Beeswarm Plume: every field and every setting explained

This page describes everything Beeswarm Plume offers: the field wells, then each card of the Format pane, in the order they appear. The default value of each setting is in bold; premium features carry a ★. For a first guided visual, see the getting started guide. This page describes version 1.1 (reorganized Format pane: renamed Value axis card, new Gridlines, Search ★ and Zoom cards).

The visual's fields

Field	Required?	How many	What to drop	What it does	Example
Details (one dot each)	Recommended	Up to 2	Columns	One dot per value (or per combination of both fields)	Stores[Store]
Value	Yes	1	A measure	Places each dot along the value axis	Total sales
Group (one band each)	No	1	A column	One swarm per value, to compare groups	Stores[Region]
Legend (color)	No	1	A column	Dot color (and shape)	Stores[Format]
Size	No	1	A measure	Dot area proportional	Floor area
Play axis ★	No	1	A year, a date, an ordered category	One frame per value; dots glide from one to the next	Towns[Year]
Compare with ★	No	1	A measure	Reference value of each dot (stem, color by gap)	Sales PY
Small multiples ★	No	1	A column	One small swarm per value, same axis	Stores[Region]
Image ★	No	1	A text measure	Image embedded in the dot (base64)	Badge
Highlight ★	No	1	A measure	Not blank and not 0: the dot stands out	To watch
Reference value	No	1	A measure	Target of the reference lines (Analytics pane)	Target
Tooltips	No	Several	Measures	Added to the tooltip	Average basket

Details. Without Details, Power BI adds up the measure: one dot per group (or a single dot). Two fields are combined: the displayed name becomes "Store · Code".

Play axis ★. A premium feature since 10/22/2026: without a key, watermark as soon as the field is filled. Numbers and dates are sorted; texts keep Power BI's order (sort by column included). Selecting a dot does not depend on the year: it stays selected in every frame. A date on January 1 is written "2024", on the 1st of a month "January 2024".

Image ★. An image data:image/png;base64,… (or SVG, JPEG, GIF, WebP) or raw base64. A web address is never loaded (Microsoft rule): a message says so in edit mode. For an image longer than 32,766 characters, split it into chunks and join them in DAX with CONCATENATEX (see the common basics).

Tooltips and Dynamic format: see the common basics.

The Format pane settings

The cards are described in the order of the Format pane, followed by those of the Analytics pane.

The cards shared by all Plume visuals (Plume Studio License, Style, Interactions (shared settings), Tooltips, Title, Source note, Frame, Language and numbers) are described once in the shared basics: they are not repeated here. The background and rounded corners are set in the Frame card, and the fx button (conditional formatting from a measure) is available on every color and every text.

Data colors

How dots are colored. In Palette mode, one color per category of the Legend field (or, without a Legend, per group) is set here; fx button available for a color per category.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Coloring	How dots are colored.	Palette (by legend, else by group) · Single color · Gradient by a value ★
Color	Color of every dot (Single color).	empty
Color	Color of every dot (Single color).	empty
Gradient value	Value that drives the gradient ★; the gap to the reference uses the diverging gradient.	Value (position) · Size · Gap to the reference

Swarm

The layout of the dots, their shape and size, and the group bands.

Layout group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Layout	Swarm: each dot at its exact value, pushed aside just enough not to cover another one (the same picture every time). Sieve: dots stacked in columns, like a histogram made of dots.	Swarm (no overlap) · Random jitter · Strip (dots on one line) · Sieve (dot columns) ★
Orientation	Direction of the value axis.	Horizontal (values at the bottom) · Vertical (values on the left)
Side	One side with the violin ★ gives a raincloud plot: half violin on one side, dots on the other.	Both sides (symmetric) · One side (above or right) · One side (below or left)
Placement order (appears if Layout = Swarm (no overlap))	Order in which dots are placed (swarm only).	By value (classic swarm) · By size (large dots in the middle) ★
Jitter width (% of the band) (appears if Layout = Random jitter)	Width of the area the dots are spread over (jitter only).	5 to 100, 70

