Time series widgets

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Time series widgets

    Time series widgets in the Yokohama release display changes in indicator scores over time, highlighting trends or specific score values. They support visualizations of single or multiple indicators for identifying trends, patterns, outliers, turning points, and relationships between indicators. These widgets use uniformly timed measurements, making them ideal for time-based analysis.

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    Note that time series widgets are part of the Core UI front end and have limited support in Platform Analytics dashboards or UI Builder pages, primarily in compatibility mode. This feature is in maintenance mode, with only security fixes being applied going forward. For building components in Platform Analytics, customers should use the dedicated data visualization and filtering options provided there.

    Practical Use Cases

    • Detecting trends and patterns in indicator scores over time.
    • Identifying turning points such as policy impacts on scores.
    • Evaluating relationships or divergences between multiple indicators.

    Key Visualizations and Their Uses

    Selecting the right visualization depends on whether you want to emphasize score trends or specific changes, and whether to display one or multiple indicators. The main visualization types include:

    • Line: Connects data points with straight lines, emphasizing trends. This is the default and recommended choice if unsure.
    • Spline: Connects data points with a smooth curve, useful for approximating values between known points.
    • Column: Uses vertical bars to show score changes, suitable for single or multiple indicators when comparing discrete values.
    • Step: Highlights incremental changes between discrete time points, useful when line charts smooth out important small changes.
    • Stacked Column: Divides columns into slices representing different indicators, showing cumulative contributions over time.
    • Area: Similar to line charts but fills the area beneath lines with color to emphasize relative contributions of multiple indicators.
    • Relative Compare: Illustrates divergence among multiple indicators over time.

    Additional widget types like breakdown widgets may also include time series visualizations, such as stacked columns or columns and total, expanding the options for time-based indicator analysis.

    Time series widgets show changes in an indicator score over time. Different visualizations emphasize the trend in the scores or the scores themselves, and can display one indicator or compare several indicators.

    Note:
    This feature is part of the Core UI front end. It is not supported on Platform Analytics dashboards or UI Builder pages, except to a limited extent when migrated in compatibility mode. To build Platform Analytics components, see Data visualizations in Platform Analytics or Filters in Platform Analytics.

    This feature is in maintenance mode and is no longer being augmented or changed. Only security fixes to this feature will be addressed.

    A time series is an ordered sequence of metrics taken continuously over time. Indicator scores are measured over time at uniform intervals, which makes them an appropriate subject for time series widgets. The following business cases are some of the uses of a time series widget:

    • Identifying trends, patterns, and outliers in indicator scores.
    • Identifying turning points, such as whether a change in policy led to a change in indicator scores.
    • Evaluating the relationships between indicators.

    When you are selecting a visualization for a time series, consider whether you want to emphasize the trend in the scores or specific changes in the scores. Also consider whether you want to show one indicator or compare several related indicators.

    Note:
    Some visualizations of other widget types include a time series. For example, the breakdown widget visualizations Stacked Column and Columns and Total include a time series of the indicator scores.
    Table 1. Time series widget visualizations
    Visualization Description and use case
    Visualizing trends in the scores of an indicator
    Line time series Line Shows how one or more values change over time by connecting a series of data points with straight lines. Use a line visualization to emphasize the trend in the scores.

    Consider line visualizations to be the default choice for displaying a time series. If you are unsure of which visualization to use, use a line.
    Spline time series Spline Shows how one or more values change over time by connecting a series of data points with a fitted curve through the data points. Spline charts let you take a limited set of known data points and approximate intervening values.
    Comparing scores in an indicator
    Column time series Column Shows changes between scores over time by displaying them as proportional vertical columns. Use either to visualize score changes in one indicator or to compare indicators. To compare indicators with a column visualization, either add indicators to the widget, or place several column visualization widgets next to each other in a dashboard.
    Step time series Step Emphasizes changes in indicator scores between discreet points in time. Use to show small incremental changes in scores, especially when a line visualization smudges the data.
    Comparing scores or trends between indicators
    Stacked Column Each column is divided into a stack of slices representing different indicators. Use when you want to see the cumulative result of multiple indicators.
    Area Resembles a line visualization, but the area between the axis and line is emphasized with colors. Use with multiple indicators to highlight the relative contribution that each indicator makes to the whole.
    Relative Compare Shows how multiple indicators diverge over time.