4. Axis Configuration — Waterfall
In this step, the columns returned from the Compass record are assigned to the widget's X and Y axes. Waterfall uses standard X/Y mapping — there are no Stack By, Low/High fields. Waterfall-specific settings (Negative Color, Total Color) come in Step 5.
Wizard route: /cartography/add/axisconfig
Prerequisite
A Compass record must have been selected in Step 3 and the query result loaded.
1. Screen Layout
On the left are dropdowns (X, Y); on the right is the Data Preview table showing the first rows of the query result.
2. X Axis
| Field | Description | Typical for Waterfall |
|---|---|---|
| X Axis Type | Data type of the X axis | CategoryAxis (categorical label) |
| X Axis Column | Column to bind to the X axis | category, step_name |
X Axis Type for Waterfall
Waterfall almost always uses CategoryAxis — categories become text labels like "Opening", "Q1 Sales". DateTimeAxis does not fit the waterfall concept.
3. Y Axis
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Y Axis Type | NumericAxis (numeric) |
| Y Axis Column | Column to which the delta value is bound |
Y Column Must Be Numeric
Waterfall only works with numeric delta values. Guarantee this on the SQL side with CAST(delta AS NUMERIC).
Negative Values
Leave negative deltas as they are (-120, -80). In Step 5, Negative Value Color will display them in a different color.
4. Data Preview Validation
The Data Preview on the right shows that the X and Y columns are correctly bound. Check:
- Are the categories in the X column in the correct order? (Opening, Q1, Q2, ..., Total)
- Is the Y column numeric?
- Are negative values returning as negative?
5. Confirmation
When you click the Next button at the top right, the axis assignment is validated.