Dots group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Shape	22 free shapes; the others (★) show the watermark without a license. The space kept for each dot stays a circle: no shape spills onto its neighbor.	Circle · Square · Rounded square · Rectangle · Triangle · Diamond · Hexagon · Star · Heart · Ellipse ★ · Pentagon ★ · Octagon ★ · Right triangle ★ · Parallelogram ★ · Trapezoid ★ · Ring ★ · Semicircle ★ · Arch ★ · Pill ★ · Six-pointed star ★ · Seal ★ · Cross ★ · Arrow · Arrow up ★ · Arrow down ★ · Arrow left ★ · Double arrow ★ · Chevron ★ · Check mark ★ · Close (X) ★ · Plus ★ · Minus ★ · Warning ★ · Information ★ · Play button ★ · Speech bubble · Thought bubble ★ · Flag ★ · Bookmark ★ · Tag ★ · Lightning bolt ★ · Shield ★ · Award ★ · Puzzle piece ★ · Gear ★ · Lock ★ · Key ★ · Bell ★ · Eye ★ · Cloud · Drop · Sun ★ · Moon ★ · Snowflake ★ · Leaf ★ · Pine tree ★ · Tree ★ · Flower ★ · Mountain ★ · Wave ★ · Flame ★ · Umbrella ★ · Apple ★ · Fish ★ · Paw print ★ · Rain ★ · Sprout ★ · Person · Man ★ · Woman ★ · Child ★ · Group of people ★ · User bust ★ · House · Office building ★ · Factory ★ · Castle ★ · Shop ★ · Bank ★ · Hospital ★ · Book ★ · Envelope ★ · Phone ★ · Laptop ★ · Monitor ★ · Gift ★ · Clock ★ · Calendar ★ · Pencil ★ · Light bulb ★ · Trophy ★ · Crown ★ · Trash can ★ · Barrel · Bottle · Wine glass · Glass · Mug ★ · Jar ★ · Bucket ★ · Battery · Vertical battery · Thermometer · Test tube ★ · Tank ★ · Funnel ★ · Hourglass ★ · Bag ★ · Piggy bank ★ · Flask ★ · Beaker ★ · Can ★ · Coffee cup ★ · Vase ★ · Milk carton ★ · Metropolitan France ★ · Africa ★ · Australia ★ · South America ★ · Map pin ★ · Globe ★ · Folded map ★ · Compass ★ · City skyline ★ · Target ★ · Bar chart ★ · Pie chart ★ · Trend up ★ · Coin ★ · Banknote ★ · Wallet ★ · Credit card ★ · Shopping cart ★ · Briefcase ★ · Percent ★ · Podium ★ · Megaphone ★ · Gem ★ · Medal ★ · Clipboard ★ · Handshake ★ · Car ★ · Truck ★ · Bus ★ · Bicycle ★ · Plane ★ · Sailboat ★ · Train ★ · Rocket ★ · Helicopter ★ · Cargo ship ★ · Fuel pump ★ · Scooter ★
One shape per legend category	Circle, square, diamond, triangle, hexagon, star…: the category can be read without the colors (always on in high contrast).	On / Off
Dot radius (px)	Starting dot radius (without a Size field).	0.5 to 40, 5
Shrink dots so that everything fits	When a band is too crowded, all dots get smaller (the same size in every band and every frame).	On / Off
Space between dots (px)	Minimum gap between two dots; never more than half a radius for very small dots.	0 to 12, 1
Smallest dot radius (Size field)	Radius of the smallest Size value.	0.5 to 40, 3
Largest dot radius (Size field)	Radius of the largest Size value (area proportional).	1 to 80, 14
Opacity (%)	Dot fill opacity.	10 to 100, 88
Hollow dots	Dots drawn as outlines only.	On / Off
Outline	Thin outline that separates neighboring dots.	On / Off
Outline color (empty = background) (appears if Outline is on)	Color of that outline.	empty

Groups (bands) group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Group names	Name of each group next to its band (click = all its dots).	On / Off
Name size	Size of those names.	6 to 24, 10
Maximum lines per name	Long group names wrap to the next line (then "…"); the full name is in the name's tooltip	1 to 4, 2
Maximum room for names (% of the width)	Maximum room kept for group names	10 to 60, 32
Dot count under the name	“n = 60” under the name (current play-axis frame).	On / Off
Group order	Order of the bands; the median uses every frame (bands stay put during playback).	Data order (Power BI sort) · Median, descending ★ · Median, ascending ★ · Number of dots · Name (A → Z)
Lines between groups	Thin line between two bands.	On / Off
Alternate bands	Every other band lightly tinted.	On / Off
Gap between groups (px)	Empty space between two bands.	0 to 60, 6

Statistics

The free markers (median, quartiles, mean) and, as premium features, the box plot and the violin behind the dots.

