Define Y-Axes for a Chart Widget

Use the Y-Axes page (accessed from within the Chart Widget Properties window) to define how one or more y-axes look and behave in a Chart Widget. A Chart Widget can have two y-axes:

• Primary Y-axis (Y1): Left side of chart.
• Secondary Y-axis (Y2): Right side of chart. A secondary y-axis can distinguish the types of mixed data (from different series) being compared against a common category (x-axis). For example, when comparing two series of data against a common time period (x-axis), use a primary y-axis for a series that uses Number of Incidents as its unit of measure, and a secondary y-axis for a series that uses an Average Customer Satisfaction (rating) as its unit of measure.

  The following figure shows a chart that plots two series of data against a common time period. Two y-axes are used to distinguish the different units of measure (# of Incidents and Average Customer Sat).

  

Properties for each axis include:

• Label: Text to display on the y-axis.
• Automatic Scaling: Whether to automatically calculate or manually specify ("fix") the scale values on the y-axis. If you manually specify the scale values, you must provide a minimum and maximum value.
  Note: The Chart Widget Properties window is accessed from within the Widget Manager when you create or edit a Chart Widget.

Good to know:

• A secondary y-axis is optional.
• Scale values on the y-axes can be automatically calculated or "fixed."
• The y-axis values themselves are defined as part of the series (see Define a Series for a Chart Widget).

To define one or more y-axes for a Chart Widget:

1. Create a Widget
2. In the Type drop-down, select Chart.
3. Click the Y-Axes page.
4. Define the following properties for your primary and secondary y-axes:
   1. Label: Provide the text to display on the y-axis.
   2. Use automatic scaling: Select this check box to automatically calculate the scale values on the y-axis. Clear this box to manually define or "fix" the axis, and then define the fixed minimum and maximum scale values for the axis.

      Note: A fixed scale makes sense when you have a clear idea of your range. For example, if you are showing percentages, and the highest current value is 10%, when automatically scaled, 10% will be the maximum value, and will appear to fill the entire chart, when really you want to see that 10% is only a small fraction of the expected value.

5. Select OK.