Pyramid Plume: every field and setting explained

This page describes everything Pyramid 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 guided first visual, see getting started. This page describes version 1.1 (reorganized Format pane: Category axis card (formerly Age axis), new Gridlines card, hatched surplus with its key, neutral wording).

The visual's fields

Field	Required?	How many	What you drop	What it is for	Example
Age (or age band, category)	Yes	1	A column: age (number) or band (text), or any category	One row of the pyramid per value	Population[Age]
Side (sex or any two-value field)	No	1	A two-value column	Both sides face to face	Population[Sex]
Value (or two measures face to face)	Yes	1, or 2 without Side	A measure (or two)	Bar length	Residents
Play axis ★	No	1	A year or date column	One pyramid per year, ▶ button	Population[Year]
Comparison ★	No	1, or 2 without Side	A measure	A second population as an outline	Residents in 1975
Sub-category ★	No	1	A column	Splits each bar, stacked from the center	Population[Nationality]
Small multiples ★	No	1	A column	One pyramid per value, same scale	Population[Region]
Tooltips	No	5 at most	Measures	Added to the tooltip (summed when the visual groups ages)	Mean age

Age. A number (0, 1, 2… 100) or a text that contains an age: "0-4", "5 to 9", "100+", "85 and over", "under 5", Eurostat codes Y_LT5, Y5-9, Y_GE85. The visual reads the number and sorts by itself; a blank value goes last. A field without numbers ("Pay", "Training") gives a butterfly chart in model order (or sorted by total).

Side. Two values: the first one on the left, unless the data starts with women ("Women", "F", "Femmes"): men stay on the left, as in every pyramid. A third value is ignored, with a warning in edit mode. Without Side, put two measures in Value.

Value. A positive measure; a measure made negative (the usual stacked-bar trick) is read as its absolute value.

Play axis ★. Premium feature: a "Premium preview" watermark without a key as soon as the field holds data. A year (whole number) or a date: years are sorted, the most recent one is shown on opening. A selected bar stays selected from one year to the next (the selection is on age and side, not on the year).

Comparison ★. With Side: one measure, compared on each side. Without Side: one measure per side, in the same order as the Value measures.

Tooltips and Dynamic format: see the common basics.

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, 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

Bar colors. Right after the Style card, as in every Plume chart.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Coloring	One color per side (Men, Women), or per sub-category when the Sub-category ★ field is used; or one color everywhere.	One color per side (or per sub-category) · Single color
Color	Single color (shown when Coloring = Single color).	empty
Color	One line per side or sub-category: its color.	empty
Surplus (empty = darker shade of the side)	Color of the surplus of one side (Pyramid › Bars › Surplus of one side).	empty

Pyramid

What the bars show (counts or shares), side headers, bar drawing and scale.

Displayed values group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	In %, two pyramids of different sizes (two territories, two years) compare by their shape.	Counts (values) · % of the total population · % of each side
Swap sides	By default, "Men" (or the first value) on the left.	On / Off
Side headers (name and total)	Above each side: its name, total and share (no total when the measure is a %). Off: the legend names the sides.	On / Off
Share of each side in the header (appears if Side headers (name and total) is on)	Share of each side in the total (shown when headers are on).	On / Off
Header size (appears if Side headers (name and total) is on)	Header text size.	7 to 24, 11

Bars group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Bar thickness (%)	Share of the row height filled by the bar.	20 to 100, 88
End rounding	Corner rounding of the bars.	0 to 12, 1
Opacity (%)	Bar opacity.	10 to 100, 100
Outline	Line around each bar.	On / Off
Surplus of one side	The part of a bar beyond the opposite one (e.g. more women at old ages): hatched in the side color, with an outline, so it is not read as a second series	Not marked · Hatching at the end of the bar ★ · Outline of the opposite side ★
Surplus legend (appears if Surplus of one side = Hatching at the end of the bar or Outline of the opposite side)	Adds a "Surplus" key under the pyramid that explains the hatching (or the outline)	On / Off

Scale group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Same scale for every frame of the play axis	Off: the scale adapts to each year.	On / Off
Scale of both sides	Own scale per side: two measures with different units (headcount and seniority).	Shared · Own scale per side (two measures)
Scale maximum	End of the scale (e.g. 500000, or 5 for 5% in percent); empty = automatic.	empty