Markers group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Median	Median line of each group.	On / Off
Quartiles (Q1 and Q3) ★	Dashed lines at the 1st and 3rd quartiles (premium feature).	On / Off
Mean	Dotted line at the mean.	On / Off
Write the marker values	Writes “med. 42”, “Q1 …” at the end of the markers (no overlap).	On / Off
Marker color (empty = text)	Marker color.	empty
Width	Marker width.	0.5 to 6, 1.5

Box plot ★ group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Box plot ★	Quartile box and whiskers drawn behind the dots of each group.	On / Off
Whiskers	How far the box whiskers reach.	1.5 × interquartile range (Tukey) · Minimum and maximum · 5th and 95th percentiles · 10th and 90th percentiles
Ring the outliers	Dots beyond the whiskers get a ring in the unfavorable color.	On / Off
Box width (% of the band)	Box thickness (both sides).	10 to 100, 70

Violin ★ group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Violin (density) ★	Smoothed density behind the dots. With Swarm › Side = one side, half a violin on the other side: a raincloud plot.	On / Off
Smoothing (0 = automatic)	Kernel width in the unit of the value. Automatic: Silverman's rule.	0 to 1000000000, 0
Fill opacity (%)	Violin opacity.	0 to 80, 16

Data labels

Names or values written next to the chosen dots.

Labels group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Labels of the dots chosen below (selected and highlighted dots are always labeled).	On / Off
Content	Label text.	Name (Details) · Name and value · Value
Labeled dots	Selected and highlighted dots are always labeled.	Minimum and maximum of each group · The N largest · The N smallest · Outliers (1.5 × interquartile range) ★ · Selected only · All (no overlap)
N (appears if Labeled dots = The N largest or The N smallest)	Number of labeled dots.	1 to 100, 5
Name shown (two Details fields)	With two fields in Details (e.g. Town and County): the name written in the labels and at the top of the tooltip; both stay in the tooltip and the search	Both (A · B) · The first field · The second field
Size	Text size.	6 to 24, 10
Color (empty = automatic)	Automatic: readable color depending on the background (inside bars: white or dark).	empty
Bold	Bold text.	On / Off
Text halo	Background-colored halo around the text (readable over dots).	On / Off
Hide overlapping labels	A label that would cover another is not shown (8 positions tried around the dot).	On / Off

Numbers group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Display units	Thousands, millions… for label values.	Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions
Decimals (-1 = auto)	Number of decimals.	-1 to 6, -1
Prefix	Text before the value.	empty
Suffix (e.g. €)	Text after the value.	empty

Value axis

The axis the dots are placed along, shared by every band, every play-axis frame and every small multiple.

Values group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Value axis tick labels.	On / Off
Size	Tick label size.	6 to 24, 9
Color (empty = secondary text)	Tick label color.	empty
Display units	Thousands, millions… on the axis.	Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions
Decimals (-1 = auto)	Number of decimals of the ticks.	-1 to 6, -1
Prefix	Text before each tick.	empty
Suffix (e.g. €)	Text after each tick.	empty
Axis line	Line along the axis.	On / Off

Range group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Scale	Linear or logarithmic (zero and negative values are not placed).	Linear · Logarithmic
Minimum	Axis start (empty = automatic).	empty
Maximum	Axis end (empty = automatic).	empty
Always include zero (appears if Scale = Linear)	The axis always starts at zero.	On / Off
Number of ticks (approx.)	Approximate number of ticks.	2 to 20, 5
Invert axis	Large values on the left (or at the bottom).	On / Off
Round range	Rounds the computed bounds to a round tick; when off, the axis stops at the extreme values	On / Off

Axis title group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Title under the axis (or on the left).	On / Off
Text (appears if Axis title › Show is on)	Title text (empty = measure name).	empty

