Slope charts and bump charts

A slope chart shows a change of values from one period or status to another. For example, here is a slope chart demonstrating the change in sales rank for each state in the South region from 2016 to 2017:

Figure 10.1: A slope chart is useful to compare the change of rank or absolute values from one period or status to another

Here are some features and techniques used to create the preceding slope chart:

• The table calculation Rank(SUM(Sales)) is computed by (addressed by) State, meaning that each state is ranked within the partition of a single year.
• Grid Lines and Zero Lines for Rows have been set to None.
• The axis has been reversed (right-click the axis and select Edit, then check the option to reverse). This allows rank #1 to appear at the top and lower ranks to appear in descending order.
• The axis has been hidden (right-click the axis and uncheck Show Header).
• Labels have been edited (by clicking on Label...