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Data Field Mapping
Getting Started > Data Tutorials > Data Field Mapping

Glossary Item Box

Introduction

Data fields are a very useful tool when translating your database structure to chart data. It allows you to map which column of your data table or query populates a given element property.

ShowSee Illustration

For example, if you have a column which represents certain information you want to use as a tool tip, it can easily be mapped using data fields. The 'DataFields' property of DataEngine and Chart.Series is a string which can be supplied as a comma delimited list of element property, to data column, relationships.

For example, in the following DataFields string

"YValue=Cost,Name=Brand,ToolTip=Description"; Cost, Brand, and Description are all columns in a data table. YValue, Name, and ToolTip are element values.  

Custom tokens can also be used to populate elements with additional database columns which can be used by element tool tips, urls, within labels and so on.

The following table outlines the available element values and shortcuts which can be mapped to your data columns.

Token Name

Description

Name Sets Element.Name
Yvalue Sets Element.YValue or Element.YDateTime depending on the column data type.
YValueStart Sets Element.YValueStart or Element.YDateTimeStart depending on the column data type.
Xvalue Sets Element.XValue or Element.XDateTime depending on the column data type.
XValueStart Sets Element.XValueStart or Element.XDateTimeStart depending on the column data type.
BubbleSize Sets Element.BubbleSize
Complete Sets Element.Complete
Open Sets Element.Open
Close Sets Element.Close
High Sets Element.High
Low Sets Element.Low
Volume Sets Element.Volume
tooltip Sets Element.ToolTip
urltarget Sets Element.URLTarget
Url Sets Element.URL
LabelTemplate Sets Element..LabelTample
Table Specifies the name of the table to use when multiple tables exist, for example when a DataSet is used.

Shortcuts and special functionality tokens

Token Name

Description

Bubble Sets Element.BubbleSize
price Sets Element.Close
Ganttcomplete Sets Element.Complete
Ganttname Sets Element.Name
Ganttenddate Sets Element.YDateTime
Ganttstartdate Sets Element.YDateTimeStart
Ganttend Sets Element.YValue or Element.YDateTime if DateTime data type.
Ganttstart Sets Element.YValueStart or Element.YStartDateTime if DateTime data type.
Splitby Sets Element.SplitBy (Special)
Yaxis Sets the element values associated with the y axis of the chart in use.
 ChartType.ComboHorizaontal sets Element.Name.
 All Others set Element.Yvalue, if column type is 'DateTime' Element.YDateTime will be set instead.
Xaxis Sets the element values associated with the x axis of the chart in use.
 ChartType.ComboHorizontal sets Element.Yvalue,  if column type is 'DateTime' Element.YDateTime will be set instead..
 
ChartType.Scatter sets Element.Xvalue,  if column type is 'DateTime' Element.XDateTime will be set instead.
 All Other sets Element.Name. and/or if date it sets Element.XDateTime.

Data fields and XML documents

Xml Documents dont store data exactly as databases do.

Using Data Fields

"[Token]=[Data Column],..."

Escape Character
Some database columns can have characters such as commas ','. In order to reference these column names an escape character can be used.
"YAxis=Tom\,Harry"

Sample Data

This data will be used to demonstrate how different chart types can be achieved by mapping the appropriate element values.
Table 1  Column (string) Name (double) StartValue (double) EndValue (double) Completed
Sample Data

Chris

3

15

25

Table 2 Column (string) Name (DateTime) StartValue (DateTime) EndValue (double) Completed
Sample Data

Chris

3/5/2003

8/10/2003

25

Table 3 Column (string) Name (double) Cost (double) TopSpeed (double) HorsePower
Sample Data

Chevy

22,000

120

185

Table 4 Column (string) Stock (double) Close (double) Open (double) Low (double) High (DateTime) Date
Sample Data

MSFT

176

120

100

185

11/12/2003


The above tables are color coded for reference to which table the column name refers. If there is more than one example in sub sections such as 'Simple Graph', they are equivalent.

