Visualization
Chart types, the GUI builder, and pivot tables
Every question in MinusX can be displayed as a table or chart. The visualization builder lets you configure how your data is presented — no code required.
Chart types
| Type | Best for |
|---|---|
| Table | Raw data, detailed records |
| Line | Trends over time |
| Bar | Comparing categories |
| Combo | Mixing chart types (e.g. bars + line) |
| Area | Trends with volume emphasis |
| Scatter | Correlations between measures |
| Funnel | Sequential stage drop-off |
| Pie | Part-of-whole breakdowns |
| Pivot Table | Cross-tabulation with aggregation |
| Trend | Single KPI with trend direction |
| Waterfall | Incremental positive/negative changes |
Per-type notes
Table — displays raw query results with sortable columns. Supports column formatting for custom display names, number formatting, and date formatting.
Line / Bar / Area / Scatter — standard charts powered by ECharts. Support all general settings: dual-axis, annotations, tooltip columns, stacking (bar and area), and marker sizing (scatter and line).
Combo — mixed bar + line chart. The first Y column renders as bars, all remaining Y columns render as lines. Requires at least 2 Y columns and at least 1 X column.
Waterfall — cascade chart showing cumulative positive and negative changes. Requires exactly 1 X column and 1 Y column.
Trend — metric cards showing the current value and a percentage change vs. the previous value. No axis configuration — just add Y columns for the metrics you want to track. Supports column formatting for prefixes, suffixes, and decimal points.
Funnel / Pie — categorical charts. Both require exactly 1 X column and 1 Y column.
Pivot Table — see Pivot Tables below.
GUI Builder
The chart builder uses a drag-and-drop interface:
- X-axis — drag grouping dimension columns here
- Y-axis — drag measure columns here (aggregated with SUM by default)
Charts update in real time as you configure axes. Switch between chart types with a single click.
Multiple dimensions
For charts with multiple X columns:
- Line / Bar / Area / Scatter — reorders columns by cardinality automatically
- Pie / Funnel — preserves your original column order
General Viz Settings
All chart types (except table and trend) support these configurable settings via the visualization toolbar.
Column formatting
Per-column display formatting — available on all chart types including tables:
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alias | Custom display name override | total_revenue → "Total Revenue" |
| Decimal points | Number of decimal places (0–4) | 1234.5678 → 1,234.57 |
| Date format | Date display format | ISO, US, EU, short, month-year, year |
| Prefix | String prepended to values | $, €, £ |
| Suffix | String appended to values | %, k, units |
Style
Customize the visual appearance of your chart:
- Series colors — override individual series colors from the palette
- Opacity — adjust series opacity (0.1 to 1.0)
- Marker size — control point size on scatter, line, and combo charts (4–30px)
- Stacked mode — stack series on bar and area charts instead of side-by-side
Axis configuration
Control axis scales, ranges, and layout:
- Scale type — switch between linear and logarithmic scale (X and Y axes)
- Range bounds — set explicit min/max values for X and Y axes
- Y-axis title — custom label for the Y axis
- Dual-axis mode — enable a second Y axis on the right side. When enabled, drag columns to the Right Y-axis drop zone. Left and right axes scale independently.
X-axis scale settings are only available on scatter charts. All other chart types use categorical X axes.
Annotations
Add reference labels anchored to specific data points — available on line, bar, area, and scatter charts:
- Anchor to an X-axis value and optionally a specific series
- Add a text label that displays on the chart
- Maximum 8 annotations per chart
Tooltip columns
Drag additional columns to the Tooltip drop zone to include them in hover tooltips without affecting the chart's data aggregation. Useful for showing supporting context (e.g., customer name alongside a revenue figure).
Pivot Tables
Pivot tables have a specialized three-axis configuration:
| Axis | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rows | Dimension columns for row headers |
| Columns | Dimension columns for column headers |
| Values | Measures with per-value aggregation function |
Aggregation functions
Each value column can use: SUM, AVG, COUNT, MIN, or MAX
Features
- Nested headers — multi-level row and column grouping
- Subtotals — automatic subtotal rows at group boundaries
- Collapsible groups — toggle on subtotal rows to expand/collapse
- Heatmap — teal gradient coloring for visual emphasis
- Grand totals — row and column totals
Row & column formulas
When you have two or more dimension values in your rows or columns, you can create derived rows/columns computed from existing ones using arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /).
For example, if your pivot has "Revenue" and "Cost" as row dimensions, you can add a formula row for "Profit" = Revenue − Cost. Formulas support multi-level dimensions with parent value scoping.
AI-powered visualization
The agent can configure charts for you:
- "Show this as a line chart by month"
- "Make a pivot table with region as rows and quarter as columns"
- "Switch to a bar chart"
- "Add an annotation at the peak value"
- "Enable dual-axis with revenue on the left and count on the right"
- "Format the revenue column with a $ prefix and 2 decimal points"