To create and customize a chart in the plugin, follow these steps to ensure accurate representation of your data:

1.Select a Chart Type

Choose the type of chart you want to create from the available options. Select the one that best fits the data you wish to visualize.

The Calendar chart template allows you to visualize issue-related data based on a date field. This is especially useful for identifying patterns or trends over time, such as issue creation dates, due dates, or custom date fields.

Selecting the Calendar Template

In the Template Picker section, scroll through the available chart types and click on the calendar icon
to select the Calendar chart.
Once selected, a "Calendar field" dropdown will appear below the chart types.
Choose the desired Jira date field from the dropdown (e.g., Created Date, Due Date, Custom Field) to be used for calendar-based visualization.

This field is essential, as it determines the timeline on which the issues will be plotted in the calendar chart.

Customizing and Previewing

Configure the rest of your chart as usual: select filters, dimensions, and any additional options relevant to your use case.
Click Preview to view your Calendar chart.
Once satisfied, click Publish to Dashboard to add it to your Jira dashboard.

When selecting a chart type, it is essential to be aware of the limitations associated with each type to ensure optimal performance and readability.

Why Do Chart Limits Exist?

Chart Factory for Jira enforces specific limits on chart types to ensure optimal performance and maintain visual clarity. These limits are crucial because:

Readability: Charts remain clear and user-friendly, avoiding data overlap and clutter.
Performance: Consistent performance across browsers and devices is maintained.

Exceeding these limits will result in a warning message indicating that the chart rendering has been disabled. The message will include details such as chart type, the number of categories and groups, total data points, and the specific limit exceeded.

Examples Warning Messages

How to Handle Chart Limit Exceedance

If your chart exceeds the limit, you can:

Adjust Filters: Refine your data selection to reduce the number of data points.
Narrow Date Ranges: Use shorter periods to minimize data load.
Remove Zero Values: Eliminate zero values from chart preferences to streamline the view.
Use Grid View: Switch to the Tabular View to visualize large datasets without graphical limitations.

Chart Type Limits Explained

Pie / Donut Charts

Limit: 10 items
Guidance: Pie and donut charts are most effective with 8 to 12 slices. Including more segments may result in overlapping labels, reduced readability, and visual clutter.

Bar / Column Charts

Limit: Categories: 60 | Groups: 15
Guidance: These charts are suitable for datasets with 48 to 72 categories and up to 15 groups. Higher numbers may cause scroll bars or tightly packed bars that are difficult to interpret.

Line Chart

Limit: Categories: 30 | Groups: 10
Guidance: Designed for time series data. Recommended for 24 to 36 categories and 10 groups. Too many lines or points can affect clarity and responsiveness.

Area Chart

Limit: Categories: 30 | Groups: 10
Guidance: Area charts show trends over time and may become visually confusing beyond 24–36 categories or 10 groups—especially when stacking data.

Bubble Chart

Limit: Categories: 30 | Groups: 10
Guidance: Ideal for visualizing multidimensional data. However, beyond 24–36 categories and 10 groups, the chart may suffer from label collisions and performance issues.

Grid (Tabular View)

Limit: Infinity items
Guidance: The table view has no display limit thanks to virtual rendering. It is the best option for viewing large datasets when graphical charts are restricted by display limits.

Best Practices for Chart Configuration

Limit your data source by applying relevant filters.
Choose appropriate time ranges for your charts.
Remove unnecessary zero values from the dataset.
Switch to Grid view when you need to display extensive data without visualization constraints.

By following these practices, you ensure that your charts remain both visually clear and performant within Chart Factory for Jira.

2.Set the Dimension

Choose the dimension (1D, 2D) depending on how you want to categorize your data. For example, 1D might be for simple charts like pie charts, and 2D could be for more complex visualizations like bar charts.

3.Configure the X-Axis

Select the field you want to use for the X-axis from the "X axis field" dropdown. This field determines how the data will be distributed along the horizontal axis.

4.Configure the Y-Axis

Set the Y-axis field by choosing a value from the "Y Axis field" dropdown. This could be a numerical field, such as "Story Points" or any other relevant metric that you want to plot on the vertical axis.

5.Select a Calculation Type

Choose the type of calculation (Sum, Average, Count, Median) to be performed on the Y-axis field. This determines how the data will be aggregated.

6.Generate the Chart Title

After setting up all the fields and configurations, The chart title is generated using IA based on the configurations you’ve selected.

Once you have completed the configuration of your chart, you have two options to proceed:

7.Preview

Before finalizing, you can choose to Preview your chart. This allows you to see how your chart will look with the current configuration and data. It’s a useful step to ensure everything is displayed as expected before making it public.

8.Publish to Dashboard

If you are satisfied with the preview, or if you are confident in your configuration, you can Publish to Dashboard. This will make the chart available on your Jira dashboard, where it can be viewed by you and other team members.

Chart Factory for Jira

Building a chart