Format dates & numbers

After you add a numeric or date column in a data field, you can change the format specifically for the visualization. If you duplicate or copy a widget, the formats will be preserved.

To format columns for a dataset, see Manage data and data sources in a dataset (Step 2).

Prerequisites

• You added a visualization widget to a storyboard. For details, see Add widgets.
• The widget settings pane is open.
• You selected a dataset and added columns in the respective data fields for the visualization.

Procedure

1. On the data tab, point to a column, click Options, and then select Format.

   

   For a date column, set the aggregation to Default, then click Options and select Format.

   

   Important: The Default aggregation option for the dates does not aggregate them but only applies a selected format to each record. For example, let’s say you have the three dates: January 1, January 2, and August 1. You select Default and format them as “Year Quarter.” As a result, you get the following three records: 2021 Q1, 2021 Q1, and 2021 Q3.
   

   Note: The column format specified for a column in a visualization takes priority over the dataset format and the default format defined on the appearance tab. However, you can quickly return to the original dataset format by clicking Reset format.

2. Customize the formatting options depending on the column type:

   Format numbers

   In the Column format dialog, select the format type to apply, customize its options, and click OK.

   

   Number

   You can customize the following format options:

   Decimal places

   Select the number of decimal places to display in the number. For example, depending on the decimal places, a number may look like 3.14 or 3.14159.

   Decimal separator

   Select the separator to show for decimals: Comma (,), Period (.), Space (), or Custom to provide another separator symbol.

   Thousands separator

   Select which separator to show every thousand, for example, 10,000 or 10.000.

   You can select Comma (,), Period (.), Space (), or Custom to provide another separator symbol. To show the number without any separator, select Custom and leave the field empty.

   Negative values

   Select how to display negative values: -1234, (1234), or 1234-.

   Display units

   Select a specific unit to abbreviate the numbers: None, Auto, Thousands (K), Millions (M), Billions (B), Billions (G), and Trillions (T).

   For example, if the number is 47,000 and the display units are Thousands (K), the number is shown as 47K.

   Prefix

   Specify characters that precede each displayed number.

   Suffix

   Specify characters that follow each displayed number.

   Currency

   You can customize the following format options:

   Decimal places

   Select the number of decimal places to display in the number. For example, depending on the decimal places, a number may look like 3.14 or 3.14159.

   Decimal separator

   Select the separator to show for decimals: Comma (,), Period (.), Space (), or Custom to provide another separator symbol.

   Thousands separator

   Select which separator to show every thousand, for example, 10,000 or 10.000.

   You can select Comma (,), Period (.), Space (), or Custom to provide another separator symbol. To show the number without any separator, select Custom and leave the field empty.

   Negative values

   Select how to display negative values: -1234, (1234), or 1234-.

   Display units

   Select a specific unit to abbreviate the numbers: None, Auto, Thousands (K), Millions (M), Billions (B), Billions (G), and Trillions (T).

   For example, if the number is 47,000 and the display units are Thousands (K), the number is shown as 47K.

   Currency

   Select a currency from the list or specify the custom currency.

   Display currency

   Select how to display currency: as a symbol ($) or as an international symbol (USD).

   Prefix

   Specify characters that precede each displayed number.

   Suffix

   Specify characters that follow each displayed number.

   Percentage

   You can customize the following format options:

   Decimal places

   Select the number of decimal places to display in the number. For example, depending on the decimal places, a number may look like 3.14 or 3.14159.

   Multiply by 100

   Select whether to multiply the number representing a percentage. For example, the value of 0.05 will be formatted as 5%.

   Format dates

   In the Column format dialog, select a format that you need, and click OK.

   

   (Table widget only) You can change the alignment of the values in any column. Under Alignment, select the needed option (left, right, center or auto).