Format Axis Labels as Dates or Currencies (Report Builder and SSRS)

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When you show properly formatted DateTime values on an axis, a chart will automatically display these values as days. To specify a date/time interval for the x-axis, such as an interval of months or an interval of hours, you must format the axis labels and set the type of axis interval to a valid date or time interval.

Note

In column and scatter charts, the horizontal, or x-axis, is the category axis. In bar charts, the vertical, or y-axis, is the category axis.

In order to format time intervals correctly, the values displayed on the x-axis must evaluate to a System.DateTime data type. If your field has a data type of System.String, the chart will not calculate intervals as dates or times. For more information, see Charts (Report Builder and SSRS).

When a numeric value is added to the y-axis, by default, the chart does not format the number before displaying it. If your numeric field is a sales figure, consider formatting the numbers as currencies to increase the readability of the chart.

Note

You can create and modify report definitions (.rdl) in Report Builder and in Report Designer in SQL Server Data Tools. Each authoring environment provides different ways to create, open, and save reports and related items. For more information, see Designing Reports in Report Designer and Report Builder (SSRS) on the Web at microsoft.com.

To format x-axis labels as monthly intervals

  1. Right-click the horizontal, or x-axis, of the chart, and select Horizontal Axis Properties.

  2. In the Horizontal Axis Properties dialog box, select Number.

  3. From the Category list, select Date. From the Type list, select a date format to apply to the x-axis labels.

  4. Select Axis Options.

  5. In Interval, type 1. In Interval type property, select Months.

    Note

    If you do not specify an interval type, the chart will calculate intervals in terms of days.

  6. Click OK.

To format y-axis labels using a currency format

  1. Right-click the vertical, or y-axis, of the chart, and select Vertical Axis Properties.

  2. In the Vertical Axis Properties dialog box, select Number.

  3. From the Category list, select Currency. From the Symbol list, select a currency format to apply to the y-axis labels.

  4. Click OK.

See Also

Tasks

Specify a Logarithmic Scale (Report Builder and SSRS)

Specify an Axis Interval (Report Builder and SSRS)

Concepts

Formatting Axis Labels on a Chart (Report Builder and SSRS)

Formatting a Chart (Report Builder and SSRS)