--- title: "Waterfall Chart" slug: "waterfall-charts" description: "Learn how to create and configure Contribution and Variation Waterfall charts to visualize changes between values effectively." tags: ["charts", "Contribution Mode", "Reporting Data Visualization ", "Variation Mode", "waterfall", "Waterfall Charts"] updated: 2026-06-05T13:13:28Z published: 2026-06-05T13:13:28Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.pigment.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Waterfall Chart Waterfall charts visualize the change between two values or situations. They are useful for understanding how an initial value, such as a Budget, is impacted by a series of positive and negative changes to reach a final value, such as Actuals. This article covers how to prepare your View, configure Waterfall chart display settings, and use Contribution and Variation Waterfall charts. ![A waterfall chart displaying revenue forecast and actual revenue contributions for analysis.](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/Waterfall chart.png) ## Waterfall chart types There are two types of Waterfall charts: Contribution and Variation. ### 1. Contribution Waterfall Contribution Waterfall charts explain the contribution of each element to a total value. If multiple columns are present, the columns are summed to calculate a total value. For example, if a Metric contains FY23 and FY24 columns, Contribution mode sums FY23 and FY24 to highlight each country’s contribution to the total. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/00714e9d-5ad3-492c-976a-3a8f856ae85a.png) ### 2. Variation Waterfall Variation Waterfall charts calculate the difference between two columns to determine variation bar values. For example, if a Metric contains FY23 and FY24 columns, Variation mode explains the differences between FY23 and FY24 caused by variation across each country. Adding a new column creates a new step in the chart. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/13191e70-a6d8-4b27-8a47-49cbc3c21fbb.png) ## Create a Contribution Waterfall chart Contribution mode highlights how each element contributes to a total value. > [!WARNING] > ⚠️ Important > > Add Metrics to Columns in the Pivot panel for optimal results. Placing Metrics in Rows may cause unexpected displays in your Waterfall chart. To create a Contribution Waterfall chart: 1. Open a Table containing multiple Metrics. 2. Select **Chart**, then **Format**. 3. Select **Waterfall chart**. 4. Set **Type** to **Contribution**. Waterfall charts automatically use the first Metric as the initial step and the last Metric as the final step. To add middle steps: 1. If your Table includes intermediate sums, add the required **step Metrics** to **Rows** in the Table. 2. Open the **Format** panel. 3. Add a **Middle step** by selecting the Metric from the dropdown menu. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/b6425af9-a7a3-4393-aabb-4e3a2f29a120.png) ## Create a Variation Waterfall chart Variation mode highlights the difference between two values or situations. To create a Variation Waterfall chart: 1. Open a Table containing multiple Metrics. 2. Select **Chart**, then **Format**. 3. Select **Waterfall chart**. 4. Set **Type** to **Variation**. To create a new step: - Add a new column to the Table. Each additional column creates a new step in the chart. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/f44a2c00-5a0e-4249-881e-61f98fed1848.png) ## Group Items in Variation mode In Variation mode, you can group variations to highlight the Dimension Items with the greatest impact on a Metric’s change over time. When**Show variation controls**is turned on: - Variations are ordered by descending absolute value. - The chart displays the top three variations by default. - Remaining variations are grouped into a single bar. This improves readability and emphasizes the key contributors to change in the chart. The Variation control also appears on the chart, allowing Members to adjust displayed variations directly from the Board or View. Changes are not saved, and the chart resets to its predefined Variations number setting when reopened. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/e47cfe35-dc28-40c7-a083-6cf003073d8e/Images/Documentation/3b0c2910-bf8c-4c2b-93f9-ace1ba46a8fb.png) ### Turn on grouped variations To group variations and display the Variation control: 1. Open a Table or Metric. 2. Select **Chart**, then **Format**. 3. Select **Waterfall chart**, then set **Type** to **Variation**. 4. Turn on **Show variation controls**. 5. Use the **Variations number** slider to configure the default number of displayed variations. 6. Select **Save View**. ## Configure Waterfall charts Use the following settings to customize the appearance and layout of Waterfall charts. ### Waterfall Settings | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Type** | Configures the Waterfall chart type. | Contribution or Variation | | **Show variation controls** | Shows or hides the Variation control used to adjust the number of displayed variations. Only available in **Variation** mode. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | | **Variations number** | Configures the default number of displayed variations in the chart. Only available when **Show variation controls** is turned on. | Move the slider to adjust the number of displayed variations. | ### Layout | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Bar width** | Controls the width of each individual bar. | Move the slider to increase or reduce bar thickness. | | **Show connecting lines** | Shows or hides dashed lines between bars. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | | **Show 0 values** | Shows or hides bars with a value of 0. | Toggle on/off *(Turned on by default)* | ### Bar labels | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Allow label overlap** | Allows labels to overlap so labels remain visible even when bars are too close together. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | | **High-contrast labels** | Increase label contrast to improve readability and visibility against chart backgrounds. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | ### X-axis | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Show gridlines** | Shows or hides X-axis gridlines in the chart. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | | **Label orientation** | Configures the orientation of X-axis labels. Longer labels automatically wrap. Use the diagonal or vertical option to improve readability and display more labels. | Horizontal, Vertical, and Diagonal | | **Allow label overlap** | Allows labels to overlap so labels remain visible on x-axis even when bars are too close together. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | | **Allow horizontal scroll** | Shows or hides horizontal scrolling along the X-axis. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | ### Y-axis | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Show axis** | Shows or hides the Y-axis in the chart. | Toggle on/off *(Turned on by default)* | | **Show gridlines** | Shows or hides Y-axis gridlines in the chart. Only available when Show axis is turned on. | Toggle on/off *(Turned on by default)* | | **Start from 0** | By default, the Y-axis starts at 0. When turned on, the scale is calculated from the underlying data. | Toggle on/off *(Turned off by default)* | ### Style > [!NOTE] > ℹ️ Note > > Use the following settings to configure chart colors and themes. For detailed instructions and available color options, see [Customize Chart Colors](/v1/docs/customize-chart-colors). | **Setting** | Description | Options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Step color** | Configures the color used for step bars. | Color picker *(Grey by default)* | | **Ascending values** | Configures the color used for positive values. | Color picker *(Green by default)* | | **Descending values** | Configures the color used for negative values. | Color picker *(Red by default)* |