Data Selection and Dynamic Chart Update

You can create a chart by selecting all the data in a grid, individual rows, individual columns or a selection of cells.

The data must be in Number format. If you try to generate a chart from any other data format, a warning message displays.

You can select data items from time periods but you can't combine different value types in a selection, or have them all display on a chart. For example, say you have a grid containing discrete monthly values with aggregated quarterly totals. If you select a combination of months and quarters, quarters are aggregated values not discrete values, so only the monthly values will be charted. However if you select only quarters, they will be charted because quarters are all aggregated values.

The data items displayed in a chart are dynamic, not fixed at the point a chart is created. If further line items or columns are added to a grid, any charts based on that grid will reflect those changes.

When new data items are added to a dataset, any charts based on that data automatically update to show the new data.

If items are removed from a grid, charts automatically refresh to display the change. Where removing data makes a chart selection invalid, a warning message is displayed.

In situations where a chart is updated dynamically, because a value on a grid on a dashboard has been amended, any attempt to export the dashboard to .pdf format will fail. Your browser will display a standard message advising that the data cannot be exported to .pdf format. You must Refresh the browser before exporting to .PDF. This causes a round trip to the server, which means your file will export successfully. Don't refresh the dashboard by mistake.

Charts display a maximum of the first 200 rows and/or the first 200 columns of a dataset, after filtering has been applied. If your chart is based on a larger selection, you'll see this icon:

Hover over the icon to view the number of data points displayed and the number of data points selected (e.g. ‘200 rows are shown from Listname’ and/or ‘200 columns are shown from Listname’). When you move away from the icon, the tooltip disappears.

If you're using a touch device, tap on the icon to display the message, then tap anywhere else on the screen to hide it. 

The icon is not visible if the dataset is within the 200-item limit.

Whether a chart updates automatically is dependent on how the chart was created.

Where charts are created by selecting a row header, a column header, or an entire grid, they dynamically update when new data items are added to the grid on which they are based. However, there are exceptions to this:

• Items with a data type of Time. You can’t insert into Time.
• Map charts.

Where column headers are selected to create a chart, when new columns are added they won't be included in the chart. Where new rows are added, they will be dynamically added to the chart.

Where row headers are selected, new rows won’t be included but new columns will be included in charts that use the data. If an entire grid is selected, all new data items will be added to charts based on that grid. Make sure you keep the 200 item limit in mind.

If data is imported as a result of selecting an Action button, the chart will update automatically.

When new data items are added to a grid with any filter, sort, hide, or level-based selections in place, you must manually Refresh any chart based on that grid. This applies to line items, line item subsets, simple lists, composite lists, numbered lists, and list subsets. It applies whether data was added manually, or via an import from the Settings tab.

If a chart is based on a show selection, no matter what data items are added to the dataset, the original selection is respected. The chart won't show any new items because the cells selected to Show are fixed.

This table summarizes the behavior:

If the chart …	is based on a column header	is based on a row header	is based on an entire grid	is based on a cell selection	includes any filter, sort, hide, level-based selection	includes a Show selection
When new column is added, does it display automatically?	false	true	true	false	false	false
When new row is added, does it display automatically?	true	false	true	false	false	false
Is a manual refresh required to display new data?	false	false	false	false	true	false