ChartType.Combo & ChartType.ComboSideBySide

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),splitBy=(3rdColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, YValueStart, Name, Complete, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy
Gantt Shortcuts
GanttName, GanttStart, GanttEnd, GanttComplete

Examples

Simple Graph "xAxis=Name,yAxis=EndValue"
 "Name=Name,yValue=EndValue"
Range (Gantt) Columns "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue"
Range columns /w Complete indicator "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue ,Complete=Completed"
Date Range columns /w complete indicator. "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue ,Complete=Completed"
NOTE: For this chart type "xAxis=Name" is the same as "Name=Name".


ChartType.ComboHorizontal

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),splitBy=(3rdColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, YValueStart, Name, Complete, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy
Gantt Shortcuts
GanttName, GanttStart, GanttEnd, GanttComplete

Examples

Simple Graph "xAxis=Name,yAxis=EndValue"
 "Name=Name,yValue=EndValue"
Range (Gantt) Columns "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue"
Range columns /w Complete indicator "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue ,Complete=Completed"
Date Range columns /w complete indicator. "xAxis=Name,yValue=EndValue,yValueStart=StartValue ,Complete=Completed"
NOTE: For this chart type "xAxis=Name" is the same as "Name=Name".


ChartType.Gantt

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "yValueStart=(1stColumn),yValue=(2stColumn)"
 "yValueStart=(1stColumn),yValue=(2stColumn),Name=(3rdColumn)"
 "yValueStart=(1stColumn),yValue=(2ndColumn),Name=(3rdColumn),Complete=(4thColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, YValueStart, Name, Complete, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy
Gantt Shortcuts
GanttName, GanttStart, GanttEnd, GanttComplete

Examples

Range (Gantt) Bars "yValueStart=StartValue,yValue=EndValue"
Range Columns /w Complete "yValueStart=StartValue,yValue=EndValue, Name=Name,Complete=Completed"
Date Range Columns /w Complete "yValueStart=StartValue,yValue=EndValue,Name=Name,Complete=Completed"


ChartType.Radar & ChartType.Pie

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),splitBy=(3rdColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, Name, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy

Examples

Simple Chart "yAxis=EndValue,xAxis=Name"
 Note: Though there are no x and y axes in a pie chart the fields are mapped like so:
 "yValue=EndValue,Name=Name"
 Note: The radar graph has both x and y axes.


ChartType.Scatter

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),splitBy=(3rdColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, XValue, Name, Complete, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy

Examples

Simple Scatter Chart "xAxis=HorsePower,yAxis=TopSpeed"
"xValue=HorsePower,yValue=TopSpeed"


ChartType.Bubble

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
 "xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),BubbleSize=(3rdColumn)"
Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
YValue, XValue, BubbleSize, Name, Tooltip, UrlTarge, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, Bubble

Examples

Simple Scatter Chart "xAxis=HorsePower,yAxis=TopSpeed,BubbleSize=Cost"
"xValue=HorsePower,yValue=TopSpeed,Bubble=Cost"


ChartType.Financial

Default DataFields Defaults are chosen based on the number of columns returned by the query.
"xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn)"
"xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),Volume=(3rdColumn)"

"xAxis=(1stColumn),yAxis=(2stColumn),Volume=(3rdColumn),SplitBy=(3thColumn)"

Applicable tokens Element Data Properties
Open, Close, High, Low, Volume, Name, Complete, Tooltip, UrlTarget, Url
Shortcuts
xAxis, yAxis, SplitBy, Price

Examples

HLC Chart "xAxis=Date,High=High,Low=Low,Price=Close"


ChartType.Organizational

Default DataFields
"InstanceID=(1stColumn),ParentID=(2stColumn),Name=(3rdColumn)"

 

Examples

Organizational Chart

"InstanceID=ID,InstanceParentID=PID,Name=Name,office,Department,Email,Phone,Picture"

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