Gridlines

This card groups the guide lines of the value axis (they used to be in the Value axis card), like the gridlines of the native visuals.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Vertical guide lines, at the X axis ticks	On / Off
Color (empty = style grid)	Line color	empty
Width	Line width (px)	0.5 to 6, 1
Line style	Look of the lines	Solid · Dashed · Dotted
Zero line	Stronger line at zero	On / Off

Legend

Shown when the Legend field is filled (or with the ★ gradient).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Shown when the chart has several series.	On / Off
Position	Legend position.	Top · Bottom · Right · Left
Alignment (appears if Position = Top or Bottom)	Legend alignment at the top or bottom.	Start · Center · End
Legend title	Title before the legend.	On / Off
Title text (appears if Legend title is on)	Title text (empty = field name).	empty
Size	Legend text size.	6 to 24, 9
Color (empty = secondary text)	Legend text color.	empty
Click = select the series	Click a category = all its dots selected; hover = other categories dimmed.	On / Off

Comparison ★

This card (formerly "Comparison with a reference ★") compares each group with a reference: the average of all dots, a chosen group or a measure.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show ★	Needs the “Compare with ★” field: a reference value per dot (last year, target, budget).	On / Off
Gap stem (from the reference to the dot)	Line from the reference value to the dot.	On / Off
Hollow dot at the reference	Empty circle at the reference.	On / Off
Color dots by their gap	Favorable, unfavorable or unchanged; the direction is also written in the tooltip (▲ ▼).	On / Off
An increase is favorable	Favorable direction of the gap (off: a decrease is favorable).	On / Off
Favorable color	Color of a favorable gap.	#2E7D4F
Unfavorable color	Color of an unfavorable gap.	#C0392B
Stem width	Stem width.	0.5 to 6, 1.5

Highlight ★

This card makes named dots stand out; the others fade. Its colors are also used for the dots found by the Search ★ card.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Highlighted dots ★	Names of the Details field (case and accents ignored). The “Highlight ★” field does the same with a measure.	empty
Color (empty = dot color)	Color of highlighted dots.	empty
Other dots opacity (%)	Opacity of the dots that are not highlighted.	5 to 100, 22
Label highlighted (and found) dots	Writes the name of the highlighted dots and of the dots found by the search	On / Off

Search ★

This new card (the search box used to be in "Search and highlight ★") adds a search box inside the visual: readers type a name, matching dots stand out and are labeled, Enter selects them.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Search box in the visual ★	Readers type a name: matching dots stand out and are labeled; Enter selects them.	On / Off
Hide in reading view	The box only appears in edit mode (published, exported or presented report: no box)	On / Off
Hide while playing (play axis)	The box disappears while the play axis animates (video, recording) and comes back on pause	On / Off
Placeholder	Gray text shown in the empty box; empty = default text	empty

Zoom

This card adds a zoom slider below the value axis, like the native zoom slider: a movable window and two handles; double-click to see everything again. It is not saved in the report.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Value axis zoom slider	Shows the slider below the value axis	On / Off

Images ★

(shown when the Image ★ field is filled)

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Minimum diameter of a dot with an image (px)	Dots that carry an image (“Image ★” field) are drawn at least this large so the image stays legible.	6 to 120, 22
Border in the dot color	Circle in the dot color around the image.	On / Off

Small multiples ★

(shown when the Small multiples ★ field is filled)

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Columns (0 = automatic)	Number of charts per row.	0 to 12, 0
Minimum chart height (px)	Minimum height; beyond the available room, the area scrolls.	50 to 600, 110
Spacing (px)	Space between charts.	0 to 60, 12
Title size	Size of each chart title.	6 to 24, 10
Frame around each chart	Thin frame around each chart.	On / Off

Playback ★

(shown when the Play axis ★ field is filled) The player shared by Plume visuals; a premium feature: without a key, the watermark appears as soon as the field is filled.

