How to: Change Map Legends, Color Scale, and Associated Rules (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)

A map can contain map legends, a color scale, and a distance scale. These parts of a map help users interpret the data visualization on the map.

Legends include the following parts of a map:

• Map legend   Displays a guide to help interpret the analytical data that varies the display of a map elements on a map layer. A map can have multiple legends. For each map layer, you A specify which legend to use. A legend can provide a guide to more than one map layer.

• Color scale   Displays a guide to help interpret colors on the map. A map has one color scale. Multiple layers can provide the data for the color scale.

• Distance scale   Displays a guide to help interpret the scale of the map. A map has one distance scale. The current map viewport zoom value determines the distance scale.

Note

You can create and modify report definitions (.rdl) in Report Builder 3.0 and in Report Designer in Business Intelligence Development Studio. Each authoring environment provides different ways to create, open, and save reports and related items. For more information, see Designing Reports in Report Designer and Report Builder 3.0 (SSRS) on the Web at microsoft.com.

In This Article

To change how a legend appears, set properties on the legend itself. For example, you can change the font, border, or fill color.

• To change the position of a legend relative to the viewport

• To change the layout of a map legend

• To show or hide a map legend title

• To show or hide a color scale title

To change the items or contents that a legend displays, specify rules for the analytical data on each layer. By default, all items for all rules are added to the first legend.

• To move items out of the first legend

• To vary map element colors based on a template style

• To vary map element colors based on color palette

• To vary map element colors based on color ranges

• To vary map element colors based on custom colors

• To set distribution options for a legend

• To change the contents of a rule legend

• To remove all items from a legend

• To change the format of content in a legend

To change the items or contents that the color scale displays, specify rules for the analytical data on each layer. You can display more than one set of rule results in the color scale.

• To change the contents of the color scale

For more information, see Varying Polygon, Line, and Point Display by Using Rules and Analytical Data (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS).

To change the position of a legend relative to the viewport

To change the position of a legend relative to the viewport

1. In Design view, right-click the legend and open the <report item>Properties page.

2. In Position, click the location that specifies where to display the legend relative to the viewport.

3. To display the legend outside the viewport, select Show <report item> outside viewport.

4. Click OK.

   Note

   In preview, map legends and the color scale appear only when there are results from the rules related to that legend. If there are no items to display, the legend does not appear in the rendered report.

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To change the layout of a map legend

To change the layout of a map legend

1. In Design view, right-click the legend and open the Legend Properties page.

2. In Legend layout, click the table layout that you want to use for the legend. As you click different options, the layout on the design surface changes.

3. Click OK.

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To show or hide a map legend title

To show or hide a map legend title

• Right-click the map legend on the design surface, and then click Show Legend Title.

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To show or hide a color scale title

To show or hide a color scale title

• Right-click the color scale on the design surface, and then click Show Color Scale Title.

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To move items out of the first legend

Create as many additional legends as you need and then update the rules for each map layer specify which legend to display the rule results in.

To create a new legend

• In Design view, right-click the map outside the map viewport, and then click Add Legend.

  A new legend appears on the map.

To display rule results in a legend

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Click Legend.

4. In the Show in this legend drop-down list, click the name of the legend to display the rule results in.

5. Click OK.

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To vary map element colors based on a template style

To vary map element colors based on a template style

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Click Apply template style.

   A template style specifies font, border style, and color palette. Each map element is assigned a different color from the color palette for the theme that was specified in the Map Wizard or Map Layer Wizard. This is the only option that applies to layers that do not have associated analytical data.

4. Click OK.

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To vary map element colors based on color palette

To vary map element colors based on color palette

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Click Visualize data by using color palette.

   This option uses a built-in or custom palette that you specify. Based on related analytical data, each map element is assigned a different color or shade of color from the palette.

4. In Data field, type the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize by color.

5. In Palette, from the drop-down list, select the name of the palette to use.

6. Click OK.

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To vary map element colors based on color ranges

To vary map element colors based on color ranges

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Click Visualize data by using color ranges.

