Using Custom Color Palettes in Visualize

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Article Goal

Learn how to apply custom color palettes to charts in Visualize, including how to manually set colors and define dynamic color rules based on expressions or conditions.

What Are Custom Color Palettes?

Custom color palettes in Visualize allow you to assign specific colors to data points in charts. You can define these colors manually or apply rule-based logic to dynamically format them based on data values.

Why Use Custom Colors?

Color-coding helps:

• Improve visual clarity

• Highlight key data points or thresholds

• Maintain consistency with branding or report styling

• Emphasize differences or anomalies in your dataset

Tip: Use dynamic rules to automate visual feedback for values like sales targets, performance ratings, or warning conditions.

Steps to Set Colors Manually

Step 1: Select Your Visualization

Click on the chart (e.g., bar, pie, line) you want to modify.

Step 2: Open Design Options

Click on the Design button at the top of the VDM interface.

Note: Design options vary by chart type. For example, pie charts show Pie Tools, with Data and Design sections.

Step 3: Access Edit Colors

Click Edit Colors to open the color customization panel.

Step 4: Assign Colors

Manually choose colors for each chart value using your preferred theme, brand palette, or visualization logic.

Steps to Use Dynamic Colors with Rules

Step 1: Right-Click the Visualization

Right-click the chart, pie, or visual item to access additional options.

Step 2: Open Rule Editor

Select Edit Rules to open the rule editor panel.

Step 3: Add New Rule

Click Add to define a new rule.

Step 4: Customize Rule Formatting

Set up rule conditions using logic like:

Example:

• If value ≥ 1000 → Green

• If value < 1000 → Red

Repeat as needed to define multiple rules based on thresholds or expression outputs.

Note: If a value doesn't match any rules, Visualize will default to light grey, helping you spot unmatched or missing data at a glance.

Visualize Color Limitations

While color palettes are useful, they come with a few limitations:

Limited Palette vs. Large Data Sets
If your palette includes only 6 colors but your dataset has 60 values, Visualize may repeat colors, which could reduce clarity.

Minimal Data vs. Broad Palette
If your data has only 2–3 values but your palette expects more, the auto-assigned colors may vary and lack consistency without manual assignment.

Example Use Case

Scenario:

You have a pie chart visualizing sales performance across 10 regions.

• Use manual colors to assign distinct branding colors to each region.

• Use dynamic rules to highlight:

  • Red if below quota

  • Yellow if approaching quota

  • Green if exceeded quota

Article Summary

Custom Color Palettes in Visualize allow you to enhance your charts using either manual assignments or data-driven rules. Manual settings help match corporate colors, while dynamic rules enable intelligent formatting that responds to real-time data. Just keep in mind the palette size vs. dataset size trade-offs, and use rule fallback behavior (light grey) to your advantage.

Use Case: Set up a KPI dashboard where sales values turn red, yellow, or green depending on how close they are to their targets—all dynamically.