How to Create a Variable Size Doughnut Chart

What is a Variable Size Doughnut Chart

Also known as a Variable Radius Doughnut Chart, this type of graph is evolved from a regular single-series Doughnut Chart, with an additional measure that makes each slice also variable in radius. Numeric labels inside each slice still refer to the initial measure.

There are three popular variations, based on the radial position of the slices:

1. Inside Circle (by default) – when all slices start from the visible hole in the middle.
2. Outside Circle – when all slices start from the margin surrounding the shape.
3. Block Bar Doughnut – when each slice looks like a pipe inside the adjacent slices.

Steps to Create a Variable Size Doughnut Chart

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. Click on the Chart cell above the column whose numeric values you want to measure first. Select the Pie Charts – Doughnut menu item. With this, you get a regular Doughnut chart.
3. Click on the Chart cell above the column whose numeric values you want to generate slices variable in radius. Select the Size menu item. You now have a Variable Size Doughnut Chart.
4. You may also select a column as Label, whose values will appear as chart legend items.
5. Switch between the default Inside Circle, Outside Circle and Block Bar Doughnut options, for a different layout.

Variable Size Doughnut Demo Query

This is a great alternative to learn about and play with this type of chart, if you don’t want to create it from scratch.

Look for this ready-to-use generated query under the Queries > Demo Queries > Charts > Pie Charts folder. Click on the “add demo queries” command link to create it, if the Variable Size Doughnut demo query is not already there.

Generated demo queries must work for any database, with no restriction. They use constant values generated on-the-fly and your database SQL engine, but do not depend on data from your tables, and never alter your database in any way.

Customize your Variable Size Doughnut Chart

The chart toolbar at the bottom has many options you may change with one single click, to alter the resulting graph. Here is just an example of what you can further do with this type of chart:

1. Switch from the default Inside Circle to a Block Bar Doughnut Chart.
2. Select the Soft Edge drawing style, to make the slices appear as pipes.
3. Click on some legend items to hide and show back their slices.
4. Replace the Data Labels with Axis Labels (i.e. legend item values).
5. Collapse to hide the legend, as the axis labels appear now inside each slice.

Conclusion

• Creating Variable Size Doughnut Charts in Data Xtractor or Visual Xtractor is fast, simple and trivial: select two numeric columns as Doughnut and Size, with another as an optional Label, and that’s it!
• Switch between three different types of layout with one single click. Inside Circle, Outside Circle and Block Bar Doughnut are frequently seen as separate types of charts.
• Many builtin powerful features of these chart types are common to most other charts: filtering slices through the legend items, interactivity, monochrome or grayscale colors, data label selections etc.
• Switch to another builtin chart theme, or customize your own, for any possible color or other styles.