Value formatting in data visualizations

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated May 6, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Value formatting in data visualizations

    ServiceNow’s data visualizations allow you to customize how numerical values are displayed when publishing reports. This enhances readability and ensures data presentation aligns with your specific needs, particularly for time durations, numerical precision, and large values.

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    Key Features

    • Unit Format: Customize time fields to display as day/hour/minute/second or d/h/m/s.
    • Maximum/Minimum Duration Unit: Choose the largest or smallest time unit (Day, Hour, Minute, or Second) to display.
    • Hide Seconds: Optionally remove seconds from durations longer than one minute (available only if "Second" is the minimum unit).
    • Decimal Precision: Set the number of decimal places (0 to 4) for numerical values, except currency fields.
    • Rounding: Simplify values greater than one minute by rounding, using several configurable rounding methods.
    • Thousands Group Separator: Enable commas or periods to separate thousands for easier reading.
    • Abbreviation: Display values in thousands or higher using a single-character abbreviation (not supported for currency fields).
    • Hide Value in Tooltip: Prevent showing the unrounded, unabbreviated value in tooltips for cleaner display.

    Rounding Options

    Rounding helps simplify large numerical values while maintaining accuracy close to the original number. You can select from multiple rounding modes to control how numbers are adjusted:

    • Up: Round away from zero to the next whole number.
    • Down: Round toward zero to the next whole number.
    • Ceiling: Round toward positive infinity.
    • Floor: Round toward negative infinity.
    • Half up: Round to nearest whole number; if equidistant, round up.
    • Half down: Round to nearest whole number; if equidistant, round down.
    • Half even: Round to nearest whole number; if equidistant, round to the nearest even number.

    These options allow precise control over numeric display, especially for durations over one minute, ensuring your reports communicate data effectively and consistently.

    In most data visualizations, you can configure how numerical values look when you publish the report.

    Types of value formatting

    Unit format
    Show the format of time fields as d/h/m/s or day/hour/minute/second.
    Maximum/Minimum duration unit
    Select the largest or smallest unit to be shown: Day, Hour, Minute, or Second.
    Hide seconds when unit is greater than one minute
    Removes seconds display when a duration value is greater than one minute. Only available if you choose Second as the minimum duration unit.
    Decimal precision
    Number of decimal places to show, from zero to four decimal places.
    Note:
    Decimal precision is not supported on currency fields.
    Rounding
    For values greater than one minute, simplifies a number by rounding, while keeping it close to its value. See the next section, Rounding options.
    Use the thousands group separator
    Separate a value of thousands or higher with a comma or period.
    Enable abbreviation
    Show a value of thousands or higher with a single character.
    Note:
    Abbreviation for Currency, Price, or FX Currency values is not supported.
    Hide value in tooltip
    Do not show the unrounded, unabbreviated value in the tooltip.

    Rounding options

    For values greater than one minute, rounding options simplify a number, but keep it close to its value. Select from these rounding options:
    • Up - to the next larger whole number if positive and to the next smaller whole number if negative. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 2
      • 1.6 returns a value of 2
      • -1.6 returns a value of -2
    • Down - to the next smaller whole number if positive and to the next larger whole number if negative. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 1
      • 1.6 returns a value of 1
      • -1.6 returns a value of -1
    • Ceiling - to the next larger whole number, toward the positive. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 2
      • 1.6 returns a value of 2
      • -1.6 returns a value of -1
    • Floor - to the next smaller whole number, toward the negative. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 1
      • 1.6 returns a value of 1
      • -1.6 returns a value of -2
    • Half up - to the nearest neighboring whole number. If both neighbors are equidistant, rounds to the next larger whole number. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 1
      • 1.6 returns a value of 2
      • 2.5 returns a value of 3
    • Half down - to the nearest neighboring whole number. If both neighbors are equidistant, rounds to the next smaller whole number. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 1
      • 1.6 returns a value of 2
      • 2.5 returns a value of 2
    • Half even - to the nearest whole number. If both neighbors are equidistant, rounds to the closest even number. Example: For original values of:
      • 1.1 returns a value of 1
      • 1.6 returns a value of 2
      • -2.5 returns a value of -2

    Summary of rounding options:

    Table 1. Result of rounding input to one digit with the given rounding mode
    Input number Up Down Ceiling Floor Half up Half down Half even
    5.5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6
    2.5 3 2 3 2 3 2 2
    1.6 2 1 2 1 2 2 2
    1.1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1
    1.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
    -1.0 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
    -1.1 -2 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1
    -1.6 -2 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2
    -2.5 -3 -2 -2 -3 -3 -2 -2
    -5.5 -6 -5 -5 -6 -6 -5 -6