How to Create a Dynamic Reference Line

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Overview

Omni doesn’t currently offer a built-in “dynamic reference line” feature, but you can achieve the same effect with a simple workaround. This approach lets you set a margin target and switch between different target values directly from your dashboard using a Field Swapper.

Example Use Case

You have a monthly margin chart and want to compare it against a target. Instead of hardcoding one static target, you want to dynamically change the target based on user selection.

Steps

1. Create a Target Table

  • Create a blank table in Omni.
  • Manually enter your target values and assign each a target name.

Example:

Target Name Target Value
Target A 158
Target B 140
Target C 175
  • Save the table as targets (or similar) and open it in the Query view.

2. Promote Fields to Workbook

  • Create three separate columns: Target A, Target B, and Target C.
  • Promote all columns to the workbook so they can be referenced later.
  • Remove the extra columns from your query (you only need them in the workbook, not in this table’s results).

3. Create a Target Margin Column

  • In your main dataset, add a new column called Target Margin.
  • Use an XLOOKUP to pull the correct target value:
=XLOOKUP(
  C1, 
  'targets'!A:A, 
  'targets'!B:B
)

C1 is your selected target name.

Replace targets with your table name.

Verify that switching the target name updates the margin value correctly.

4. Add a Field Swapper

  • In your dashboard or chart, add a Field Swapper control.
  • Include Target A, Target B, and Target C in the swapper options.
  • Test by switching between targets — your Target Margin column should update automatically.

5. Add the Reference Line to a Chart

  • Open your margin chart.
  • Drag Target Margin to the Left Axis.
  • Change the chart type for this field to a line.
  • Style it to match your dashboard’s theme.

When you switch targets in the Field Swapper, the reference line will update in real time.

6. Use at the Dashboard Level

The Field Swapper control works across all charts on a dashboard. This means you can change your target once and see every related chart update instantly.

Final Result

You now have a dynamic reference line that updates based on your chosen target — no manual chart editing required.

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