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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.

3 min readUpdated October 28, 2026

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

ShelfWhat it holds
CategoryThe categories, one lollipop each.
ValuesThe measure that sets where each dot sits.
ColorOptional. A dimension groups the dots by color; a measure shades them.
TrellisOptional. One panel per member.
TooltipOptional. Extra fields to show on hover.
  1. Pick Lollipop / Dot Plot from the chart type selector.
  2. Drag a dimension to Category.
  3. 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.