Visualize density and intensity across two dimensions with Heatmaps. Spot hot spots in temporal or cross-tabulated data.

Heatmaps use color intensity to represent values across a two-dimensional matrix. They are exceptional for spotting "hot spots" in complex datasets, such as identifying which Hour of the Day and Day of the Week sees the most traffic. By replacing numbers with colors, they allow the brain to process patterns in large grids instantly.

Edilitics enables you to create these intensity matrices using a point-and-click interface, layering visual intuition over your governed datasets.

When to Use a Heatmap

Use Case	Why This Chart Works
Temporal Analysis	Day vs Hour: Spot service peaks (e.g., "Monday Mornings are excessive").
Correlation Matrix	Product A vs Product B: visualizing cross-selling strength.
Geographic Grid	Region vs Product: Identify which regions perform best for specific categories.
Risk Assessment	Impact vs Probability: Standard risk matrix visualization.

Chart Configuration in Edilitics

Inputs Required

Data Type	Required Count	Description
Dimensions (Columns)	2	One field for X-Axis categories, one field for Y-Axis categories.
Metrics (Rows)	1	Numerical value determining the color intensity of the cell.

How to Configure a Heatmap

Select "Heatmap" from the Chart Library.
Define Grid:
- Drag Dimension A to X-Axis.
- Drag Dimension B to Y-Axis.
Assign Intensity:
- Drag your metric to the Color/Value input.
Color Configuration:
- Select a Visual Map (Gradient). Common choices are "Heat" (Yellow-Red) or "Cool" (Blue-Teal).
- Edilitics maps the lowest value to the lightest color and the highest value to the darkest color automatically.
Labels:
- Optionally, toggle Show Values to print the number inside the square for precision reading.

Feature Highlights

Visual Map Control

Interactive slider allows users to adjust the min/max range of the gradient to filter out "noise" (low values) and focus only on the peaks.

Cartesian Coordinate Support

Unlike geographic heatmaps, this chart type works on any X/Y logical axes, making it flexible for abstract business matrices.

Cell Styling

Adjust gap size between cells (borders) to create a clean, tiled look.
Rounded corners support for modern UI aesthetics.

Interactive Filtering

Clicking a "hot" cell filters the dashboard to that specific intersection (e.g., "Mondays at 9 AM").

Best Practices for Heatmaps

Practice	Why It Matters
Meaningful Order	Ensure axes are sorted logically (e.g., Mon-Sun, 1-24) rather than alphabetically.
Color Blindness	Use single-hue gradients (Light Blue -> Dark Blue) which are universally readable, rather than Red-Green.
Avoid Sparse Data	Heatmaps work best when the grid is mostly full. If 90% of cells are empty, a Scatter Plot may be better.
Legend is Mandatory	Always show the color scale legend so users know what "Dark Blue" represents numerically.

How Edilitics Is Different

Unlike static heatmap images, Edilitics Heatmaps are interactive and performant:

High-Performance Canvas: Rendered on a responsive canvas, supporting smooth interactions even with large grids (e.g., 50x50).
Transform Integration: Easily pivot transactional data into matrix format using the Transform layer - no SQL complexity.
Cross-Filtering: Click any "hot" cell to filter the entire dashboard to that intersection.
Governed Color Scales: Color gradients are applied consistently across all views, ensuring comparability.

This turns tables of numbers into intuitive thermal images of your business.

Heatmaps allow you to "see the noise" and find the signal. They turn tables of numbers into intuitive thermal images of your business performance.

Need help? Email support@edilitics.com with your workspace, job ID, and context. We reply within one business day.

Heatmaps for Intensity Matrices