Build a lollipop, dot plot or dumbbell chart
Compare one value per category with a dot on a thin stem, drop the stem for a dot plot, or join two values with a dumbbell.
A lollipop chart shows one value per category as a dot at the end of a thin stem. It reads like a bar chart with less ink, which helps when you have many categories. Turn the stem off and you have a dot plot. When you want the gap between two values per category, like last year and this year, use a dumbbell instead. Pick Lollipop / Dot Plot from the chart type selector - it sits with the horizontal bar charts.
Fill the lollipop shelves
| Shelf | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Category | The categories, one lollipop each. |
| Values | The measure that sets where each dot sits. |
| Color | Optional. A dimension groups the dots by color; a measure shades them. |
| Trellis | Optional. One panel per member. |
| Tooltip | Optional. Extra fields to show on hover. |
- Pick Lollipop / Dot Plot from the chart type selector.
- Drag a dimension to Category.
- Drag a measure to Values.
Format a lollipop or dot plot
Open the format pane and find Lollipop options.
- Show stem draws the line from the axis to each dot. Turn it off for a dot plot.
- Line width sets the stem's thickness. It only appears while the stem is shown.
- Dot size sets how big each dot is.
Build a dumbbell
A dumbbell is a style of the Range Bar chart, not the lollipop. It draws two dots per category joined by a line. Pick Range Bar, drag two measures to Measures - the first is the start, the second the end - then open the format pane and set Style to Dumbbell under Range bar options.
Build one from the chat
Ask the Analyst pane, or a dashboard's Storyteller pane, for a lollipop chart, a dot plot or a dumbbell chart and it builds it. A dot plot is a lollipop with the stem turned off. It works the same way in Analyze and on dashboards.