Two metrics widget

A Two metrics widget shows two metrics over time in one chart, for the dashboard’s date range. Each metric has its own axis, scale and number format. So a large metric and a small metric show well together, for example sent volume and CTOR.

The Two metrics widget is in the KPI category, with the Card, Graph and Tab.

When to use two metrics

Use the Two metrics widget when you want to see how two metrics change over the same days, for example sent volume and revenue, or sent volume and complaints.

The widget shows the two metrics side by side. It does not calculate whether they move together. For other questions, use a different widget:

• One metric over time: use a Graph.
• One metric split into groups: use a Graph with a Group by, or a Donut.
• Three or more related metrics: use a Tab.

How the chart reads

The primary metric uses the left axis. The secondary metric uses the right axis. The gridlines follow the left axis. When one axis starts at zero, the other axis also starts at zero.

Above the chart, each metric has one row: a swatch in its colour, its name, its value and its change against the comparison period. The primary metric is on the left, the secondary metric on the right.

On a line chart, each metric is a line. On a bar chart, the primary metric shows as bars and the secondary metric shows as a line. Two sets of bars on two scales are difficult to compare, so the widget never draws them.

Point to a date to see its tooltip. The tooltip shows the date range once, then the value of each metric in its own number format.

Compare with an earlier period

When the dashboard has a comparison period, the row above the chart shows the change of each metric. The chart does not draw the comparison period as a line.

The change is green when the metric moves in the good direction, and red when it moves in the bad direction.

Set up the widget

To add the widget, open the widget gallery. In the KPI category, select Two metrics. A new widget shows Sent and Revenue as a line chart.

The settings are:

• Dataset: the data for the chart.
• Period by: the date field the chart uses. It shows only when the dataset has more than one date field.
• Filter: optional. The filter applies to the widget, together with the dashboard’s global filters.
• Primary metric: the metric on the left axis.
• Secondary metric: the metric on the right axis.
• Swap axes: the button next to the two fields changes the primary and the secondary metric. The colours stay with the axes.
• Type: a line chart or a bar chart.
• Granularity: Auto, Day, Week or Month.
• Autoscale percentage metrics: shows only when one of the metrics is a percentage. Yes: the percentage axis zooms to the data, so small changes show clearly. When the other axis starts at zero, the percentage axis also starts at zero, so only its top changes. No: the percentage axis shows 0–100%.
• Primary color: the colour of the primary metric.
• Secondary color: the colour of the secondary metric. Automatic selects a colour that is clearly different from the primary colour. You can also select one of the preset colours.

The widget always shows two metrics, so you cannot remove one. To show a different metric, select it in its field. When the widget does not have two metrics it can show, for example because a metric was removed from the dataset, it shows “Pick two metrics”.

The widget has no Group by. To split a metric into groups, use a Graph.

You open, name and save the widget in the same way as all widgets. See Dashboards.