Docs · Visuals
Spread guide
The whole distribution behind the average.
Fields
| Field well | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Category | What to compare, such as Region. Optional: leave it out to see one distribution for everything. |
| Detail | The field that makes one value per row, such as Order ID or Date. |
| Value | The number to analyse, such as order value or delivery days. |
| Compare by (Pro) | Splits each category into one box per value, such as this year and last year, each in its own colour with a legend above the chart. |
Set it up
- Add Spread to the report page (see Install the visuals) and drag in the fields above.
- In Format › Layout, pick the chart: box plot, violin (Pro), box and beeswarm (Pro) or ridgeline (Pro).
- In Outliers, keep the standard 1.5 × IQR rule, or pick 3 × IQR, the 5th to 95th percentile or none (Pro).
- In Highlight, choose which row stands out: the widest spread, the highest or lowest median, or a category you name.
In the report
- Hover a row for the full numbers: count, minimum, quartiles, median, mean, maximum and number of outliers.
- Click a row to filter the rest of the report, and Ctrl+click to pick several.
- When you select something in another visual, Spread fades the full distribution and draws the selected part on top.
- It uses the report’s number formats, theme colours and light or dark background, and it works in high-contrast mode.
- You can use it from the keyboard, and screen readers get a full description of each row.
- English and Norwegian, following the language Power BI is set to.
Pro features
- Violin: the shape of the distribution, so you see where values bunch up and whether there are two peaks
- Box and beeswarm: every single value as a dot over the box (up to 2,000 per row)
- More outlier rules: only extreme outliers (3 × IQR), outside the 5th–95th percentile, or none
- Ridgeline: one curve per category, overlapping like a mountain range, so you can compare the shape of many categories in little space
- Grouped boxes: add a Compare by field to see, say, each region this year against last year, as boxes, violins, beeswarms or overlaid ridges
Pro features need a licence key for Spread or Everything, or a 14-day trial key. Without a valid key, a Pro option shows the free box plot instead, with Compare by left out, with a short notice above the chart and a “Try Pro free” button. Everything else keeps working. See Add your licence key.
Something not right?
Check Questions and answers, or write to support@getgrafpoint.com saying which visual and where the report runs (Desktop, the Power BI service or Report Server), with a screenshot made with sample data.