Overview
A Pyramid Chart renders dataset values as stacked horizontal bands forming a triangular shape. Each band represents one Dimension value; the band’s width corresponds to the Measure value; each band is colored independently with a legend below the chart mapping Dimension values to colors. The Measure value is rendered as text on the band itself. Pyramid Charts are useful for rank-ordered magnitude comparison across a moderate-cardinality categorical Dimension, with the triangular shape carrying the analytical narrative of decreasing or increasing values from one end of the pyramid to the other.
Pyramid Charts are authored from Lens → Design → Chart Designer → Visualization → Pyramid Chart.
When to use it
- Rank-ordered magnitude comparison across a moderate-cardinality categorical Dimension.
- Visualizations where the triangular shape adds narrative weight — performance pyramids, top-N rankings, descending or ascending totals.
- Five to fifteen Dimension values where the pyramid retains readable band heights.
- Cases where a Bar Chart would be flat and the triangular form adds visual differentiation.
Properties tab — inherited from Bar Chart
The Properties panel exposes the following groups inherited from Bar Chart. Axis-related properties (X-Axis, Y-Axis, Multi-Axis, Bar Shape, Zooming and Panning) do not appear on Pyramid Chart as the chart does not use rectangular axes.
| Title | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Legend | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Tooltip Options | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Background | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Label Position | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Padding | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Cumulative Data | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Adhoc Report | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
Columns tab — inherited
Columns tab settings inherit from the Bar Chart.
| Display Name | Bar Chart PD → Columns tab |
| Data Format | Bar Chart PD → Columns tab |
| Drilldown | Bar Chart PD → Columns tab |
| Groups | Bar Chart PD → Columns tab |
Key behaviors
Triangular stack of horizontal bands. Each Dimension value renders as one horizontal band; the band’s width is proportional to its Measure value. The bands stack vertically. The chart’s outline is determined by the largest band (the base of the pyramid) and tapers as Measure values decrease, producing the triangular shape.
Per-band coloring via the default categorical palette. Each Dimension value gets a distinct color from the default palette, with the legend below the chart showing the Dimension-to-color mapping. The colors are categorical (no inherent ordering) — same coloring scheme as Bar Chart’s per-bar palette when categorical colors are in use.
Measure value labels on bands. Each band carries its Measure value as text directly on the band. Narrow bands at the apex may compress the text or render it outside the band; the inherited Label Position property may help.
Use Pyramid for rank-ordered triangular display; Funnel for stage-by-stage drop-off; Bar Chart for direct value comparison. All three render a Measure across a categorical Dimension. Pyramid emphasizes the triangular visual — useful when the rank order’s narrative carries the analytical story.