Bar chart and column chart reference

Use bar charts to compare different categories of information. The categories are represented by the bars, and the length of each bar (or height of each column) represents the value of that category. The longer the bar, the greater the value it represents.

In this article:

• Bar charts in Looker Studio
  • Other types of bar charts
  • Column chart example
• Configure the chart
  • Set up the chart data
  • Stylize the chart
• Related resources

Bar charts in Looker Studio

Bar charts let you visualize your data in two basic ways:

• Single dimension with multiple metrics. This method lets you analyze a single category of information using up to 20 metrics.
• Two dimensions with a single metric. This method lets you apply a breakdown dimension to the primary dimension and measure that breakdown with a single metric.

Other types of bar charts

You can select from the following preset chart types when you add a chart from the toolbar.

Stacked bar chart

Stack the breakdown dimensions horizontally instead of showing them side-by-side.

100% stacked bar chart

Stack the breakdown dimensions horizontally, with each series in the chart having the same overall length.

Column chart

Display the data using vertical columns, with breakdown dimensions shown side-by-side.

Stacked column chart

Stack the breakdown dimensions vertically instead of showing them side-by-side.

100% stacked column chart

Stack the breakdown dimensions vertically, with each series in the chart having the same overall height.

Use a stacked bar or stacked column chart to show part-to-whole relationships.

100% stacked bars or columns are useful to show the relationship between individual items and the whole in a single bar, where the cumulative total isn’t important.

Column chart example

The column charts below show two different views of Google Analytics web traffic data. The base dimension for both charts is Medium. The left hand chart uses stacked columns to show several metrics (Sessions, Users, and Exits) for medium. The right hand chart uses a second dimension, Country ISO Code, to break down each medium according to its country of origin. Instead of stacked columns, this chart use grouped columns: Each column is a data series that corresponds to one of the countries. Two-dimensional charts can only plot a single metric (Sessions again in this example).

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.

Date range dimension

This option appears if your data source has a valid date dimension.

Note: This option does not appear for Google Ads or Google Analytics data sources, as these automatically select a dimension of type Date from the data source.

The Date range dimension is used as the basis for limiting the date range of the chart. For example, this is the dimension that is used if you set a date range property for the chart or if a viewer of the report uses a date range control to limit the time frame.

Dimension 

Dimensions are data categories. Dimension values (the data that is contained by the dimension) are names, descriptions, or other characteristics of a category.

At least one dimension is required. The first dimension you specify serves as the primary data series in the chart. If you specify a Breakdown dimension, the chart is limited to a single metric.

Drill down

This option appears on charts that support it.

Drilling down gives viewers a way to reveal additional levels of detail within a chart. When you turn on the Drill down  option, each dimension that you add becomes another level of detail that you can drill into. Learn more about chart drill down.

Breakdown dimension

This option displays the metric data broken down according to the selected dimension. For example, a chart that shows annual sales data could be broken down by a Sales Region dimension to show sales by region or by an Employee ID dimension to show sales by sales associate.

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 data set 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.

Learn more about aggregation.

At least one metric is required. For charts with a single dimension, you can have up to 20 metrics. For charts with two dimensions, you can have only one metric.

Optional metrics

You can add optional metrics by selecting the Optional metrics switch and selecting metrics from the Add metric field selector. You can also drag and drop metrics from the fields list on the Data panel to the Optional metrics selector.

Metric sliders

Turn on the Metric sliders switch to add a metric slider to your boxplot chart.

Set the default sort

The Sort and Secondary sort options in the chart's setup panel control the default sorting behavior. You can select any metric in the chart's data source, or any dimension that is currently displayed in the chart, to use as the primary or secondary sorting field.

The Secondary sort option only appears when there is an appropriate combination of dimensions and metrics in the chart.

When you specify a metric as a sort field, you can edit the field's aggregation. For example, you could include a numeric field in the chart as a SUM, but sort on that same field's AVERAGE value.

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.

Learn more about working with dates and time. 

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.

Chart interactions

When the Cross-filtering option is enabled on a chart, that chart acts like a filter control. You can filter the report by clicking or brushing your mouse across the chart. Learn more about cross-filtering.

The Zoom option lets you zoom into a chart and pan on that chart to view all the data that is present. Learn more about zooming and panning on Cartesian charts.

The Zoom option is not available when the Cross-filtering option is enabled.

Stylize the chart

The options in the Style tab control the overall presentation and appearance of the chart.

Title

If you select the Show title checkbox, you can add a title and customize its appearance and placement on the chart.

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.

Bar chart

This section controls the overall appearance and layout of your chart. These options apply to both bar and column charts.

Vertical	Displays the data series as vertical columns.
Horizontal	Displays the data series as horizontal bars.
Bars	Determines the number of bars, or series, that are displayed in the chart. If the number of series selected is less than the number of series in your data, only the specified number of series is displayed. Select the Group Others checkbox to aggregate the results that are outside of the specified Bars limit into one bar that will have the label Others. Selecting Group Others lets you compare the top N results against the context of the remaining results.  When Group Others is not enabled, depending on the chart's configuration, the chart may not display all the data.
Series	Determines the number of breakdown dimension series that are displayed on the chart. This setting is available when you have set a value for Breakdown Dimension. Select a number of series to display from the drop-down menu. The series that are displayed are based on the Secondary sort specifications.  Select the Group Others checkbox to aggregate the results that are outside of the specified Series limit into a bar or column that will have the label Others. This checkbox lets you compare other series against the context of the remaining results.  When Group Others is not enabled, depending on the chart's configuration, the chart may not display all the data.
Stacked Bars	When this option is selected, the chart displays stacked bars or columns. Otherwise, the chart displays grouped bars or columns.
100% Stacking	When this option is selected, stacked charts show the contribution of each data series to 100% of the total value.
Show total card	Shows the total value of the metrics for a selected stacked bar. Hover your cursor over the bar to display the card.
Show data labels	When this option is selected, the value is displayed for each series in the chart. Selecting this option also reveals the Data label section, where you can control the presentation of the labels on the chart.

