Changing the Appearance of a Chart (Report Builder)
When you select the chart report layout option in the Getting Started pane, a column chart is displayed by default. You can change the chart type as soon as you start, or you can change the chart type later, after you have added your data. In Report Builder, you can change the type of chart you are using by right-clicking the chart and pointing to the Chart Type menu, then selecting from any of the chart types. If you decide to change the chart type after you have added data to the chart, you will not lose any of the fields that you have added. Report Builder automatically adds the fields to the new chart layout, in their assigned groups.
Resizing a Chart
Unlike tables and matrices, charts do not automatically resize to accommodate the data in the chart. In design mode, you can manually adjust the size of the chart by dragging the handles that are displayed around the chart when it is selected. Depending on the quantity of data within your chart, resizing the chart will help make the data more readable.
Changing Chart Colors
Each chart type is displayed using a default palette that defines which colors are used within the chart. You can switch the palette to another predefined palette to make the chart more readable or so that it matches your final output. Suppose you are planning to use a chart within a presentation. You might want to change the chart palette so that it more closely matches the palette used in your presentation, or you might want the background of the chart area to match the report background so that the chart appears to 'float' on the report page. To select a different palette, change the background color of the plot area, or change the background color of the chart area, you need to use the Chart Type tab on the Chart Options dialog box.
Note
Customized chart palettes can be created by writing your own custom code. For more information, see Get More Out of SQL Server Reporting Services Charts on MSDN.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Change a Chart Palette (Report Builder)
How to: Change the Plot Area of a Chart (Report Builder)
How to: Change the Chart Area of a Chart (Report Builder)
Concepts
Formatting a Chart (Report Builder)
Working with Charts (Report Builder)
Choosing a Chart Type (Report Builder)