Ages and categories

Order of ages or categories, computed bands and observation year (generations, birth years).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Order	Automatic: "5-9" before "10-14", "100+" last, no sort column needed.	Automatic (ages in numeric order) · Model order · Total, descending (tornado) · Total, ascending · Name A → Z
Direction	Ages: young at the bottom; other categories: first at the top.	Automatic (young at the bottom) · First category at the bottom · First category at the top
Group ages	Computed by the visual from single ages (0, 1, 2…): no band column to create.	No (ages as in the data) · 2-year bands ★ · 5-year bands ★ · 10-year bands ★ · 20-year bands ★
Open last band from (0 = no) ★	E.g. 90: everyone aged 90 and over in "90+".	0 to 150, 0
Observation year (0 = play axis)	Used for birth years and generations. Read from the play axis when it is a year or a date.	0 to 3000, 0
Age counted as	Born in 1946: 74 in 2020 (age reached) or 73 on January 1, 2020 (completed age).	Age reached during the year · Completed age on January 1
Wording	Neutral: tooltips, indicators and markers say "category", "median", "under 20" instead of "age", "median age", "under 20 years" (butterfly, tornado chart); Automatic decides from the field name	Automatic (ages when the field is about age) · Ages (years, median age…) · Neutral (categories, values)

Data labels

Values written at the end of the bars.

Labels group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Value at the end of each bar.	On / Off
Content	Value, share of the total, share of its side, or both.	Value · Share of the total population · Share of its side · Value and share of the total
Minimum row height (px)	Labels are hidden when a row is shorter (many single ages).	4 to 40, 10
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 outline around the text.	On / Off
Hide overlapping labels	Setting shared by Plume charts.	On / Off

Numbers group

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

Category axis

This card (formerly "Age axis") sets the column of ages or categories, in the center by default, and the birth years. Its internal name is now catAxis: a Dynamic format measure named with the old name (ageAxis.…) is still accepted. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Age or category labels	On / Off
Position	In the center, the two sides move apart to leave room for the age column	Center (between the sides) · Left · Right
Size	Label size	6 to 24, 9
Color (empty = secondary text)	Label color	empty
Labels	Automatic: one label every 1, 2, 5 or 10 depending on the room (multiples of 5 for single ages).	Automatic (no overlap) · All · Every 5 years · Every 10 years
Center gap (px) (appears if Position = Left or Right)	Gap between both sides when ages are left, right or hidden.	0 to 40, 2
Axis title	Title above the age column (field name by default).	On / Off
Text (appears if Axis title is on)	Title text (empty = field name).	empty
Birth years alongside ★	On the right, the birth year of each age (observation year known).	On / Off

Value axis

The ticks below the pyramid (gridlines are now in the Gridlines card).

Labels group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Ticks below the pyramid, positive on both sides.	On / Off
Size	Tick size.	6 to 24, 9
Color (empty = secondary text)	Tick color.	empty
Display units	Thousands (K), millions (M)…	Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions
Decimals (-1 = auto)	Tick decimals.	-1 to 6, -1
Prefix	Text before each tick.	empty
Suffix (e.g. €)	Text after each tick.	empty
Ticks per side (approx.)	Approximate number of ticks on each side.	1 to 10, 3

Axis title group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Axis title	Title below the ticks.	On / Off
Text (appears if Axis title is on)	Title text (empty = measure name).	empty

Gridlines

This card groups the vertical guide lines at the value ticks (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 lines at the value 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

Legend

This card sets the legend: the two sides, and the "Surplus" key when the surplus is marked. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Shows the legend	On / Off
Position	Location	Top · Bottom · Right · Left
Alignment (appears if Position = Top or Bottom)	Horizontal alignment	Start · Center · End
Legend title	Shows a title before the legend	On / Off
Title text (appears if Legend title is on)	Title text	empty
Size	Size of the series names	6 to 24, 9
Color (empty = secondary text)	Text color	empty
Click = select the series	Clicking a legend name selects the whole series and filters the report	On / Off

Comparison ★

A second population drawn over the pyramid: another year, another territory, a target, or a frame of the play axis.

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show	Drawn with the "Comparison ★" field, or from a frame of the play axis.	On / Off
Compare with	Play axis frame: the pyramid of a fixed year stays drawn as an outline while playing.	"Comparison" field · First frame of the play axis ★ · Previous frame of the play axis ★ · Named frame of the play axis ★
Frame (e.g. 1975) (appears if Compare with = Named frame of the play axis)	Label of the frame to keep (shown when Compare with = Named frame).	empty
Drawing	Step outline, light bars behind the bars, or a tick at the end of each bar.	Step outline · Ghost bars behind · Marker at the end of each bar
Color (empty = text)	Comparison color.	empty
Width	Line width.	0.5 to 6, 1.5
Line style	Line style.	Solid · Dashed · Dotted
Label	Key text below the pyramid (empty = field or frame name).	empty

Generations ★

The generation followed while playing and generation markers. Ages must be numeric and the year known (play axis or Ages and categories › Observation year).

