# Build a driver tree

> Break a measure down level by level to see which parts drive the total, and how each does against a target.

Analyze · 3 min read · Updated 2026-10-28

A driver tree breaks one measure into the pieces that make it up. The total sits at the top, and each level below splits it by another dimension, so you can see which parts drive the number. Pick Driver Tree from the chart type selector.

## Fill the shelves

| Shelf | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| Value | The measure to break down. |
| Breakdown | One or more dimensions, one per level of the tree. |
| Target | Optional. A target measure, so each card shows how it does against its goal. |

1. Pick Driver Tree from the chart type selector.
2. Drag the measure you want to explain to Value.
3. Drag a dimension to Breakdown. Add more to add levels.
4. Drag a target measure to Target if you have one.

> **Note:** A driver tree needs a real measure on Value. It doesn't fall back to Number of Records.

## Format a driver tree

Open the format pane and find Driver tree options.

- Show contribution % and Show share of parent add each card's share.
- Show vs-target badge and Show progress bar show how each card does against its target.
- Good threshold and Warning threshold set when a card turns good or warning, as a ratio of actual to target. The defaults are 1 and 0.9, so a card at 95% of target shows as a warning.
- Max items per level caps how many cards each level shows. The default is 10.
- Fit to page, Connector curvature and Card corner radius control the layout and look.

## Build it from the chat

You can ask the Analyst pane or a dashboard's Storyteller pane for one in plain words - "break down revenue by region and product as a driver tree" - and Golden builds it for you. Driver trees work the same way in Analyze and on dashboards.

### Related

- [Build a chart](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/chart-builder)
- [Format a chart](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/format-a-chart)
- [Chart types](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/chart-types)
- [Explain a change](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/explain-a-change)

Source: https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/driver-trees