Working with Bubble Plots
About Bubble Plots
A bubble plot displays the values of at least three measures by using differently sized plot markers (bubbles) in a scatter plot. The values of two measures are represented by the position on the plot axes, and
the value of the third measure is represented by the marker size.
You can create animated bubble plots to display changing data over time.
Data Roles for a Bubble Plot
The basic data roles for a bubble plot are:
X axis
specifies the measure
that is assigned to the X axis.
Y axis
specifies the measure that is assigned to the Y axis.
Bubble size
specifies the measure that determines the marker size.
In addition to the basic
data roles, you can assign these roles:
Group
groups the data based on the values of the category data item that you assign. A separate set of points is created for each value.
Note: You cannot assign both the Group role
and the Color role at the same time.
Color
specifies a data item that determines the color of the bubbles. If you specify a category, then each value
of the category is represented by a different bubble color. If you specify a measure, then the measure value is represented by the bubble color.
Note: You cannot assign both the Group role
and the Color role at the same time.
Animation
specifies a datetime data item that is used to animate the bubble plot.
Note: The Animation role
is enabled only if you assign a data item to the Group role.
Lattice columns
creates a lattice of charts with a column for each value of the category data item that you assign.
Lattice rows
creates a lattice of charts with a row for each value of the category data item that
you assign.
Specify Properties for a Bubble Plot
On the Properties tab,
you can specify the following options:
Name
specifies the name of the visualization.
Title
specifies the title
that appears above the graph.
Note: The Title option
is disabled if you select Generate graph title.
Generate graph title
specifies that the graph title is generated automatically based on the data items in the visualization.
Show grid lines
Size scale
specifies the type of scaling that is used to draw the bubbles. Select one of the following values:
Linear
specifies that the
bubble sizes are scaled relative to the minimum and maximum values
(or frequencies) in your data. A negative value is displayed as a
smaller bubble than a positive value.
For the Linear scaling type, the difference in bubble sizes might not be proportional to the difference
in values.
Magnitude
specifies that the bubble sizes are scaled relative to zero and the greatest absolute value in your data. A negative value is displayed as a hexagon.
For the Magnitude scaling type, the difference in bubble sizes is proportional to the difference in
absolute values.
Frequency
specifies whether the
frequency is displayed as a count (Count)
or as a percentage (Percent).
Note: The frequency values are
based on the data that is shown in the visualization (after filters
and other data selections have been applied).
Note: This option has no effect
if a measure is assigned to the Bubble size role.
Color gradient
selects the gradient colors for the visualization.
You can click 
to select the values that are used to assign the
colors. See Specify a Custom Data Range.
to select the values that are used to assign the
colors. See Specify a Custom Data Range.Reference Lines
adds reference lines to the visualization. To create a reference line, click 
, and then specify the parameters for the line in the New Reference Line window.
, and then specify the parameters for the line in the New Reference Line window.
The name of each reference line appears below the Reference Lines option. You can edit or delete your reference lines by using the icons next to each
name.
Using Animated Bubble Plots
About Animated Bubble Plots
An animated bubble plot displays the changes in your data values over time. Each frame of the animation represents a value of the datetime data item
that is assigned to the Animation data role.
For example, if you assign a category with the YEAR format to the Animation data role, then each frame of the animation displays a bubble plot of your data for
a specific year.
Create an Animated Bubble Plot
To create an animated bubble plot:
-
Select an existing bubble plot, or create a new bubble plot.
-
Assign a data item to the Group data role.
-
Assign a data item with a datetime format to the Animation data role.
Display an Animated Bubble Plot
For an animated bubble plot, a set of animation controls appears at the bottom of
the visualization.
|
Task
|
Action
|
|---|---|
|
Start the animation.
|
Click
 .
|
|
Go to the previous animation frame.
|
Click
 .
|
|
Go to the next animation frame.
|
Click
 .
|
|
Jump to a specific animation frame.
|
Use the slider.
|
|
Specify whether to repeat
the animation.
|
Select or deselect Loop.
|
|
Select the animation
speed.
|
Use the Speed slider.
|
|
Track the movement of
a specific bubble.
|
Click the bubble that
you want to track.
|
Note: If you select a bubble to
track, the selected bubble is highlighted in the current animation
frame.
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