Follow a generation group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Follow a generation ★	The generation born in a given year is highlighted and climbs year after year while playing.	On / Off
Born in (or from)	First birth year of the generation.	1000 to 3000, 1946
To (0 = a single year)	Last birth year (0 = a single year).	0 to 3000, 0
Label	Label text (empty = "Born in 1946").	empty
Color (empty = accent)	Band color.	empty

Generation markers group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Markers ★ (birth years = text; separated by ;)	A band and a label at the age of each generation; they climb while playing.	empty
Markers color (empty = secondary text)	Marker color.	empty

Demographic indicators ★

A box of indicators computed for the year shown (numeric ages).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Show ★	Computed by the visual for the current frame (numeric ages).	On / Off
Position	Corner of the indicator box.	Top left · Top right · Bottom left · Bottom right
Total population	Sum of both sides.	On / Off
Median age	Half of the population is younger than this age.	On / Off
Mean age	Mean age (middle of each band).	On / Off
Share of young people	Share of people under N (N = Young: under).	On / Off
Share of older people	Share of people aged N and over (N = Older: from).	On / Off
Dependency ratio	(young + older) per 100 people of working age.	On / Off
Ageing index	Older people per 100 young people.	On / Off
Side ratio (left per 100 right)	Sex ratio when the sides are the sexes.	On / Off
Young: under (years)	Young threshold.	1 to 40, 20
Older: from (years)	Older threshold.	40 to 100, 65
Size	Text size.	7 to 20, 10

Projection ★

Projection years drawn differently (needs a play axis).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Mark projections ★	Play axis frames from a given year on are drawn differently and flagged "Projection".	On / Off
Projection from	Year (or frame label) of the first projection.	empty
Bar drawing	Drawing of projected bars.	Hatched · Pale · Dashed outline
Tag	Tag shown (empty = "Projection").	empty

Small multiples

The small multiples grid (shown with a field in Small multiples ★).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Columns (0 = automatic)	Number of grid columns.	0 to 12, 0
Spacing (px)	Space between panels.	0 to 60, 14
Title size	Panel title size.	6 to 24, 10
Total in the title	Panel total after its name.	On / Off
Panel border	Frame around each panel.	On / Off

Playback ★

The shared Plume player (shown with a field in Play axis ★). Its settings add nothing to the watermark: the Play axis ★ field is what shows it.

Playback group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Frame shown on opening	Year 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 over 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 button, slider and buttons below (or above) the pyramid.	On / Off
Bar position (appears if Play bar is on)	Bar at the bottom or 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)	Years written below the slider.	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 (for the session).	On / Off

Large value group

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Current value in large type	Current year written in large type, as a watermark.	On / Off
Large value size (appears if Current value in large type is on)	Size of the large year.	12 to 160, 44
Large value position (appears if Current value in large type is on)	Corner of the large year (top right: the free space of pyramids).	Bottom right · Top right · Top left · Bottom left · Center

Median and mean age ★

In the Analytics pane (premium feature since 2026-10-22): median and mean age lines, computed by the visual (numeric ages).

Setting	What it does	Possible values (default in bold)
Median age ★	Line at the median age.	On / Off
Mean age ★	Line at the mean age.	On / Off
Computed for	One line per side, or one for everyone.	Each side · Everyone
Color (empty = text)	Line color.	empty
Line style	Line style.	Solid · Dashed · Dotted
Width	Width.	0.5 to 6, 1.5
Label with the value	"Median 41.2" at the end of the line.	On / Off

Premium features ★

Feature	Where to set it
Play axis (animated pyramid)	Play axis ★ field, Playback ★ card
Computed bands and open last band	Format › Ages and categories › Group ages, Open last band from ★
Surplus of one side (hatching and "Surplus" key)	Format › Pyramid › Bars › Surplus of one side: Hatching at the end of the bar ★, Outline of the opposite side ★
Birth years alongside	Format › Category axis › Birth years alongside ★
Median and mean age	Analytics › Median and mean age ★ pane
Comparison (field or play axis frame)	Comparison ★ field, Comparison ★ card
Follow a generation	Format › Generations ★ › Follow a generation ★
Generation markers	Format › Generations ★ › Markers ★
Demographic indicators	Format › Demographic indicators ★
Projection	Format › Projection ★
Stacked sub-categories	Sub-category ★ field
Small multiples	Small multiples ★ field
Paid styles, palettes, JSON theme	Format › Style