes, a third controls **bubble size**, and an optional fourth controls **bubble color**. This makes it ideal for showing relationships and distributions with an additional measure encoded visually (size/color). Bubble charts are frequently used in **financial and portfolio analyses**, risk vs. return comparisons, and multi-metric category comparisons.

**Best use case:**

* When you need to compare **three data series** (X, Y, Size) and optionally a **fourth** (Color) in a single view.
* Example: Plot **Revenue (X)** vs **Profit (Y)**, with **Market Cap (Size)** and **Sector (Color)**.

**Default behavior:**

* The default Bubble chart renders bubbles at (X, Y) with a size proportional to the chosen **size measure**.
* Color is optional; if assigned, each category/value receives a color per legend.

### Apply Bubble Properties to a View

1. On the **Design page (Design canvas)**, select the **Bubble** chart.
2. Map fields:
   * **Category/Group (optional)** – for color grouping and legend entries.
   * **X** – numeric/continuous axis.
   * **Y** – numeric/continuous axis.
   * **Size** – a numeric measure that controls bubble radius.
   * **Color** (optional) – dimension or measure to color bubbles.
3. Open **Chart Properties** to configure appearance and behavior.

### Chart Properties

#### General Settings

* **Base Type** – Bubble rendering style:
  * **Plain**
  * **Gradient**
  * **Ring**
* **Order** – Sequence for displayed data:

  * **None**
  * **Ascending**
  * **Descending**
  * **Manual Sort** (manually sort dimensions with indicators)

  When **Ascending/Descending** is selected, also configure:

  * **Order By** – Dimension or measure used for sorting.
  * **Limit** – Number of records (bubbles) to display.
* **Exclude Global Filter** – Exclude this View from report-level filters.
* **Show Data Label** – Display labels on bubbles.
* **Enable Base Zero** – Force axes to start at zero (useful for consistent baselines).
* **Show Legend** – Turn on/off legend.
  * **Legend Style** – **Fixed** or **Floating**
  * **Legend Font Size** (Fixed only)
  * **Legend Orientation** – **Vertical** / **Horizontal** (Fixed only)
  * **Legend Checkbox** – Allow toggling series/categories via checkboxes.

#### View Filter

* **Filter** – Choose a condition to limit chart data (e.g., filter by **Region** or **Sector**).

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** The selected **View Filter** is applied after the View is added to the report.
{% endhint %}

#### Category Axis (X)

* **Title** – Axis title (e.g., *Revenue*).
* **Axis Label** – Show/hide labels.
* **Label Angle** – Improve readability for dense category labels.

#### Value Axis (Y)

* **Title** – Axis title (e.g., *Profit*).
* **Axis Label** – Show/hide labels.
* **Format Type** – **None, Auto, Percent, Thousand, Lacs, Crore, Million, Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion**
* **Currency Type** – **None, Rupees, Euro, Pound, USD, Yen, Cent**
* **Precision** – Decimal places (up to 5).

#### Insights

* **Text** – Add commentary; wrap highlights in asterisks (e.g., *70%*).
* **Font Size** – Adjust text size.
* **Font Color** – Choose text color.
* **Text Align** – **Left / Right / Centre**
* **Position** – **Bottom / Right**

### Tips & Best Practices

* **Scale awareness:** Bubble area encodes the **size measure**; ensure values are on a meaningful scale.
* **Avoid clutter:** Apply **limits** or filters for large datasets; too many bubbles reduce readability.
* **Legend clarity:** Use the **Legend Checkbox** so users can toggle categories for clearer comparisons.
* **Baseline choice:** Use **Enable Base Zero** when comparing absolute magnitudes; disable if ranges are tight and context demands a zoomed view.
* **Labeling:** **Show Data Label** selectively—labels on many bubbles can overlap; consider tooltips (if supported) instead.
* **Outliers:** Very large bubbles can dominate; consider **log scaling** (if available) or cap/normalize size values upstream.

### Common Workflow (Example)

1. Select the **Bubble** chart.
2. Map **X = Revenue**, **Y = Profit**, **Size = Market\_Cap**, **Color = Sector**.
3. **Order By = Market\_Cap**, **Descending**; **Limit = 20**.
4. Set **Base Type = Gradient**, **Show Legend = Fixed, Horizontal**.
5. On **Y axis**: **Format Type = Million**, **Precision = 1**.
6. Add **Insights**: “*Top 20 companies by market cap*; growth vs. profitability.”
7. Save the View.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.bdb.ai/bdb-user-documentation/platform-modules/10.0/bdb-visualization/self-service-reports/chart-gallery/bubble-chart.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.