   This option, combined with the start, middle, and end colors that you specify on this page and the options that you specify on the Distribution page, divide the related analytical data into ranges. The report processor assigns the appropriate color to each map element based on the its associated data and the range that it falls into.

4. In Data field, type the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize by color.

5. In Start color, specify the color to use for the lowest range.

6. In Middle color, specify the color to use for the middle range.

7. In End color, specify the color to use for the highest range.

8. Click OK.

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To vary map element colors based on custom colors

To vary map element colors based on custom colors

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Click Visualize data by using custom colors.

   This option uses the list of colors that you specify. Based on related analytical data, each map element is assigned a color from the list. If there are more map elements than colors, no color is assigned.

4. In Data field, type the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize by color.

5. In Custom colors, click Add to specify each custom color.

6. Click OK.

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To set distribution options for a legend

To set distribution options for a legend

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Select the Visualize data by using <rule type> option. To use distribution options, you must create ranges on the Distribution page based on analytical data that is associated with the layer.

4. Click Distribution.

5. Select one of the following distribution types:

   • EqualInterval. Specifies ranges that divide the data into equal range intervals.

   • EqualDistribution. Specifies ranges that divide that data so that each range has an equal number of items.

   • Optimal. Specifies ranges that automatically adjust distribution to create balanced subranges.

   • Custom. Specify your own number of ranges to control the distribution of values.

   For more information about distribution options, see Varying Polygon, Line, and Point Display by Using Rules and Analytical Data (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS).

6. In Number of subranges, type the number of subranges to use. When the distribution type is Optimal, the number of subranges is automatically calculated.

7. In Range start, type a minimum range value. All values less than this number are the same as the range minimum.

8. In Range end, type a maximum range value. All values larger than this number are the same as the range maximum.

9. Click OK.

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To change the contents of a rule legend

To change the contents of a color, size, width, or marker type legend

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Rule.

3. Verify that Visualize data by using <rule type> is selected.

4. In Data field, verify that the analytical data that you are visualizing on the layer is selected.

   Note

   If no fields appear in the drop-down list, right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data to open the Map Layer Data Properties Dialog Box, Analytical Data page and verify that you have specified analytical data for this layer.

5. Click Legend.

6. In Show in this legend, select the map legend to use to display the rule results.

7. Click OK.

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To change the contents of the color scale

To change the contents of the color scale or a color legend

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Color Rule.

3. Select the color rule option to use. To display items in a map legend or color scale, you must select one of the Visualize data by using <rule type> options.

4. In Data field, verify that the analytical data that you are visualizing on the layer is selected.

   Note

   If no fields appear in the drop-down list, right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data to open the Map Layer Data Properties Dialog Box, Analytical Data page and verify that you have specified analytical data for this layer.

5. Click Legend.

6. In Color scale options, select Show in color scale to display the rule results in the color scale. You can specify this option for more than one color rule.

7. Click OK.

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To remove all items from a legend

To hide items based on a rule

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Rule.

3. Click Legend.

4. Click OK.

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To change the format of content in a legend

Set legend options for the rule that is associated with the map legend.

To change the format of content in a legend

1. In Design view, click the map until the Map pane appears.

2. Right-click the layer that has the data that you want, and then click <map element type>Rule.

3. Click Legend.

4. Legend text displays keywords that specify which data appears in the legend. Use map keywords and custom formats to help control the format of legend text. For example, #FROMVALUE {C2} specifies a currency format with two decimal places. For more information, see Varying Polygon, Line, and Point Display by Using Rules and Analytical Data (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS).

5. Click OK.

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See Also

Tasks

How to: Add, Change, or Delete a Map or Map Layer (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)

Concepts

Maps (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)

Customizing the Data and Display of a Map or Map Layer (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)

Troubleshooting Reports: Map Reports (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)

Map Wizard and Map Layer Wizard (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS)