Enhance Data Visualization with Bold BI Widgets by Displaying the Numerical Value of the Month

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When analyzing time-series data in Bold BI, it is advantageous to visualize the data according to the numerical value of the month within the year. This can be achieved either by using the Custom Date Format option or creating an expression column within your data source that extracts the month number from a date field. This article will guide you through the process of displaying data by month in your Bold BI widgets.

Using Custom Date Format Option

Custom date format support is only applicable for chart and grid widgets.

To display the month number using the Custom Date Format option, follow these steps:

Configure the chart widget with the required value field and bind the date field in the Column(s) section and set its format as Month.
In the Settings menu, select the Edit option. This will open the Date Settings pop-up. Here, you can choose the desired format for the month number. You can select a format that displays the month as '1, 2, 3, ...' or with leading zeros like '01, 02, 03, ...'. After selecting the format, click on Ok to apply it.
The widget will now render the data based on the format you have applied. The month numbers will be displayed according to the chosen format.

Using Expression Column Option

In order to display data based on the Month Number of a specific date field, you can utilize an expression column in your data source. To do this, follow these steps:

Create a Data Source:
Begin by creating the data source that you will use for your widget. Ensure that it includes the date field you want to analyze.
Create an Expression Column:
Within your data source, create an expression column to extract the Month Number from your date field. Use the following syntax:
```
MONTH([Date Field])
```
Replace [Date Field] with the actual field name that contains the date information in your data source.
Bind the Columns to the Widget:
After creating the expression column, you need to bind it to your chart widget:
- Bind the measure column (the data you want to analyze) to the Value field of the chart widget.
- Bind the expression column (the one that contains the Month Number) to the Column section of the chart widget.
- Once configured, the widget will render the data with the respective Month Number, allowing for an easy month-over-month comparison or trend analysis.