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Delta Column

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A delta column calculates summaries against two measures, and displays the difference between these summaries. This difference can be communicated via a numeric value displayed within the delta element and an additional delta indication.

Grid_ColumnTypes

In code, delta columns are represented by the GridDeltaColumn class.

Data Binding Specifics

Delta columns are bound to two measures that provide two values: the Actual value and the Target value. The difference between these values is displayed within the column.

When you switch the column type to Delta, the data item container is changed, to accept the Actual and Target measures.

Grid_ColumnTypes_DeltaColumns_DataBinding

To bind the delta column to data in code, use the GridDeltaColumn.ActualValue and GridDeltaColumn.TargetValue properties.

Display Mode

Values in the delta column can be displayed as text, or represented by bars.

Grid_DeltaColumn_Bars

To select between these modes, invoke the Column Options window (see Column Types Overview to learn how to do this) and select Value or Bar.

Grid_ColumnTypes_DeltaColumn_Options_Bar

If bars are displayed, use the Always show zero level check box to specify whether the bar’s minimum value is zero (checked) or an automatically selected value that ensures that the difference between bars is clearly displayed (unchecked).

Grid_ColumnTypes_AlwaysShowZeroLevel

To control the display mode in code, use the following properties:

GridDeltaColumn.DisplayMode

Gets or sets how to display cell values.

GridDeltaColumn.AlwaysShowZeroLevel

Gets or sets whether the zero level of bars displayed within grid cells should always be visible.

Delta Values and Indication

If the display type is set to Value, the Column Options window displays options that allow you to configure delta values and indication.

Grid_ColumnTypes_DeltaColumn_Options_Value

You can specify which values should be displayed in the delta column. To do this, use the Value type combo box in the Column Options window.

Value Type Result
Actual Value Grid_Delta_Values_ActualValue
Absolute Variation Grid_Delta_Values_AbsoluteVariation
Percentage Variation Grid_Delta_Values_PercentVariation
Percentage of Target Grid_Delta_Values_PercentOfTarget

To specify the condition for displaying delta indication, use the Result indication combo box in the Column Options window.

Condition

Result

Greater is Good

The ‘good’ indication is displayed if the actual value exceeds the target value; if the target value exceeds the actual value, the ‘bad’ indication is displayed.

Grid_Delta_Indication_GreaterIsGood

Less is Good

The ‘bad’ indication is displayed if the actual value exceeds the target value; if the target value exceeds the actual value, the ‘good’ indication is displayed.

Grid_Delta_Indication_LessIsGood

No Indication

Indication is not displayed.

Grid_Delta_Indication_NoIndication

Warning if Greater

A warning is displayed if the actual value exceeds the target value; otherwise, no indication is displayed.

Grid_Delta_Indication_WarningIfGreater

Warning if Less

A warning is displayed if the target value exceeds the actual value; otherwise, no indication is displayed.

Grid_Delta_Indication_WarningIfLess

To specify the delta value type and define when to display delta indication in code, use the DeltaOptions.ValueType and DeltaOptionsBase.ResultIndicationMode properties exposed by the DeltaOptions object, which can be accessed via the GridDeltaColumn.DeltaOptions property.

The Format tab allows you to specify the numeric display format for different value types, as described in the Formatting Data document. In code, you can use the following properties:

The tab contains the following settings.

Format type

Specifies format types for numeric values. Available types are listed in the DataItemNumericFormatType enumeration.

Unit

Specifies the unit to convert the numeric values. Available types are listed in the DataItemNumericUnit enumeration.

Precision

Specifies the number of fractional digits to display.

Currency

Specifies the currency symbol and format provided by the RegionInfo class.

Culture

Specifies the name of a culture that defines the currency symbol and format.

Include group separator

Specifies whether separators should be inserted between digit groups.

Comparison Tolerance

The comparison tolerance allows you to specify more advanced conditions for displaying delta indication. For instance, you can set a specific indication to be displayed when the actual value exceeds the target value by 10% or by $2K.

Use the Threshold type combo box to select whether you wish to specify the comparison tolerance in percentage values or in absolute values. Then use the Threshold value box to specify the comparison tolerance. If the delta value is between the positive and negative Threshold, the delta value is gray and no indication is displayed.

Grid_ColumnTypes_DeltaColumn_Options_Value

To do this in code, use the DeltaOptionsBase.ResultIndicationThresholdType and DeltaOptionsBase.ResultIndicationThreshold properties respectively. These properties are exposed by the DeltaOptions object, which can be accessed via the GridDeltaColumn.DeltaOptions property.

The following code snippet creates the Delta column:

var grid = new GridDashboardItem();
grid.DataSource = dataSource;

var gridDelta = new GridDeltaColumn();
gridDelta.ActualValue = new Measure("Count");
gridDelta.TargetValue = new Measure("TargetCount");

grid.Columns.Add(gridDelta);
See Also