scatterplot-or-bubble-chart.md

title	Scatterplots and bubble charts
redirect_from	/docs/latest/questions/sharing/visualizations/scatterplot-or-bubble-chart

Scatterplots and bubble charts

Scatterplots and bubble charts visualize the relationship between values.

Scatterplots show two numeric values per data point, while bubble charts show three by using the size of each dot to represent a third value. In Metabase, both chart types use the same Scatter visualization type. Adding a bubble size column turns a scatterplot into a bubble chart.

How to create a scatterplot or bubble chart

You can create a scatterplot or bubble chart from a few different data shapes, depending on whether you want to add bubble sizing or colored series.

Create a scatterplot

1. Create a question that returns two numeric columns. For example, summarize Count of orders and Average of total grouped by Product ID:

   Product ID	Count of orders	Average of total
   1	93	42.48
   2	98	104.48
   3	77	52.68
   4	89	108.95
   5	97	117.08

   You can also use one numeric column grouped by a category or time dimension. For example, summarize Average of total grouped by Product Category:

   Product Category	Average of total
   Gizmo	84.12
   Doohickey	76.95
   Gadget	92.40
   Widget	88.27

2. In the visualization picker, select Scatter.

Each row in the result becomes a single dot on the chart. One column maps to the x-axis and the other to the y-axis.

Create a bubble chart

1. Create a question that returns three numeric columns. For example, summarize Count of orders, Average of total, and Sum of total grouped by Product ID:

   Product ID	Count of orders	Average of total	Sum of total
   1	93	42.48	3,950.53
   2	98	104.48	10,238.92
   3	77	52.68	4,056.36
   4	89	108.95	9,696.46
   5	97	117.08	11,356.66

   You can also use two numeric columns grouped by a category or time dimension. For example, summarize Average of total and Sum of total grouped by Product Category:

   Product Category	Average of total	Sum of total
   Gizmo	84.12	425,000
   Doohickey	76.95	312,400
   Gadget	92.40	587,200
   Widget	88.27	401,800

   You can also use one numeric column grouped by two category or time dimensions. For example, summarize Average of total grouped by Product ID and Product Category:

   Product ID	Product Category	Average of total
   1	Gizmo	42.48
   2	Doohickey	104.48
   3	Doohickey	52.68
   4	Doohickey	108.95
   5	Gadget	117.08

2. In the visualization picker, select Scatter.

3. In chart settings, select a numeric column from the Bubble size menu.

Each row in the result becomes a single dot on the chart. One column maps to the x-axis, one to the y-axis, and the bubble size column determines the size of the dot.

Add a category for colored series

1. Create a question with the data shape for a scatterplot or bubble chart. Include a category column for the colored series. For example, summarize Count of orders and Average of total grouped by Product ID and Product Category:

   Product ID	Product Category	Count of orders	Average of total
   1	Gizmo	93	42.48
   2	Doohickey	98	104.48
   3	Doohickey	77	52.68
   4	Doohickey	89	108.95
   5	Gadget	97	117.08

2. In the visualization picker, select Scatter.

Each category becomes its own colored series. The example chart shows the Gizmo, Doohickey, Gadget, and Widget series.

Scatterplot and bubble chart settings

To open chart settings, click the Gear icon in the bottom left of the visualization.

Data

In chart settings, click the Data tab to configure which columns appear on the chart.

• X-axis: The column(s) to plot on the x-axis
• Y-axis: The column(s) to plot on the y-axis
• Bubble size: The column that determines the size of each dot (leave empty for a standard scatterplot)

Display

In chart settings, click the Display tab to edit how the chart looks.

To add a goal line, enable the Goal line toggle. Use the Goal value and Goal label fields to set the value and label.

You can't set alerts on goal lines in scatterplots or bubble charts.

To stack series on top of each other, enable the Stack series toggle.

To show extra information when hovering over a dot, add columns to Additional tooltip columns.

Axes

In chart settings, click the Axes tab to edit the chart axes.

X-axis

Use the following options for the x-axis:

• Show label: Enable the toggle to display the x-axis label.
• Label: Name the x-axis label.
• Show lines and tick marks: Select how to display the x-axis line, tick marks, and labels. Choose between Hide, Show, Compact, Rotate 45°, and Rotate 90°.
• Scale: Select how values are spaced along the x-axis. Choose between Linear, Power, Log, Histogram, and Ordinal.

Y-axis

Use the following options for the y-axis:

• Show label: Enable the toggle to display the y-axis label.
• Label: Name the y-axis label.
• Split y-axis when necessary: When enabled, Metabase displays separate y-axes for series with very different value ranges.
• Auto y-axis range: When enabled, Metabase sets the y-axis range automatically based on your data. When disabled, use the Min and Max fields to set custom values.
• Unpin from zero: When enabled, the y-axis can start at a value other than zero.
• Scale: Select how values are spaced along the y-axis. Choose between Linear, Power, and Log.
• Show lines and tick marks: Select how to display the y-axis line, tick marks, and labels. Choose between Hide, Show, Compact, Rotate 45°, and Rotate 90°.
• Number of tick marks: Set how many tick marks appear on the y-axis. Defaults to auto.

Limitations and alternatives

• If you only have one numeric value to plot, or if you want to show how a value changes over time, consider a bar chart, histogram, or line chart instead.
• Scatterplots can become hard to read with very large datasets because of overlapping dots. For large datasets, consider aggregating your data, or using a heat map or box plot instead.
• You can't set alerts on goal lines in scatterplots or bubble charts.