Create a pie or donut data visualization

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 8 minutes to read
  • Use pie, donut, and semi-donut visualizations to compare the size of parts of a data set to the whole. The segments of these visualizations should total to 100%.

    Before you begin

    Role required: Anyone with access to data can create a visualization of that data on any dashboard that they can edit. Users with the itil, report_user, admin, or viz_creator role can create a visualization in the Visualization Designer. When you create a visualization in the Visualization Designer, it is saved to the Library. For more information on access, see Report_view access control and Platform Analytics roles.

    For more information about this visualization type, see Pie/Donut Visualization Overview on the ServiceNow Developer Site.

    About this task

    For information about the use of a Pie, Donut, or Semi-donut visualization in a dashboard, see the Developer Site. This site gives information about pie and donut data visualization components in the UI Builder, and some configuration options may differ from the Visualization Designer.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Platform Analytics > Library > Data Visualizations, or open an in-line dashboard and select Edit.
    2. Select Create New Visualization.
    3. Select the pie (Pie visualization icon), donut (donut icon), or semi-donut (Data visualization semi-donut icon) visualization type.
    4. Configure the Header and border. Header and border options are the same for all data sources.
      Header and border fields Description
      Show border Option to display a line around the component.
      Show header The visualization header, including title and icons.
      Show header separator Option to display a line separating the header from the rest of the component.
      Chart title Title of the visualization.
      Title alignment Choose Start to align the title with the start of line, End to align it with the end of the line, or Center for center alignment.
      Description A short overview about the visualization that the end user sees. Descriptions help users find the visualization.
      Wrap title Option to wrap long titles onto a second line. If false, displays an ellipsis to truncate long titles.
      Wrap labels Select to wrap long elements labels on the axis.
      Max label size, px Specify the maximum label size for element names on the axis. Default=100 px.
      Line of truncation Specify where to truncate long labels with an ellipsis. Options are 1, 2, and 3.
      Bare Option to remove padding around data visualization to provide more compact positioning on the page. Only available when Show border is turned off.
      Show refresh option Option to show or hide the refresh option from data visualizations.

      If cache is enabled on a dashboard, the Refresh option is always hidden.

      Show export options Option to show or hide the visualization's export types.
      Header background color Specify the color behind the title of the visualization.
      Title color Specify the text color of the title. The default title color is black, but you can choose a color that contrasts better with the header background. Only available when Header background color is selected.
    5. Choose a data source.
      For general descriptions of the data sources, see Data sources for data visualizations.
      • Table (available in the base system). When you select a table, you can filter it by custom or preconfigured conditions. Custom conditions can include questions or Service Catalog variables.

        Configured report sources appear in the Predefined conditions list. For more information, see Report sources.

        To help you create a custom filter, there is a preview list of records that would be included in the visualization. You can change which fields are shown as columns and the width of columns in the list actions.
        Preview record list for table source data visualization with list actions shown.
      • Indicator (available in the base system). You can filter the indicator scores by breakdowns and elements. Automated indicators can be configured with selected breakdowns. Formula indicators inherit their breakdowns from the parent indicators. Data snapshots indicator breakdowns are configured in the indicator. In both cases, only those breakdowns are available when you configure a visualization based on those indicators.
        Note:
        Benchmark indicators are not supported.

        Conditional filter for indicator data source on data visualization.
        Note:

        You might have a multiple select (is one of) or dynamic (is (dynamic)) operator on the breakdown element filter. These operators require the indicator and breakdown to support them. For more information about the configurations that support these operators, see "Is one of" and "Is (Dynamic)" operators on breakdown conditions in data visualizations.

        Indicator types include Automated, Formula, and Manual indicators as well as Automated and Formula Data Snapshots. The Indicator Preview shows an example of the visualization and a list of the indicator's properties.
        Indicator preview example with visualization example and list of properties including source type, indicator source, indicator type, additional conditions and available breakdowns.
      • Usage Insights (available with the User Experience PAR Integration application, to users with a required role). Choose one of up to three KPIs included with this application, depending on the visualization type. For more information, see Usage Insights data sources for data visualizations.
    6. Select the options for your data source.
    7. Under Presentation, provide display and color information.
      Field Description

      Display settings

      Show data table Shows a table with chart and graph data for easier screen reader access. Data includes the percentage of the total for each value, when appropriate.
      Show % of total in tooltip Enable to show the percentage each data point contributes to the total alongside absolute values in the tooltip.

      Legend

      Show legend Option to display the legend. Activated automatically at 400% zoom.
      Show legend value Option to display the value corresponding to the area of the chart you hover on. The value displays as a tooltip and in the chart legend.
      Legend position Legend location relative to the chart: Above, Below, Right, or Left
      Legend orientation Options for how to display the register.
      • Horizontal horizontal: Option to display the legend horizontally.
      • Vertical vertical: Option to display the legend vertically up to five lines.

      This property applies only when Legend position is Below.

      Horizontal alignment

      Horizontal alignment of elements in the legend: Start, Center, or End

      Max legend item width, px

      Number of pixels after which the item in the legend is truncated.

      Expand legend vertically

      When turned on, the legend contents take as much space as needed to fit the legend without scrolling, instead of the maximum 2 lines.

      Data label

      Show data labels Option to display the score for each data point.

      Colors

      Set color type
      Type of color scheme to apply to the component. Options include:
      • Default: A color or set of colors that come from the UX Theme that is applied to the instance. For more information, see Working with themes in Next Experience.
      • Color palette: List of color palettes to select from predefined system palettes in the Chart Color Scheme [pa_chart_color_schemes] table. For grouped or stacked data, the colors apply in order from highest value to lowest. For multiple data sources, palette colors apply in the order of data sources. For example, the first color of a palette applies to the first data source, and the second palette color applies to the second source. All visualizations that use the same color palette show the same colors, regardless of what data they display.
      • Fixed element color: Use a specific color from the Chart Colors table [sys_report_chart_color] for each element. All data visualizations that use fixed element colors show the same element, such as critical incidents in the Global scope, in the same color.

        This option is available only for Table data sources and only if no more than one data source or metric is added, and a Group by is defined.

    8. Under Chart interaction, set what if anything happens when a viewer clicks a chart or a chart segment on the visualization.
      Table 1. Chart interaction
      Field Description
      Allow chart interaction Enable an event to occur when a user clicks in a visualization or one of its segments.
      Action
      Choose the event that occurs when a user clicks in a visualization or one of its segments. Choices depend on the visualization type and data source. Applies only when Allow chart interaction is on. For more information, see Chart interactions in a data visualization.
      • Go to data view opens a list view, KPI Details page, or Usage Insights overview page relevant to the associated segment or visualization. For table data, a system property determines whether a Core UI list or a Platform Analytics list opens. For more information, see Data views for different data sources.
      • Go to URL opens the specified URL, which can be on the instance or external. You have the option of specifying a page name to appear in the tooltip, for those visualizations with tooltips.
      • Apply as filter filters all data visualizations on the dashboard by the value of the selected segment, where applicable.
        Note:
        Apply as filter is available only for table and indicator data sources. It does not work when the Group by field is a duration field.
      • Drill down to chart (Visualization Designer only) Opens a different data visualization that is filtered by the selected data. You can add a drill-down visualization for each metric on the parent visualization.
        Note:
        The last level of drill down in the Platform Analytics experience is always a Core UI list. Records do not open in Workspace embedded lists.

        Drill down to chart supports only table data sources.

    9. Select Save.
      Navigate to All > Platform Analytics > Library > Data Visualizations to return to the Data Visualization list.

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