How to unalign points?

[JayeeDee]

Can someone help me figure out how to make it so the points for 'City 3' are not aligned on the same x-axis? Each occurs in its own row and has a Year or YearId column that I'd like to use to solve it, but I'm not sure how. I did some research and found detail channel, but that did not work.

```DemoTable = DATATABLE(

"Year", INTEGER,

"CurrentPlayer", STRING,

"Date", DATETIME,

"YearId", STRING,

"City", STRING,

"Winner", STRING,

"Round", INTEGER,

  {

    {2019,"Bill","04/02/2019","2019-76","City 1","Sue", 4},

    {2019,"Bill","05/02/2019","2019-146","City 2","Sally", 2},

    {2020,"Bill","09/07/2020","2020-205","City 3","Randy", 7},

    {2021,"Bill","05/03/2021","2021-205","City 3","Randy", 3},

    {2022,"Bill","05/02/2022","2022-205","City 3","Andre", 6},

    {2023,"Bill","05/08/2023","2023-205","City 3","Dan", 4},

    {2024,"Bill","05/06/2024","2024-205","City 3","Barry", 5},

    {2025,"Bill","05/05/2025","2025-205","City 3","Barry", 3}

  }

)```

```

{

  "title": "Annual Performance",

  "description": "Annual performance of ATP player",

  "width": 570,

  "data": {"name": "dataset"},

  "layer": [

    {

      "mark": {

        "type": "line",

        "tooltip": true

      },

      "encoding": {

        "y": {

          "field": "Level",

          "type": "quantitative",

          "axis": {"title": "Level"}

        },

        "x": {

          "field": "City",

          "type": "nominal",

          "sort": {"field": "Date", "order": "ascending"},

          "axis": {

            "title": "City",

            "labelAngle":-50

          }

        }

      }

    },

    {

      "mark": {

          "type": "point",

          "tooltip": true,

          "filled": true

      },

      "encoding": {

        "y": {

          "field": "Level",

          "type": "quantitative",

          "axis": {"title": "Level"}

          },

        "x": {

          "field": "City",

          "type": "ordinal",

          "sort": {"field": "Date", "order": "ascending"}

        },

        "color": {

          "condition": {

              "test": "datum.Round === 7 && datum.Winner === datum.CurrentPlayer",

              "value": "red"

          },

        "value": "DodgerBlue"

        }

      }

    }

  ]

}

```

[lbendlin]

Do not use a line chart for independent (nominal) data points. Line charts should only ever be used to show temporal progression, or phase transitions.

[JayeeDee]

What would you recommend for my use case?

[lbendlin]

I would recommend a column chart.

[JayeeDee]

Which one is column? Or are you referring to power bi types?

[lbendlin]

"mark": {

    "type": "bar"

  },

"encoding": {

        "y": {

          "field": "Level",

          "type": "quantitative"

          },

        "x": {

          "field": "City",

          "type": "nominal"

        }

      }

[JayeeDee]

The bar for City 3 still stacks them altogether. Can you suggest how to solve it with a mark of type bar?

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

Make the year the x axis and the city the legend.

Note: since year is temporal you could now even reconsider using a line chart, a stacked line chart, or a ribbon chart.

[GeraldGEmerick]

@JayeeDee What would you like it to look like instead? You could add additional columns to the x-axis to make a hierarchy that you could drill through but I am unclear if that that is what you are looking to do. Maybe a sketch of what you would rather have?

[JayeeDee]

Absolutely! Here's the desired outcome...