Formatting Settings


You can change the formatting from a number of different places within your analysis, but if you do it on the column level rather than in each visualization, you get the same formatting at all places where the column is used. The Category list displays the available categories for the selected column, axis or data type depending on whether you are changing formatting settings on column level, visualization level, or default settings level, respectively. Each category in this list has separate settings, as shown below. What categories are available depends on the data type of the selected column. For general information about formatting, see Formatting Overview.

Option

Description

General

A general, non-configurable format, with a variable number of decimals and no thousands separator. The number is converted to the most compact of either fixed-point or scientific notation. A minus sign is always used for negative values.

Examples:

1

12345

1.23456E-6

-12345

Currency

A number format for currencies. A currency culture may be other than the current culture. In this case number formatting is according to current culture, but currency symbol and pattern is defined by the specified currency culture.

Examples:

$ 1234.45

¥1,234

-1,234.45 kr

($ 1,234.45)

      Decimals

Specifies the number of decimals (0-15) to display. An additional alternative (Auto) is also available. If you select (Auto), the number of decimals will be different from one number to another since trailing zeros will not be included.

Examples:

1,234.560700 (Six decimals)

1,234.560 (Three decimals)

1,234.56 (Two decimals)

1,234.5607 (Auto)

      Use thousands separator

Specifies whether to use a thousands separator (digit grouping symbol in Windows Regional Settings) or not. The grouping symbol cannot be explicitly specified (only through Windows Regional Settings).

      Currency

Specifies the currency type (kr, £, $, etc.) and placement.

      Negative numbers

Specifies the pattern used for displaying negative numbers [-1.23 or (1.23)]. Note:  The negative number format setting in Windows Regional Settings is ignored.

      Use short number format

Use this option if you want to shorten numerical values to take up less space. For example, 1,000 can be formatted to 1k. Select which symbol set to use from the drop-down list. To learn more, see Short Number Format.

Percentage

A percentage number format, where percentage symbol and format pattern is culture specific. The converted number is multiplied by 100 in order to be presented as percentage. A minus sign is always used for negative values.

Examples:

100.00 %

- 99 %

      Decimals

Specifies the number of decimals (0-15) to display. An additional alternative (Auto) is also available. If you select (Auto), the number of decimals will be different from one number to another since trailing zeros will not be included.

Examples:

1,234.560700 (Six decimals)

1,234.560 (Three decimals)

1,234.56 (Two decimals)

1,234.5607 (Auto)

      Use thousands separator

Specifies whether to use a thousands separator (digit grouping symbol in Windows Regional Settings) or not. The grouping symbol cannot be explicitly specified (only through Windows Regional Settings).

Scientific

A number format for scientific notation with a fixed number of decimals. A minus sign is always used for negative values.

Examples:

1.00000E+099

5.6E-001

-5.6E-001

      Decimals

Specifies the number of decimals to display (0-15).

      Use engineering notation

Use this option to write the scientific number format with the exponent of 10 always expressed as a multiple of three.

Examples:

-12.35E+003

12.35E+006

Number

A configurable number format.

Examples:

1234.45

1,234.45

-1,234.45

(1,234.45)

      Decimals

Specifies the number of decimals (0-15) to display. An additional alternative (Auto) is also available. If you select (Auto), the number of decimals will be different from one number to another since trailing zeros will not be included.

Examples:

1,234.560700 (Six decimals)

1,234.560 (Three decimals)

1,234.56 (Two decimals)

1,234.5607 (Auto)

      Use thousands separator

Specifies whether to use a thousands separator (digit grouping symbol in Windows Regional Settings) or not. The grouping symbol cannot be explicitly specified (only through Windows Regional Settings).

      Negative numbers

Specifies the pattern used for displaying negative numbers [-1.23 or (1.23)].

Note:  The negative number format setting in Windows Regional Settings is ignored.

      Use short number format

Use this option if you want to shorten numerical values to take up less space. For example, 1,000 can be formatted to 1k. Select which symbol set to use from the drop-down list. To learn more, see Short Number Format.

DatePart

Specifies that the column contains a date part and allows you to show the date part value as a string instead of a number, where applicable.

     Type

Specifies the type of date part that the column contains.

Examples:

Quarter

Month

Week

Day of Week

Hour

Custom

A highly configurable number format, which supports custom format specifiers (similar to Excel).

Examples:

(1.234E+099)

999,999.00 Dollars

      Format string

Allows you to specify a custom format string. For details on how you can write these strings, see the Custom Formatting of Numeric Columns page.

Text

A text format used for strings. It cannot be configured.

DateTime

A format which can be used to display dates, times or both dates and times.

      Type

Allows you to select the form on which the date and/or time should be displayed from a predefined list (what you will see in the list is dependent on the locale).

Examples:

• Short date: 10/16/2009

• Long date: Friday, October 16, 2009

• Short time: 3:25 PM

• Long time: 3:25:55 PM

• Short date/short time: 10/16/2009 3:25 PM

• Short date/long time: 10/16/2009 3:25:55 PM

• Long date/short time: Friday, October 16, 2009 3:25 PM

• Long date/long time: Friday, October 16, 2009 3:25:55 PM

• Month day: October 16

• RFC1123 : Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:25:55 GMT

• Sortable (ISO 8601): 2009-10-16T15:25:55

• Year month: October, 2009

      Custom

Allows you to specify a custom format string. For details on how you can write these strings, see the Custom Formatting of Date and Time Columns  page.

Examples:

"d" Short date pattern

"T" Long time pattern

"G" General date/time pattern

Date

A format which can be used to display dates.

      Type

Allows you to select the form on which the date should be displayed from a predefined list (what you will see in the list is dependent on the locale).

Examples:

• 10/16/2009

• Friday, October 16, 2009

• October 16

• October, 2009

• 16/Oct/09

• 16/Oct/2009

• 16-Oct-09

• 16-Oct-2009

Custom

Allows you to specify a custom format string. For details on how you can write these strings, see the Custom Formatting of Date and Time Columns page.

Time

A format which can be used to display times.

      Type

Allows you to select the form on which the time should be displayed from a predefined list (what you will see in the list is dependent on the locale).

Examples:

• Short time: 8:32 AM

• Long time: 8:32:24 AM

      Custom

Allows you to specify a custom Time format string. For details on how you can write these strings, see the Custom Formatting of Date and Time Columns page.

TimeSpan

A format which can be used to display time spans.

      Type

Allows you to select the form on which the time span should be displayed from a predefined list.

Examples:

• 25 d

• 25 d 09 h 03 m 07 s 015 ms

• 25 days 09 hours 03 minutes 07 seconds 015 milliseconds

• 25.9:3:7:015

• 09:03:07.015

Custom

Allows you to specify a custom TimeSpan format string. For details on how you can write these strings, see the Custom Formatting of TimeSpan Columns page.

Boolean

A format used to display boolean data.

      Type

Allows you to select the form on which the boolean values should be displayed.

Examples:

• True / False

• 1 / 0

Sample

Displays a sample of what a value in the column would look like with the current settings applied.

See also:

Formatting Overview

Axis Formatting

Column Properties - Formatting

Short Number Format

Cross Table Properties - Formatting

Bar Chart Properties - Formatting

Line Chart Properties - Formatting

Parallel Coordinate Plot Properties - Formatting

Scatter Plot Properties - Formatting

3D Scatter Plot Properties - Formatting

Box Plot Properties - Formatting

Combination Chart Properties - Formatting

Data Types