4. Axis Configuration — Standard Cartesian
In this step, the columns returned from the Compass entry are assigned to the widget's X and Y axes. In the standard Cartesian flow, fields like Stack By, Low/High, Color By are not visible — only X and Y mapping is performed.
Wizard route: /cartography/add/axisconfig
Prerequisite
A Compass entry must have been selected in step 3 and the query result must have been loaded. If the query result has empty columns, the warning "No columns available from this query" is shown on the screen.
1. Screen Layout
On the left side are dropdowns (X axis type and column, Y axis type and column), on the right side is a Data Preview table showing the first rows of the query result.
2. X Axis
| Field | Description | Possible Values |
|---|---|---|
| X Axis Type | Data type of the X axis | CategoryAxis, DateTimeAxis, NumericAxis |
| X Axis Column | Query column to bind to the X axis | Column names in the query result |
X Axis Type Selection Guide
| Type | When to choose | Standard Cartesian example |
|---|---|---|
| DateTimeAxis | Date/time-based time series | Hourly temperature trend (Line) |
| CategoryAxis | Categorical data (shift, line, product name) | Shift-based production (Column / Bar) |
| NumericAxis | Numeric X | Temperature - pressure relationship (Line) |
Step Line with DateTimeAxis
If you are using Step Line for set point monitoring, choose DateTimeAxis; the steps spread over time and the moments of change appear clearly.
3. Y Axis
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Y Axis Type | Typically NumericAxis (numeric) |
| Y Axis Column | Value column to bind to the Y axis |
Unit Display
If you want to display a unit in the Y axis label (e.g., °C, bar, kWh), you can add it from the Y Axis Label Suffix field in Step 7. General Design. Only column binding is done in this step.
Y Axis Dropdown Grayed Out
If the Y axis dropdown appears empty or grayed out, your Compass entry is not returning a numeric column. Re-attempt with a query that returns a numeric column using CAST or ::NUMERIC.
4. Notes Specific to Standard Cartesian
| Chart Type | Recommended X Axis Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Line | DateTime / Numeric | DateTime for time series; Numeric for scatter-like |
| Area | DateTime / Numeric | Same as Line; area is rendered under the fill |
| Spline | DateTime / Numeric | Same; data is drawn as a smoothed line |
| Column | Category | So bars align with categories |
| Bar | Category | Same logic in horizontal direction |
| Step Line | DateTime / Category | Categorical can also be preferred for set point change |
Fields Not Seen in This Flow
- Stack By Column: Not in the standard flow. For stacked view → Stacked Flow
- Low / High Value: Not in the standard flow. For range bar → Range Column Flow
5. Data Preview Validation
The Data Preview table on the right shows the first few rows of the Compass entry. Verify here that the X and Y columns come in the correct data types:
- Is the X column sorted? (timestamp ascending, category in expected order)
- Is the Y column numeric? (a number like
123.45; not"123"string) - Are there null values? (line breaks in Line/Area)
Null Value Management
null Y values that occur during sensor outages break the line in Line/Area charts. Filling gaps with COALESCE(value, prev_value) or forward-fill on the Compass side makes the chart more readable.
6. Confirmation
When you click the Next button at the top right, the axis assignment is validated and the chart model is generated. If an axis selection is missing, a warning appears: "Please select a valid chart type and configure axes".