Combining Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs in Panels and Series in OnePager Charts for Version 8.0
Combining Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs in Panels and Series in OnePager Charts for Version 8.0 (P80-7_3_1_6-80-04122026.docx)
Introduction
Illustrations used in this article are from OnePager Pro Add-in and Standalone using data from Microsoft Project, however, Graphs & Data Cells features, functions, controls, and editing apply equally to other OnePager Add-in and Standalone editions that import from data sources like Microsoft Excel, Smartsheet, Oracle Primavera P6, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, and Wrike. At present Microsoft Planner source plans do not provide time-series data that can be processed and displayed by the Graphs & Data Cells feature of OnePager. At present, Microsoft Planner source plans do not provide time-series data that can be processed and displayed by the Graphs & Data Cells feature of OnePager.
This article describes methods for combining Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs in the Chart using multiple Panels and Series within Panels.
OnePager has powerful capabilities to display simple Column Graphs (I.e., Column Graphs using one source plan field’s data). Column graphs can be Vertically and Horizontally Pivoted based on some other imported source plan field that applies to all imported task bars such as Resource Names. All other Graphs (i.e., Line, Area, Column, Smooth Line, and Smooth Area) can only be Vertically Pivoted. Accordingly, the Column Graphs provide many opportunities to display relevant data that best supports your schedule conversation needs.
This article presents most of the options available for rendering Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs in the OnePager Chart. Since Column Graphs can be both Horizontally and Vertically Pivoted in the same Series, an example is provided here. Vertical Pivoting of Column Graphs are described in articles referenced at the end of this article.
Pivoted Graphs
OnePager has the capability to help you create Pivoted graphs where another imported field is used as the basis of the Pivoting operation. OnePager supports Horizontally and Vertically Pivoted Graphs for the Graph types shown in the table below:
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Preparing Source Plan Data for Vertical or Horizontal Pivoting
It is important to understand how OnePager gathers the information from your source plan in order to create a Vertically or Horizontally Pivoted Graph in the configurations shown in the above table. This sub-section details that gathering process.
Caution 1 – Selecting Pivot Fields Where There Are Unwanted/Irrelevant Values
When you set up the controls in the Graph ‘’Vertical’’ or ‘’Horizontal’’ Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form and click the OK button on the form, OnePager uses the field (column) you selected in the form’s dropdown list to return to the source plan and build one Conditional Formatting Rule for EVERY value found in the source plan for the selected Pivoting field (column).
As a result, and depending on the selected Pivoting field’s type and the extent that it is populated in the source plan, OnePager may create a large set of Conditional Formatting Rules in the form’s grid. We recommend that the grid in the Graph “Vertical” or “Horizontal” Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form be carefully reviewed so that entries that are not necessary for the specific goals and objectives of your Chart are turned OFF before the Pivoting operation is started. That is before you click the OK button on the completed Graph “Vertical” or “Horizontal” Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form.
Caution 2 – Selecting Pivot Fields Where Values are Unconstrained
To emphasize this further, we recommend that fields (columns) selected for Pivoting be chosen where there are a relatively small number of unique values, say a handful, which become used and displayed in the Pivoted Graph Panels. For example, recommended choices are fields such as those related to Resources (names or groups) and most Text fields where the number of individual unique contents are constrained. Poor choices, in our opinion, include any Date fields, Percent Complete fields, or Numeric fields where the contents may be unlimited.
For more information on using the Pivoting controls available in OnePager, please see the article listed in the table below:
| Using Pivot Properties Controls for Graphs in OnePager 7.3.21-80 |
Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph Options
As a quick review of the Graphs & Data Cells feature, recall that OnePager supports three Panels for Graphs & Data Cells and within the Graphs mode, OnePager supports three Series for each of the three Panels as shown below in the Chart Properties form’s Graph & Data Cells tab:
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Selecting the Column Graph enables the Series Style dropdown where you can access the Standard OnePager Color Chooser form to select the color of the un-pivoted Column Graph. Also enabled is the Pivot Series A button below the Series Style dropdown which we’ll see later is employed to pivot the Column Graph based on another imported field from the source plan.
Single Column Graph
Using a typical Microsoft Project source plan containing a Cost column, clicking Apply or OK on the above form produces a Chart like this:
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There are additional controls in the Graphs & Data Cells tab to manage the Y-Axis, the Graph Legend, and the Borders but these controls are addressed elsewhere and can be accessed by going to the Related Links section at the end of this article.
Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph – Single Panel, Single Series
For our purposes here, with the Pivot Series A button enabled, click to access the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel 1, Series A form which first appears as a Vertically Pivoting form. Click the Horizontal Pivot tab and the combination of Chart and forms looks like this:
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Next, check the Horizontal Pivot with field checkbox ON and access the dropdown list as shown here:
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With Resource Names selected as the Horizontal Pivot field, OnePager creates the conditional formatting rules required to set up the Horizontally Pivoted Cost data based on Resource Names as shown below:
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Click the OK button to close the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel 1, Series A form. If you now click the Apply/OK button on the Chart Properties form’s Graphs & Data Cells form, the Chart is updated to show the Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph based on Resource Names as shown here:
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You can easily examine this Conditional Formatting Rules by again clicking the Pivot Series A button in the Chart Properties form’s Graphs & Data Cells tab. When this is done, the updated Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel 1, Series A form looks like this:
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In the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel 1, Series A form’s Conditional Formatting Rules grid, like other OnePager Conditional Formatting Rules grids you have the option to edit all the columns in the rows with the exception of the Pivot Field column. Editing the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel 1, Series A form’s Conditional Formatting Rules grid is like editing any other OnePager Conditional Formatting Rules grid for Operator, Value, Graph Series Style (color), Legend Text, and Priority.
As an example, suppose the color for the top rule is change to the color black as illustrated below:
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The results in the Graph Area look like this:
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The single Column Graph Pivoted on a single field (column) demonstrates the simplest of ways to represent cost data with Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs. OnePager provides three Series within a Panel for the Graph Mode and that capability allows you to make side-by-side representations of cost data Pivoted on up to three different imported fields.
Please note that when the grid in either of the Graph Vertical/Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #n, Series y form is populated, they can be edited in a fashion identical to any other Conditional Formatting rule available in OnePager, with the exception that the Pivot Field cannot be edited.
In the sub-sections below are examples of Horizontally Pivoted Column Graphs with double panels with single and double Series of Column Graphs Horizontally Pivoted with single and double fields (columns).
Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph – Single Panel, Double Series
Splay Horizontally
We can expand on the example in the previous sub-section where a Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph of Cost was created using Resource Names as the Pivot field for Series A. Suppose, in addition to Resource Names as a representation of Cost we also want to show Horizontally Pivoted Cost data based on the Phases of the project as provided in the Task30 column of the source plan. This can be done by extending the controls to Panel #1 - Series B as shown below:
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Above, the Panel #1, Series B is enabled by checking the Series B checkbox ON. Then, the Graph Type dropdown is selected and the Column Graph option is chosen. Notice also that when the Series B checkbox is selected and the ''''Graph Type is selected the Column Graph that the Combine Series controls is also enabled. For this case, the Splay Horizontally radio button is selected.
Next, the Pivot Series B button is clicked to access the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series B form. The Horizontal Pivot sub-tab is clicked and followed by enabling the Pivot Horizontally with field checkbox by checking it ON. Finally, the Text30 field is selected. When the OK button on the form is clicked, the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series B form is updated by OnePager to look like this:
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After clicking OK on the above form, clicking OK/Apply on the Chart Properties form produces the Splayed Horizontally Cost Column Graphs based on Resource Names and Phases (Text30) as shown below:
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General Cautions
Although the Graph Area above for Panel #1 contains Horizontally Pivoted and Horizontally Splayed Column Graphs for Series A and B, this configuration is not recommended because it may become difficult to distinguish between the two Series in the single Panel.
OnePager provides a warning message should you attempt to create two or more Series in Panel configured as Vertically Pivoted Column graphs as shown in the illustration below:
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It is not recommended that you use different field units for multiple Series in the same Panel as this is not supported by OnePager.
Stack Vertically
As an alternative way to display Series A and Series B, you can click the Stack Vertically radio button in the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab’s Data Source(s) control group to rearrange the two Series into a more compact representation. The Chart Properties form with this setting is shown below:
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Since in the previous example, the Pivot Series A and Series B were Pivoted Horizontally, it is necessary to re-access the two Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A and B forms and make the change to Vertical Pivoting by clicking their respective Vertical Pivot sub-tabs and making the Field (column) selections as described above. When this is done, the now Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A and Series B forms look like this:
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After reconfiguring the Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A and Series B forms and clicking OK on each, you can click the OK/Apply button in the Chart Properties form and OnePager represents the Stack Vertically configuration as shown here:
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Again, it’s not recommended that you use different field units for multiple Series in the same Panel as this is not supported by OnePager.
If you find that the colors for the two Series are not sufficient different to clearly show in the Vertical Stacking, you have the option to return to the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab, access the Graph Vertical Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form and use the OnePager Standard Color Chooser form accessed by clicking the individual cells in the Graph Series Style column of the form and change the Palette and the colors.
Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph – Double Panel, Single Series
Another way to represent multiple series in the Graph Area is to use a single Series in two or more Panels. Suppose we do this for the example used in the previous sub-section by creating a Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph for Cost Pivoted by Resource Names in Panel #1, Series A and a Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph for Cost Pivoted by Phases (Text30) in Panel #2, Series A. The Graphs/Data Cells tab in the Chart Properties form for the two Panels look like these:
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The steps for creating the Horizontal Pivoting for each Panel are not repeated here.
After establishing the settings for the two Column Graphs in Panel #1 and Panel #2, click the OK/Apply button on the Chart Properties form and the Graph Area look like this:
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Horizontally and Vertically Pivoting Column Graphs – Single Panel, Single Series
Recall that the Column Graph can be Horizontally and Vertically Pivoted. This doesn’t just mean that your options are for either Horizontal or Vertical Pivoting, it means that OnePager supports both Horizontal AND Vertical Pivoting in a single Series. Accordingly, the Graph Horizontal/Vertical Pivoting – Panel #n, Series x form supports both Horizontal and Vertical Pivoting as shown in the illustration below:
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Given these two options, you have the option to construct Column Graphs in a single Series that have the capability to be both Horizontally and Vertically Pivoted. This capability permits the display of information such as Cost associated with up to two fields (Columns) selected from your source plan. The remainder of this sub-section provides examples for applying this technique to Cost data Vertically and Horizontally Pivoted by Resource Names and Category (Risk) created from the source plan shown below:
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Creating the Basic Chart
The source plan illustration above titled “Product Launch Plan with Resources & Category” shows the Cost column along with the Resource Names and Category (Risk) columns that are planned to be used as Pivot fields. When OnePager is used to create a standard Chart from the source plan shown above and Text Columns are added to show the Resource Names, Category, and Cost associations with all imported task bars/milestone symbols, the Chart looks like this:
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Adding the Column Graph – Un-Pivoted
The Chart, shown above, provides Cost information on a task basis over the Product Launch Project’s timespan. It also informs on the associated Risks for each task in the source plan and the resources assigned to each task. Using the Column Graph, you can array Cost information along the timespan in increments of Years, Quarter, Months, and Days if such information is important to your schedule conversation. In the Chart shown below, the Column Graph of Cost is shown along the timespan in Year intervals for the sake of a clear demonstration and only Flagged tasks are used for imported Cost data. The Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab settings for the desired initial Chart are shown below for Panel #1, Series:
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Applying these settings to the Chart, the resulting initial Graph Area looks like this:
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The Chart with the Graph Area above is more informative in that it graphically displays the annual Cost expected to be accumulated for each of the Product Launch Plan Project’s three years for the tasks imported into the Chart.
Building the Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph – Cost Versus Resource Names
Suppose the schedule conversation advances to a discussion of resource costs. To support this, the illustration above can be enhanced by Horizontally Pivoting the Column Graph by Resource Names. To do this, return to the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab and click the Pivot Series A button to access the Graph Horizontal Pivot – Panel #1, Series A form shown at the beginning of this sub-section, click the Horizontal Pivot tab, then check the Pivot horizontally with field checkbox ON, and select Resource Names from the dropdown list. When these steps are performed, OnePager updates the form with the Conditional Formatting Rules that OnePager uses to create the Horizontally Pivoted Cost Graph by Resource Names as shown here:
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Clicking OK on the form shown above and Apply or OK on the Chart Properties form updates the Chart and the Graph Area as shown below:
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As planned, the Graph Area above shows the Annual Cost data arrayed Horizontally as Column Graphs for each Resource Names assigned to the Flagged tasks. OnePager automatically adds an X-Axis and updates the Panel’s Graph Legend. Edits were made to enhance the visibility of the Y-Axis tic-units and labels and the same was done for the Graph Legend title and Legend items.
Building the Vertically Pivoted Column Graph – Cost Versus Category (Risk)
Further, suppose that the schedule conversation dives into a discussion of how much risk is associated with each member of the team of Resources assigned to the Project. (Granted such attribution might be speculative to assess, but we use it here for illustration.) To do this with the above Chart containing a Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph based on Resource Names, we can Vertically Pivoting each Column Graph element in the Graph Area by Category or Risk. This requires going back to the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab, clicking the Pivot Series A button as before and accessing the previously used Graph Horizontal Pivot – Panel #1, Series A form we used to create the above Chart and Graph Area. When this is done, just click the Vertical Pivot tab and the form looks like this:
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The objective desired is to update the Graph Area currently containing a Horizontally Pivoted Column Graph with a Vertically Pivoted Column Graph of Cost based on Category (Risk). To do this, in the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab after clicking the Pivot Series A button to access the Graph Horizontal Pivot – Panel #1, Series A form shown above, clicking the Vertical Pivot tab, and checking the Pivot vertically with field checkbox ON, and select Category from the dropdown list. When these steps are performed, OnePager updates the form with the Conditional Formatting Rules that OnePager uses to create the Vertically Pivoted Cost Graph by Category as shown here:
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The colors selected by OnePager may not be the selection you need for the purpose of portraying Risk in terms of High, Medium, and Low. You have the option to left-click each Graph Series Style cell in each Conditional Formatting Rule which accesses the OnePager Standard Color Chooser form and use it to change the color in each cell as illustrated below for the High Conditional Formatting Rule:
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At this point in the edit process you also can click on the Standard palette dropdown list shown above and select a different color palette for the color update. After selecting the new color, the Color Choose form automatically closes.
