Format a number field

When you format a number field, you can choose the decimal place and thousand separator format from a list of common options. Or you can open the Format Data pane and manually format the field. Manually formatting the field enables you to choose which separators to use and the number of decimal places to show. It also enables you to choose which units to use, and how to display negative numbers.

Changing a field format changes it for all visuals in the analysis, but does not change it in the underlying dataset.

If you want to format a number field by choosing from a list of common options, you can access such a list from the Field list pane, an on-visual editor, or a visual field well.

To change a number field's format by choosing a list option:

  • Choose one of the following options:

    • In the Field list pane, choose the selector icon to the right of the number field that you want to format.

    • On any visual that contains an on-visual editor associated with the number field that you want to format, choose that on-visual editor. Expand the Field wells pane, and then choose the field well associated with the number field that you want to change.

  • Choose Format, and then choose the format that you want. The following quick formatting options are offered for number fields:

    • Use commas to separate groups of thousands and use a decimal point to show the fractional part of the number, for example 1,234.56.

    • Use a decimal point to show the fractional part of the number, for example 1234.56.

    • Show the number as an integer and use commas to separate groups of thousands, for example 1,234.

    • Show the number as an integer, for example 1234.

To manually change a number field's format:

  1. Choose one of the following options:

    • In the Field list pane, choose the selector icon to the right of the number field that you want to format.

    • On any visual that contains an on-visual editor associated with the number field that you want to format, choose that on-visual editor. Expand the Field wells pane, and then choose the field well associated with the number field that you want to change.

  2. Choose Format, and then choose More Formatting Options.

    The Format data pane opens.

  3. Expand the Separators section and choose from the following options:

    • Under Decimal, choose a dot or a comma for the decimal separator. A dot is the default. If you choose a comma instead, use a dot or a space as the thousands separator.

    • Under Thousands, select or clear Enabled to indicate whether you want to use a thousands separator. Enabled is selected by default.

    • If you are using a thousands separator, choose whether to use a comma, dot, or space for the separator. A comma is the default. If you choose a dot instead, use a comma as the decimal separator.

  4. Expand the Decimal Places section and choose from the following options:

    • Choose Auto to have Insights automatically determine the appropriate number of decimal places, or choose Custom to specify a number of decimal places. Auto is the default.

    • If you chose Custom, enter the number of decimal places to use. Field values are rounded to the decimal places specified. For example, if you specify two decimal places, the value 6.728 is rounded to 6.73.

  5. Expand the Units section and choose from the following options:

    • Choose the unit to use. Choosing a unit adds the appropriate suffix to the number value. For example, if you choose Thousands, a field value of 1234 displays as 1.234K.

      The unit options are as follows:

      • No unit suffix. This is the default.

      • Thousands (K)

      • Millions (M)

      • Billions (B)

      • Trillions (T)

    • If you want to use a custom prefix or suffix, specify it in the Prefix or Suffix box. You can specify both. You can also specify a custom prefix in addition to the suffix added by selecting a unit.

  6. Expand the Negatives section and choose whether to display a negative value by using a minus sign or by enclosing it in parentheses. Using a minus sign is the default.

  7. Expand the Null values section and choose whether to display null values as null or as a custom value. Using null is the default.

    NOTE   When using a table or pivot table, null values only display for fields that are placed in the Rows, Columns, or Group by field wells. Null values for fields in the Values field well appear empty in the table or pivot table.