---
title: "Sunburst Chart"
slug: "sunburst-chart-1"
updated: 2026-01-02T07:02:39Z
published: 2026-01-02T07:02:39Z
canonical: "docs.preset.io/sunburst-chart-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.preset.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sunburst Chart

The **Sunburst chart** is a hierarchical visualization that displays categorical data as concentric rings, enabling users to explore part-to-whole relationships across multiple dimensions. It is particularly useful for analyzing breakdowns where categories have a natural parent–child structure.

## When to Use

Use a Sunburst chart when you want to:

- Visualize hierarchical or multi-level categorical data
- Compare proportions across nested dimensions
- Enable intuitive drill-down exploration within a single chart

Common use cases include population counts by **region** → **country** → **population**, or revenue breakdown by **category** → **item** → **brand**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/image(396).png)

## Chart Configuration

### Query Mode

Sunburst charts operate in Aggregate query mode. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/image(397).png)

### Dimensions

Add one or more categorical columns to define the hierarchy:

- The first dimension represents the inner ring (top-level category)
- Each subsequent dimension adds an outer ring

Example:

1. `Region`
2. `Country`
3. `Population`

The order of dimensions determines the hierarchy displayed in the chart.

### Metric

Select a single metric that determines the size of each segment.

- Typically a `SUM`, `COUNT`, or `COUNT DISTINCT`
- The metric is aggregated at each level of the hierarchy

Example:

- `SUM(population)`
- `COUNT(region)`

### Customize Tab

#### Color Scheme

Choose a color scheme to differentiate categories.

- Colors are applied consistently across hierarchy levels
- Inner-ring categories define the base color palette

#### Sort By

Controls how segments are ordered within each ring:

- Metric value
- Alphabetical order of dimension values

#### Labels

- Labels are shown when there is sufficient space
- Hover tooltips always display full context, including all hierarchy levels and metric values  

![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/image(398).png)

### Drill Behavior

Clicking a segment:

- Highlights the selected path across all rings
- Can trigger cross-filters if enabled on the dashboard

This allows the Sunburst chart to function as an interactive control for other charts.

### Dashboard Behavior

When added to a dashboard, the Sunburst chart supports:

- Cross-filtering (acting as a filter source)
- Native filters (responding to dashboard-level filters)
- Hover tooltips for detailed context without clutter

### Best Practices

- Limit hierarchy depth to 2–4 levels for readability
- Avoid high-cardinality dimensions in outer rings
- Use meaningful ordering of dimensions to reflect analytical intent
- Pair with tables or bar charts when exact values are required