For more information on the availability of different sets of Color Palettes in OnePager, please see the article in the table below:
| Gallery of Standard Color Palettes 29.4.1-80 |
Clicking OK on the Graph Horizontal Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A form shown above and the Apply or OK button on the Chart Properties form updates the Chart and the Graph Area as shown below:
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The enhanced Graph Area above displays the Cost data for the Flagged tasks Horizontally by Resource Names and Vertically by Category (Risk). The Y-Axis for each Yearly group of Resource Names contains their related Costs given by the Height of the Column Graph. Within each Column the colored segments reveal each Resource Names’ Costs related to their Risk component by the Height of each colored segment. Of interest, of course, are the High Risk segments which stand out in Red for years 2025 and 2026 for two Resource Names and four Resource Names, respectively.
OnePager automatically updates the Panel’s Graph Legend to reflect the current set of colors shown in the Panel.
Reversing the Pivoting Scheme
OnePager’s flexibility with Column Graphs supports the update of the above Vertically and Horizontally Pivoted Graph such that you can easily reverse the arrangement. In this case, you can update the Chart and Graph area by Horizontally Pivoting Cost by Category (Risk) and Vertically Pivoting Cost by Resource Names.
This reversal can be accomplished by once again accessing the Chart Properties form’s Graphs/Data Cells tab and clicking the Pivot Series A. Once the form is accessed, use the two tabs to make the changes to the Horizontal and Vertical tab so that they are reconfigured as shown below:
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When the reversed Graph Horizontal/Vertical Pivoting – Panel #1, Series A form is applied to the Chart, the Graph area is updated to look like this:
-02212026.png)
The reversed Graph Area above displays the Cost data for the Flagged tasks Horizontally Pivoted by Category (Risk) and Vertically by Resource Names. The Y-Axis for each Yearly group of Categories (Risks) contains their related Costs given by the Height of the Column Graph. Within each Column the colored segments reveal each Resource Names’ Costs related to their Risk component by the Height of each colored segment.
Again, OnePager automatically updates the Panel’s Graph Legend to reflect the current set of colors shown in the Panel.
Summary
This article specifically looks at Horizontal Pivoting in the Graph Area by demonstrating how a single Panel and single Series can be configured to show Cost data arrayed along the timeline in a Column Graph format with pivoting based on a single Field (Column) imported from the source plan. The example is further expanded to multiple Series in a single Panel to show how the Column Graph can be formatted to show Cost data in a Horizontally Splayed configuration and a Vertically Stacked configuration. Additionally, a simple example is provided to show how two Panels using a single Series each can display Cost data Horizontally Pivoted using two different Fields (Columns) imported from the source plan. Finally, examples are provided using the Column Graph to show how both Horizontal and Vertical Pivoting can be done in a single Panel and Series and how the “sense” of the Pivoting can be reversed.
Related Links
Links to Detailed Articles on Creating and Editing Graphs & Data Cells
The articles listed in the tables below provide detailed information on how to create and edit graphs & data cells using the OnePager Chart Editor. Illustrations use OnePager Pro, but the features’ work the same in OnePager Express and OnePager Bundle.
Links to Feature Overviews
| Cost and Work Graphs | Data Cells | Pivoted Graphs |
Links to Introductory Graphs & Data Cells Articles
| Getting Started (Portal) 3.0.0-80 | Using Graphs & Data Cells 4.0.1.17-80 |
Links to Detailed Graphs & Data Cell Articles
Links to Articles Supporting the Graphs & Data Cells Feature
| Conditional Formatting Rules for Horizontal & Vertical Pivoted Graphs 11.25.1-80 | Using Hover Boxes in the Chart & Graphs 13.1.1-80 |
| Graphs & Data Cells Tab 21.12.3-80 | Using Presentation Mode with OnePager 23.6.1-80 |
| Gallery of Standard Color Palettes 29.4.1-80 | Gallery of Graph Types and Series Styles 29.6.1-80 |
(7.3.1.6-80)