Graphing Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Before proceeding to other topics in this section, review the following list of best practices for designing an effective graph in MicroStrategy, as well as information on how to troubleshoot specific graphing issues.

The information below applies to every graph style available in MicroStrategy:

• You can select Grid Graph View to see the report grid and corresponding graph side-by-side. This allows you to add and replace objects on the grid and immediately see how its corresponding graph changes.

  In MicroStrategy Web, Grid Graph View is referred to as Grid and Graph mode.

• As an alternative to using Grid Graph View to move objects on a graph, you can also use the categories and series drop zones. This allows you to move objects between the categories and series for the graph and immediately see how these changes affect the graph. To show or hide the series and categories drop zones in MicroStrategy Developer, click the Show Drop Zones option in the toolbar.

  While you can use the categories and series drop zones in both MicroStrategy Developer and Web, the effects of the changes you make are only shown immediately in MicroStrategy Developer. In Web, you must execute the graph report to see the changes.

• Your report grid must contain at least one attribute and one metric to be displayed as a graph.
• As you design your graph, try to position objects such as attributes and metrics on the report grid (or the categories and series) in a variety of ways until the graph presents the data in the desired manner. This is often a necessary step in designing an effective graph because it helps you determine the way you wish to display the graph data. For example, view a report in Grid Graph mode, and try placing an attribute or two on the grid's columns and the metrics in the rows. Then, swap the rows and columns to see how the graph report changes.

  For more information on how the positioning of report objects affects how a graph is generated, see Moving Objects on a Graph Report.

• Each graph style requires a minimum or specific number of attributes and metrics on the report grid. For example, a Pie chart requires only one attribute and one metric on the report grid, although more attributes and metrics can be included. On the other hand, a Hi-Lo-Open-Close Stock graph requires a specific number of report objects: one attribute and four metrics.

  For more information on the minimum requirements for each graph style, see Choosing an Appropriate Graph Style.

• Consider the order of the attributes, metrics, and other objects on your report grid. For example, if you have three metrics in the columns of the grid, a dual-axis graph may display the first metric using the Y-1 axis and the second and third metrics as the Y-2 axis.

  For an example of this, see Bar.

• Dual-axis graphs can improve the display of graph reports that include metrics that return different types of data. For example, a report includes a Profit metric that returns currency information in the thousands and millions. The same report also includes a Profit Margin metric that returns percentages such as 25%. These two metrics would benefit from being on different axes that use different ranges to display values. For information on using dual-axis graphs, see Adjusting the Layout, Size, and Scale of a Graph and Adjusting the Layout, Size, and Scale of a Graph.
• The way in which report data is sorted on your report grid directly affects how the data is displayed on the graph report. For example, the bars within a Bar graph can be displayed in descending order instead of ascending order, or they can be sorted based on a different metric in the report. As a test, view a report in Grid Graph mode, sort a metric on the grid, and notice how the graph changes accordingly.
• If you are creating a graph report to view in MicroStrategy Web, it is recommended that you choose the JPEG or PNG image format before you save the graph report. If your graph report includes color gradients, you must use one of these formats to display the graph correctly in MicroStrategy Web. For more information on configuring image preferences for graph reports in MicroStrategy Developer for use in MicroStrategy Web, see Choosing a Graph Image Format for MicroStrategy Web.
• If the graph is included in a Report Services document, you can provide some interactive functionality to the graph by doing the following. In the document, add a Slider selector under the graph. Then, configure the slider to control the graph. This allows you and other users to navigate to different sections of the graph's results. For information about creating selectors, see the Report Services Document Creation Guide.
• Use graph formatting effects such as bevels (three-dimensional surface patterns), gradients (combinations of two colors), curved lines, and transparency to make your graph series and other objects stand out and look sharper.
• To apply gradients, bevel effects, and transparency effects, right-click your graph's series and access the Graph Preferences dialog box. For these steps, see Manually Formatting Graph Series and Objects.
• To apply a curved effect to a Line or Area graph, from the Graph menu, select Preferences. Expand Options, and select the General category. Select the Enable curved lines or Enable curved areas check box, respectively.
• Apply a glossy, rounded effect to your graph's series. The effect is displayed in Graph View and Grid Graph View in MicroStrategy Developer and Editable, Interactive, and View Mode in MicroStrategy Web. To do so, from the Graph menu, select Preferences. Expand Options, and select the General category. Select the Apply rounded effects to all series check box.

  In Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web only, a more distinct rounded and glossy effect is applied to the graph series when you select this check box.

• Use font anti-aliasing to display more clearly and distinctly the text that appears on or near your graph report. To do so, from the Graph menu, select Preferences. Expand Options, and select the General category. Select the Use font anti-aliasing check box. This formatting effect is especially noticeable when the graph report is viewed in Flash Mode in MicroStrategy Web.

Troubleshooting Issues with Graphs

The following table lists solutions to common issues you may have while working with graph reports.

Graph Issue	Solution
All of your graph data does not appear on one page and you want it to	Change the number of categories and series. From the Graph menu, select Preferences. Adjust the Maximum number of categories and Maximum number of series settings as desired. For example, if you are reporting on 15 different departments and the Department attribute is in the rows of your grid, set the Maximum number of categories to 15 to ensure all of the department data is shown on one page.
Cannot view graph data for one attribute element at a time	Move the corresponding attribute from the report grid to the Page-by field. This allows you to produce a different, more refined graph each time you select a new element in the Page-by field. However, remember that the placement of report objects on the grid determines whether a certain graph style can be generated.
Cannot move objects such as titles or the graph legend on your graph	Enable manual layout mode. For more information about how to enable manual layout mode, see Adjusting the Layout, Size, and Scale of a Graph.