Displaying and Handling Empty Data Points in Charts

When creating charts, there are instances where data points may contain null or empty values. By default, these points are not displayed, which can lead to gaps or misinterpretations in data visualization. This article explains how to handle and display these empty data points using various settings and options.

1. Show Items With No Data

• By default, charts do not display columns or data points that have null or empty values.
• If you want the chart to display columns with null or empty values, enable the Show Items With No Data property. This will ensure that even data points with no data are represented in the chart.
  
  

Example:

• Without “Show Items With No Data” Enabled:
  
  
• With “Show Items With No Data” Enabled:
  
  

2. Empty Point Mode

• The Empty Point Mode property allows you to control how empty or null data points are displayed in the chart. This feature provides several modes to handle empty data points effectively.

Empty Point Mode Options:

1. Gap:

   • Displays the null or undefined values as gaps in the chart. No value is plotted for these points.
   

2. Zero:

   • Displays the null or undefined values as zero on the chart’s axis
   

3. Average:

   • Displays the null or undefined values as the average of adjacent data points.
   

4. Connect:

   • Ignores the empty values and connects the remaining points directly, effectively smoothing out the chart.
   

Conclusion

Handling empty data points in charts is crucial for accurate data visualization. The settings discussed allow you to either highlight these points by displaying them or smooth out the data by connecting surrounding points. Choose the appropriate mode based on your specific data visualization needs to ensure clarity and precision in your charts.

Additional References

• Show Items With No Data
• Empty Point Mode