Gauge charts give you a way to quickly see how well a given metric is performing against a target goal. The components of a gauge chart are:
- A center bar showing the actual value of the metric you are graphing.
- An optional vertical line showing a target value.
- An optional comparison value.
- Optional colored bands that represent threshold ranges, such as poor, average, and good
You can use gauge charts to monitor various "health" or performance KPIs (key performance indicators).
In this article:Gauge charts in Looker Studio
Gauge charts in Looker Studio visualize a single metric. You can optionally display a minimum and maximum value, target value, comparison value, and set up to 5 ranges. You can also change the chart colors, and apply data filters.
Example:
The following gauge chart shows total revenue for the Google Merchandise Store over a 28-day period.
Gauge chart for Google Merchandise store revenue with target, ranges, and 28-day comparison.
The example has:
- Four shaded bands representing ranges.
- A comparison with the previous 28-day period.
- A center bar showing the revenue amount.
- A target of $200,000.
Configure the chart
Add a new chart or select an existing chart. Then, use the Properties panel to configure the chart's Setup and Style tab properties.
Set up the chart data
The options in the Setup tab of the Properties panel determine how the chart's data is organized and displayed.
Data source
A data source provides the connection between the component and the underlying dataset.
- To change the chart's data source, click the current data source name.
- To view or edit the data source, click
. (You must have at least Viewer permission to see this icon.)
- Click +BLEND DATA to see data from multiple data sources in the same chart. Learn more about data blending.
. (You must have at least Metric
Metrics measure the things that are contained in dimensions and provide the numeric scale and data series for the chart.
Metrics are aggregations that come from the underlying dataset or that are the result of implicitly or explicitly applying an aggregation function, such as COUNT(), SUM(), or AVG(). The metric itself has no defined set of values, so you can’t group by a metric as you can with a dimension.
Default date range
The Default date range property lets you set a timeframe for an individual chart.
Default date range options
| Auto | Uses the default date range, which is determined by the chart's data source. |
| Custom | Lets you use the calendar widget to select a custom date range for the chart. |
| Date compare type | Displays comparison data for the selected time period. |
Filter
Filters restrict the data that is displayed in the component by including or excluding the values that you specify. Learn more about the filter property.
Filter options
| Filter name | Click an existing filter to edit it. Mouse over the filter name and click X to delete it. |
| +Add a filter | Click this option to create a new filter for the chart. |
Stylize the chart
The options in the Style tab control the overall presentation and appearance of the chart.
Title
Enable the Show title option to add a title to your chart. Looker Studio can automatically generate a title, or you can create a custom title for the chart. You can also customize the title's styling and placement.
Autogenerate
This option is enabled by default. When Autogenerate is selected, Looker Studio generates a title based on the chart type and the fields that are used in the chart. The autogenerated title will update if you change the chart type or make changes to the fields that are used in the chart.
To add a custom title to your chart, enter it into the Title field. This will clear the Autogenerate checkbox and turn off this setting.
Title options
| Title | Provides a text field where report editors can enter a custom title for the chart. |
|
Title font type |
Sets the font type for the title text. |
| Title font size | Sets the font size for the title text. |
| Font styling options | Applies bold, italic, or underline styling to the title text. |
| Title font color | Sets the font color for the title text. |
| Left | Aligns the chart title to the left side of the chart. |
| Center |
Centers the chart title above or below the chart. |
| Right | Aligns the chart title to the right side of the chart. |
| Top | Positions the chart title at the top of the chart. |
| Bottom | Positions the chart title at the bottom of the chart. |
Primary metric
These options control the appearance of the scorecard's current data.
| Compact Numbers |
Rounds numbers and displays the unit indicator. For example, 553,939 becomes 553.9K. |
| Decimal Precision | Sets the number of decimal places in metric values. |
Bar colors
This section controls the appearance of the center value bar and the ranges.
| Bar color | Sets the color of the value bar. |
| Range color | Sets the color of the ranges. |
Comparison Metric
These options control the appearance of the gauge's comparison data.
| Positive change color | This option appears when date comparison is enabled. Changes the font color used to indicate positively changing (i.e., upward trending) data. |
| Negative change color | This option appears when date comparison is enabled. Changes the font color used to indicate negatively changing (i.e., downward trending) data. |
| Compact Numbers |
Rounds numbers and displays the unit indicator. For example, 553,939 becomes 553.9K. |
| Decimal Precision | Sets the number of decimal places in metric values. |
| Show Absolute change | This option appears when date comparison is enabled. Changes the comparison display from percentage of change to absolute numeric difference. |
Range limits
Range limits specify the threshold values for the chart. Ranges often indicate "poor," "average," and "good" thresholds and are turned off by default in gauge charts. You can add up top five ranges to a gauge chart.
| Range 1 | Set the threshold for the "poor" range. |
| Range 2 | Set the threshold for the "average" range. |
| Range 3 |
Set the threshold for the "good" range. |
| Range 4 | Set the threshold for the "very good" range. |
| Range 5 | Set the threshold for the "excellent" range. |
Axis
Controls the appearance of the chart axis.
| Show axis | Shows or hides the chart axis. |
| Axis Min | Sets the minimum value. |
| Axis Max | Sets the maximum value. |
Target
Lets you specify the target value for the chart.
| Show target | Shows or hides the vertical target bar. |
| Target value | Set the target value. |
Missing data
This option appears when your time dimension is missing data. Looker Studio offers 3 ways of dealing with this situation.
Note: this option has no effect on bar series. The Line to Zero option will affect a trendline, however.
| Line to Zero | When you select this option, a line series will drop to zero for the missing dates. This is the default option. |
| Line Breaks | When this option is selected, missing data appears as breaks in the data series. |
| Linear Interpolation | When this option is selected, Looker Studio will continue the series by connecting the data points on either side of the missing data. |
Labels
Background and border
These options control the appearance of the chart background container.
| Background | Sets the chart background color. |
| Border Radius | Adds rounded borders to the chart background. When the radius is 0, the background shape has 90° corners. A border radius of 100° produces a circular shape. |
| Opacity | Sets the chart opacity. 100% opacity completely hides objects behind the chart. 0% opacity makes the chart invisible. |
| Border Color | Sets the chart border color. |
| Border Weight | Sets the chart border line thickness. |
| Border Style | Sets the chart border line style. |
| Add border shadow | Adds a shadow to the chart's lower and right borders. |
Chart Header
The chart header lets viewers perform various actions on the chart such as exporting the data or sorting the chart. The following chart header options are available:
| Show on hover (default) | Three vertical dots appear when you mouse over the chart header. Click these dots to access the header options. |
| Always show | The header options always appear. |
| Do not show | The header options never appear. Note that report viewers can always access the options by right-clicking the chart. |
| Color | Sets the color of the chart header options. |