How to Add a Goal Line or Goal Area to a Chart

What is a Goal Line or Goal Area

A Goal Line is a horizontal strip line displayed on the plot of a vertical Column or Cartesian chart. Or a vertical strip line on the plot of a horizontal Bar chart. The Goal Line is usually drawn with some light gray color and has one Y value. Its styles are defined by the chart’s theme. It is highlighted by a “Goal Line” text label.

A Goal Area or Goal Range is a horizontal strip band displayed on the plot of a vertical Column or Cartesian chart. Or a vertical strip area on the plot of a horizontal Bar chart. The Goal Area is usually filled with some light gray color and drawn between two Y values. Its styles are defined by the chart’s theme. It is highlighted by a “Goal Area” text label.

A chart may have only one Goal Line or Goal Area. Our Goal Area is actually determined by two Goal Line settings added to the chart.

Goal Lines or Areas help understand how far or how close some dynamic chart values are from a target line or interval.

Steps to Create a Goal Line or Goal Area

Start Visual Xtractor or Data Xtractor. Connect to a database. Create or design a SQL query. Run the query and check the results.

1. Display and enable the Chart query builder.
2. Make the required type selections for your actual chart.
3. Add one Helper Charts – Goal Line selection on a constant numeric column.
4. For a Goal Area, add another Goal Line on a column with one constant numeric value.

How to Add a Goal Line to a Chart

The following simple single-series Bar chart can be created the usual way: select one Bar chart type for a numeric data column, with an optional Label.

A Goal Line selection must be set on another column with a constant numeric value. Here below a Goal Line is drawn at the 3.20 Y value on the Bar chart. The Goal Line is not selectable and will be automatically hidden with the grid.

How to Add a Goal Area to a Chart

Add another similar Goal Line selection, to another column with constant numeric value, to define a Goal Area or Goal Range between the two Goal Lines. The plot below draws such a strip band between 3.20 and 4.50 on the vertical Y axis of the Bar chart. The Goal Area is not selectable and will be automatically hidden with the grid.

Look for the ready-to-use Column Chart with Goal Area generated chart query under the Queries > Demo Queries > Charts > Bar Charts folder. Click on the “add demo queries” command link, to make sure it’s there.

Conclusion

• Adding a Goal Line to a chart in Data Xtractor or Visual Xtractor is fast and intuitive: just set one constant numeric column as Goal Line.
• To draw a Goal Area instead, set another constant numeric column as Goal Line.
• Either a Goal Line or a Goal Area can be added to most Bar charts and the Cartesian charts.