Data label

This section controls the presentation of data labels for bars. To see these options, select the Show data labels checkbox.

Bar label type	This option is available only for stacked bar charts and 100% stacked bar charts. The Bar label type drop-down menu includes the following options: Metric value (default): Shows a metric value for each segment of the bar. Stacked: Shows the total stack value for each bar, along with the running sum from the values for each segment of the bar. Total: Shows only the total stack value for all the segments of the bar. The Total option is available only for the stacked bar chart type.
Show data labels as	Sets whether labels are displayed as numbers or percentages. This option is available only for 100% stacked bar charts.
Compact Numbers	Rounds numbers and displays the unit indicator. For example, 553,939 becomes 553.9K. This option is available only if Show data labels as is set to Number.
Decimal precision	Sets the number of decimal places that are displayed in metric values. This option is available only if Show data labels as is set to Number. If Show data labels as is set to Percentage, then the decimal precision will always be 2.
Labels font size	Sets the font size for the label text.
Labels font color	Sets the font color for the label text. This option is available only when the Bar label position option is set to Left (for bar charts) or to Below (for column charts).
Labels font family	Sets the font type of the label text.
Font styling options	Applies bold or italic styling to the label text.
Bar label position	Sets the position of labels relative to the bar or column.
Labels background	Sets a background color for the label text. This option is available only when the Bar label position option is set to Right (for bar charts) or to Above (for column charts).
Labels opacity	For labels with a custom background color, this setting adjusts the opacity of the background for the label text. 100% opacity makes the background solid, and 0% opacity makes the background fully transparent.
Labels border radius	For labels with a custom background color, this setting adds rounded borders to the chart background. Choose a value from 0px (90° corners) to 20px (maximum rounding).

Color by

This section controls how your data is colored. Learn more about coloring your data. 

These options appear when you have a secondary (breakdown) dimension in your chart.

Single Color	When this option is selected, the data series is displayed in shades of a single color. Otherwise, the chart displays in multiple colors, according to your report theme. You can set specific colors by using each data series' color picker.
Series order	Use the current theme to color the data according to its position in the chart. This option emphasizes the ranking of the data over the identity of the data. You can set specific colors by using each data series' color picker.
Dimension values	This option colors each dimension value in the chart with the color that is specified in the dimension value color map. This option ensures that your data uses color consistently, regardless of the position of that data in the chart.

Bar border color

This option lets you change the outline color for the bars in the chart. You can also specify a bar border color for all the bar charts in your report from the Layout tab of the Themes menu.

Reference lines

Add a reference line or a reference band to your chart by selecting the Add a reference line or Add a reference band option.

For more information about reference lines and reference bands, visit the Add reference lines and reference bands to charts page.

Reference lines are not available for 100% stacked bar charts or 100% stacked column charts.

Zoom

After you enable the Zoom option for a chart on the Setup tab of the Properties panel, you can select one of the following options:

• Click and drag to zoom: Zoom by clicking and dragging to select a portion of the visualization to magnify.
• Scroll to zoom: Zoom by scrolling with your mouse.

Axes

These options control the display of the chart axes titles and scales. A right Y-axis section appears when you have more than one metric in your chart.

Axis options

Show axes	Shows or hides the chart axes.
Reverse Y-Axis direction	Controls the vertical display of the Y-axis.
Reverse X-Axis direction	Controls the horizontal display of the X-axis.
Align both axes to 0	Makes both left and right axes start at 0. Available for Cartesian line, bar, and combo charts that have left and right Y-axes.

Chart spacing

This option lets you customize the spacing between bars in a chart.

For stacked bar charts, use the Group bar width slider to specify a custom bar width for between 0% and 100%. 

For unstacked multiple bar charts, use the Bar width slider to specify a custom width for each individual bar, and use the Group bar with slider to specify a custom bar width for each group of bars.

Left Y-axis

These options control the display of the chart's left Y-axis. A right Y-axis section appears when you have more than one metric in your chart.

Axis options

Show axis title	Shows or hides the axis labels.
Axis min and max	Sets minimum and maximum values for the axis.
Custom tick interval	Controls the interval between axis ticks.
Log scale	Makes the axis scale logarithmic.

X-axis

These options control the display of the chart's X-axis.

Axis options

Show axis title

Shows or hides the axis labels.

Grid

These options control the look of the chart grid.

Axis color	Sets the color of the axis line(s).
Grid color	Sets the color of the grid lines.
Font family	Sets the font type of the grid line text.
Axis font size	Sets the font size of the grid line text.
Chart background	Sets the color of the chart background.
Chart border color	Sets the color of the inner chart border.

Legend

These options determine the placement of the chart legend.

Legend font color	Sets the color of the legend font.
Font size	Sets the size of the legend font.
Font family	Sets the font type of the legend font.
None	No legend appears.
Right	Legend appears on the right.
Bottom	Legend appears on the bottom.
Top	Legend appears on the top.
Alignment	Sets the alignment of the legend relative to the selected position.
Max lines	Sets the number of lines used by the legend. If the number of series requires more lines, overflow items can be displayed by clicking the < and > arrows. Note that this setting only applies when the legend is set to Top. This setting has no effect if the legend is set to Right or Bottom.

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, drilling up or down, or sorting the chart. Chart header options are as follows:

Show on hover (default)	Three vertical dots appear when you mouse over the chart header. Click these 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.

Related resources

• Types of charts in Looker Studio
• Work with dates and time
• About filter properties