Alta's Data Explorer includes two visualizations built for a single headline number: Single Value, which renders one measure as large formatted text, and Gauge, which renders it as a dial with a goal.
Who this is for
Anyone building dashboards in Alta who wants a KPI tile — total meetings booked, pipeline created, replies this month — instead of a full chart.
Before you start
You need at least one measure in your data model, or a saved metric. If you haven't created a metric yet, start with How to Create and Manage Metrics in Alta.
Both visualizations read the first row of your query result. Filter your query down to a single row before you build.
Build a Single Value tile
Go to Explore → Data Explorer.
Choose your data source or metric.
In the visualization picker, choose Single Value. It sits in the Textual group.
Set Current value. This accepts measures only — a dimension won't appear in the list.
Open the settings icon next to Current value to style the number. You get:
Value Format — a number pattern such as
$0,0.00. The Value Formatters link opens the full reference.Text size — defaults to
48; use + and − or type a number.Text color and background fill — two swatch palettes.
Bold, Italic, Underline.
Alignment — left, center, or right. Click the active one again to clear it.
Optional: open Drilldown and add Breakdown fields so the tile is clickable (see the pitfalls below).
Save the visualization and add it to a dashboard. The tile can be as small as 2 columns by 2 rows.
Build a Gauge
In the Data Explorer, choose Gauge from the visualization picker. It sits in the Goal group.
Set Current value — the measure the needle tracks.
Set Date field (optional). Only date-type dimensions appear here. This matters for rolling metrics, where the gauge needs to know which date column defines the period.
Set the target, using either:
Goal value — type a fixed number, or
Dynamic goal value — pick a measure that calculates the target, so the goal moves with your data.
Optional: open Sort & Limit to control which row the gauge lands on.
Optional: open Drilldown and add Breakdown fields.
Save and add to a dashboard. The gauge needs at least 4 columns by 3 rows.
Tips and common pitfalls
Only the first row is used. Both visualizations ignore every row after the first. If the number looks wrong, your query is probably returning multiple rows — add a filter, or use Sort & Limit on the gauge to put the row you want first.
Dynamic goal value wins. If you fill in both Goal value and Dynamic goal value, the dynamic measure takes priority.
No goal set? The dial falls back to a range of 0 to 100, which will look wrong for most measures. Always set a goal.
Building from a saved metric is the shortcut. Start a gauge from a metric and Alta pre-fills Current value with the metric and Date field with the metric's date column. It also picks up the metric's own goal and forecast automatically — the forecast appears as a second marker on the dial, so you can see whether you're on pace.
Clicking does nothing until you add a breakdown. Drilldown only activates once at least one Breakdown fields entry exists. Use Additional drilldown fields for columns you want visible in the drilldown table but not as a grouping.
Confetti is real. When a gauge on a dashboard reaches or passes its goal, Alta fires a confetti animation over the tile. It's a nice cue for team-facing dashboards.
Advanced Settings (a raw JSON editor for the visualization) only appears if your plan includes it. You don't need it for either of these.
Checking a single goal? You may not need a chart at all. On the Goals page, each goal has an Overtime / Gauge toggle that renders the same dial without building anything.