Cross Table visualization does not fill in custom text for missing data based on "Display cells with no data as" setting

Cross Table visualization does not fill in custom text for missing data based on "Display cells with no data as" setting

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Article ID: KB0079523

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Updated On:

Products Versions
Spotfire Analyst 7.7 and higher

Description

In Cross Table visualization Properties > Appearance, there is the option to display custom text when cells have no data by using the "Display cells with no data as" > "Custom text" setting. It may seem that some of the empty cells in the Cross Table are not replaced with that custom text as expected.
 

Issue/Introduction

In Cross Table visualization Properties > Appearance, there is the option to display custom text when cells have no data by using the "Display cells with no data as" > "Custom text" setting. It may seem that some of the empty cells in the Cross Table are not replaced with that custom text as expected. This article explains the behavior of this feature.

Resolution

This behavior is because the Cross Table differentiates between null/empty values and when there are no rows in the data set which corresponds to the cell. The text specified in “Display cells with no data as” is used only when there are no rows in the data set that corresponds to the cell i.e if the vertical axes value has no corresponding horizontal axes value in the data set. Note: Null/Empty value are formatted as an empty string.

For example, assume a data table like:
ID    NAME    Phone
1     AAA     123456
2     BBB

When creating a Cross Table based on the above data set with [ID] on the vertical axis and [Name] on the horizontal axis, and with a custom text defined in "Display cells with no data as", the result would be:
ID	AAA	           BBB
1	123456  	   MyCustomText	
2	MyCustomText

Explanation:
  • The original data table has a combination of ID=2 and NAME=BBB, and that corresponding cell contains a null/empty value. In this case, the corresponding cell in the Cross Table is not replaced with custom text.
  • The original data table does not have a combination of ID=1 and NAME=BBB. In this case, the corresponding cell in the Cross Table is replaced with custom text defined in "Display cells with no data as"
  • The original data table does not have a combination of ID=2 and NAME=AAA. In this case, the corresponding cell in the Cross Table is replaced with custom text defined in "Display cells with no data as"

Additional Information

Doc: Cross Table Properties – Appearance