Playback group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Frame shown on opening	Frame shown when the report opens.	The last one (most recent) · The first one
Duration of a frame (ms)	At speed ×1; the speed button of the play bar multiplies it (×0.5 to ×4) for the session.	100 to 10000, 1000
Loop	Starts again after the last frame.	On / Off
Play automatically on opening	Once, from the first frame. Not when animations are reduced (Style › Animations or the system) nor on a dashboard tile.	On / Off
Animated transitions	Values, positions and colors move smoothly from one frame to the next.	On / Off

Play bar group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Play bar	Play bar (play, slider, speed).	On / Off
Bar position (appears if Play bar is on)	Bar at the bottom or at the top.	Bottom · Top
Tick marks (appears if Play bar is on)	Slider tick marks.	Automatic · Every frame · None
Tick labels (appears if Play bar is on)	Values under the tick marks.	On / Off
Start and end buttons (appears if Play bar is on)	“Go to start” and “Go to end” buttons.	On / Off
Speed button (appears if Play bar is on)	×0.5 / ×1 / ×2 / ×4 button.	On / Off

Large value group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Current value in large type	Current year (or date) written large on the chart.	On / Off
Large value size (appears if Current value in large type is on)	Size of that value.	12 to 160, 44
Large value position (appears if Current value in large type is on)	Position of that value.	Bottom right · Top right · Top left · Bottom left · Center

More settings group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Dot history	Earlier values of the dot (from the first frame to the current one), drawn as a trail along the value axis.	None · Selected dots ★ · Highlighted dots ★

Interactions

The Interactions card has the settings shared by all visuals (Highlight on hover, Dimmed items opacity (%), see the shared basics) and adds these:

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Scale during cross-highlighting	When another visual sends a highlight, the axis keeps all the data (default) or refocuses on the highlighted dots. A filter removes dots instead: then pin the bounds with a measure	All data (the scale stays) · Refocus on the highlighted dots
Select by drawing a rectangle	Drag on the chart to select every dot inside the rectangle (Ctrl to add).	On / Off
Selection shape (appears if Select by drawing a rectangle is on)	Rectangle, or a freehand lasso	Rectangle · Lasso (freehand)
Rank and percentile in the tooltip	Rank of the dot in its group (1 = largest value) and its percentile.	On / Off

Reference lines ★

In the Analytics pane. Three lines (same settings for lines 2 and 3) and one band, on the value axis, computed on the dots of the current frame.

The Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3 groups have the same settings.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Shows line 1 (lines 2 and 3: same settings).	On / Off
Value	Line value, computed on the dots of the current frame.	Constant · Average · Median · Minimum · Maximum · Percentile · “Reference value” field; default: Average (line 1), Constant (line 2), Median (line 3)
Constant value (appears if Value = Constant)	Value of a constant line.	0
Percentile (appears if Value = Percentile)	Percentile (e.g. 90).	1 to 99, 90
Label	Line text (empty = automatic).	empty
Show the value	Writes the value next to the label.	On / Off
Color (empty = accent)	Line color.	empty
Line style	Solid, dashed or dotted.	Solid · Dashed · Dotted
Width	Width.	0.5 to 6, 1.5
Label position	Label position.	End · Start · None

Reference band group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Colored band between two values.	On / Off
From	Band start.	0
To	Band end.	0
Label	Band text.	empty
Color (empty = accent)	Band color.	empty
Opacity (%)	Band opacity.	2 to 60, 12

Premium features ★

Feature	Where to set it
Sieve (dot columns)	Format › Swarm › Layout › Layout
★ shapes (131 shapes)	Format › Swarm › Dots › Shape
Box plot, outliers	Format › Statistics › Box plot ★
Violin, raincloud	Format › Statistics › Violin ★ (with Side = one side)
Gradient by a value	Format › Data colors › Coloring
Comparison with a reference	Compare with ★ field, Comparison ★ card
In-visual search, highlighted dots	Format › Search ★ and Format › Highlight ★, Highlight ★ field
Play axis: dots glide from one frame to the next	Play axis ★ field, Playback ★ card
Dot history	Format › Playback ★ › More settings › Dot history
Quartiles (Q1 and Q3)	Format › Statistics › Markers › Quartiles (Q1 and Q3) ★
Groups sorted by median	Format › Swarm › Groups (bands) › Group order = Median, descending ★ or ascending ★
Large dots in the middle	Format › Swarm › Layout › Placement order = By size ★ (with the Size field)
Outlier labels	Format › Data labels › Labeled dots = Outliers ★
Small multiples	Small multiples ★ field, Small multiples ★ card
Images inside dots	Image ★ field, Images ★ card
Reference lines	Analytics › Reference lines ★ pane
Styles, palettes, JSON theme	Format › Style (see the common basics)