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Bar charts in the visualization editor

A bar chart displays data as vertical or horizontal bars. Use a bar chart to compare discrete categories. Select a Color field to split categories into subgroups, and add threshold lines to flag values higher or lower than a target.

Creating a bar chart

The following examples build on each other, starting with a basic chart and adding complexity. Before you begin, complete the prerequisites.

Basic bar chart

Start with an aggregation query that counts events by category:

source = opensearch_dashboards_sample_data_flights | stats count() by Carrier

After running this query, the visualization editor automatically selects a Bar chart and maps the fields:

  • The X-Axis displays the Carrier field.
  • The Y-Axis displays the count() field.

The result is a bar chart comparing the event count for each carrier, as shown in the following image.

Basic bar chart showing count by carrier

Grouped bar chart

Add a second dimension to your query to split each category into sub-groups:

source = opensearch_dashboards_sample_data_flights | stats count() by Carrier, Cancelled

This query groups the count by both carrier and the Cancelled field. Select Cancelled as the Color field to render a separate bar for each cancellation status within each carrier.

The result is a grouped bar chart in which each carrier has two bars side by side—one for non-canceled flights and one for canceled flights—making it easy to compare the flight counts for each cancellation status, as shown in the following image.

Grouped bar chart showing count by carrier and cancellation status

Adding thresholds

Use thresholds to add reference lines and color-code bars based on a target value.

Using the same grouped bar chart from the previous example, configure the settings panel:

  1. In the Bar section, enable Use threshold colors.
  2. In the Thresholds section, select + Add threshold.
  3. Set the base color to green (#00BD6B) and add a threshold at value 200 with a red color (#F13939).
  4. Set Threshold lines mode to Dashed lines, as shown in the following image.

Bar chart settings with threshold configured at 200

The result shows bars colored according to the threshold rules: bars below 200 appear green, while bars above 200 appear red. A dashed reference line at 200 provides a clear visual anchor, as shown in the following image.

Bar chart with threshold coloring and dashed reference line at 200

Configuring a bar chart

You can configure the following settings in the configuration panel.

Fields

In the Fields section, configure the fields displayed on each axis.

Field Description
X-Axis Select a categorical or date field that defines the groups along the horizontal axis (for example, Carrier).
Y-Axis Select one or more numeric fields that determine the height of the bars. When multiple fields are selected, each renders as a separate bar within each category group.
Color Select a categorical field to split each category into grouped bars, each rendered in a different color. For example, use a Cancelled field to show separate bars for canceled and non-canceled flights within each carrier.

Split

In the Split by dropdown list, select a field to split the chart into separate elements by value. For more information, see Split.

Bar

The following settings control the display style and sizing of bars.

Setting Description
Stack Controls how multiple series are displayed. None overlays the series without stacking. Stack adds series values together. Percentage stacks series as percentages of the total.
Fill opacity Sets the opacity of the bars.
Size Controls bar width. Auto sizes bars automatically. Manual sets a specific width percentage (1–100).
Radius Sets the corner rounding of each bar in pixels.
Show values Shows value labels on the chart.
Use threshold colors When enabled, the chart colors bars based on the threshold rules defined in the Thresholds section.
Show border When enabled, adds a border around each bar.
Border width Sets the border thickness in pixels. This setting is available when Show border is enabled.
Border color Sets the border color. This setting is available when Show border is enabled.

Bucket

The following settings control how data is aggregated within each bar.

Setting Description
Type The aggregation type used to calculate the value for each bucket. Supported values: Sum, Average, Min, Max, Count.
Interval The time interval for grouping data into buckets. Supported values: Auto, Month, Day, Hour, Minute, Second.

Thresholds

For information about configuring thresholds, see Thresholds.

Standard options

For information about configuring units, unit suffixes, decimal precision, and minimum and maximum values, see Standard options.

Axes

The X-axis and Y-axis share the same configuration options. For more information, see Axes.

Legend

For information about configuring the legend, see Legend.

Tooltip

Toggle the Show tooltip selector to enable or disable tooltips.

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