Customize Column Names at Chart Level in Apache Superset

  

This post is a continuation of my previous article on renaming dataset columns in Apache Superset. In the previous post, we changed the column name from: product_name → Product Name at the dataset level. That means every chart using this dataset will display the column as Product Name.

 

However, sometimes you may want different charts to display different names for the same column.

 

For example:

 

·      One chart may display Revenue

·      Another chart may display Total Sales Amount

·      Another chart may display Sales Revenue

 

In such cases, changing the label globally at the dataset level may not be suitable. This is where chart-level column customization becomes very useful.

 

Why Customize Column Names at Chart Level?

Chart-level customization helps when:

 

·      Different dashboards target different audiences

·      Business teams use different terminology

·      You want shorter names in one visualization

·      You want more descriptive names in another chart

·      You do not want to affect other existing charts

 

The important thing to understand is, Chart-level customization only affects the current chart. Other charts using the same dataset remain unchanged.

 

Steps to Customize Column Names at Chart Level

 

Step 1: Open the Dataset

Click on the product_details dataset. This takes you to the chart configuration page.

 

Step 2: Observe the Available Columns

 

On the left navigation panel, you can see all the dataset columns.

 

Notice that the dataset already contains the column label Product Name, which we changed in the previous post.

 

Step 3: Add Columns to the Chart

Drag and drop the following columns into the Dimensions section:

 

·      product_id

·      Product Name

 

Step 4: Create the Chart

Click on the Create Chart button.

 

The table visualization is rendered with columns:

 

·      product_id

·      Product Name

 

At this point, the chart is still using the original display label for product_id.

 

Chart is rendered like below.

 

Step 5: Customize the Column Name

 

To change product_id to a more readable name, click on the product_id field inside the Dimensions section.

 

Open the Custom SQL tab

 

Click on the Pencil icon against product_id.

 

Update the display name

 

For example:

product_id → Product Id

 

Save the changes.

 

Click on Update Chart button, now the chart displays:

 

·      Product Id

·      Product Name

 

instead of the original technical column names.

 

Using chart-level labels provides several advantages:

 

·      More flexibility in dashboard design

·      Better readability for end users

·      Ability to reuse the same dataset differently across charts

·      No impact on other visualizations

·      Easier business terminology alignment

 

Dataset-level naming is useful for standardizing column names across the platform. Chart-level customization is useful when individual visualizations need their own terminology or presentation style.

 

Using both approaches together helps create cleaner, more business-friendly dashboards in Superset.

 

That’s it, you're good to go.

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How to Rename Dataset Column Names in Apache Superset?

  

When working with dashboards and charts in Apache Superset, the original database column names are often too technical or difficult for business users to understand.

 

For example:

·      product_name may look more readable as Product Name

·      cust_id may be better displayed as Customer ID

·      rev_amt may be easier to understand as Revenue Amount

 

Renaming columns in Superset helps make charts, tables, and dashboards more user-friendly without modifying the actual database schema.

 

Why Changing Column Names Is Important?

Changing column labels in Superset is useful because:

 

·      Improves dashboard readability

·      Makes reports business-friendly

·      Hides technical database naming conventions

·      Helps non-technical users understand charts easily

·      Provides cleaner visualization labels

·      Standardizes naming across dashboards

 

The important thing to understand is:

·      Changing the column label in Superset does NOT rename the actual database column.

·      It only changes how the column name is displayed inside Superset visualizations.

 

Steps to Rename Dataset Columns in Superset

 

Step 1: Navigate to the Datasets Page

Open Superset and navigate to the Datasets listing page. Locate the dataset whose column names you want to update.

 

Step 2: Edit the Dataset

 

For example, let us update the column names in the product_details dataset.

 

Click the Edit action corresponding to this dataset.

 

This opens the dataset edit form.

 

Step 3: Open the Columns Tab

Inside the dataset edit screen, navigate to the Columns tab.

 

This section displays all the columns available in the dataset.

 

Step 4: Expand the Column

 

Expand the column that you want to rename. You will see multiple configuration options for that column.

 

Locate the Label text box.

 

Enter the new display name in the Label field.

 

For example:

 

·      Original column name: product_name

·      New label: Product Name

 

Once saved, Superset will display Product Name in charts and dashboards instead of product_name.

 

Click on Save button to save these changes.

 

Click on OK button.

 

This change only affects how the column name appears inside Superset. The actual database column name remains unchanged.

 

What If You Want to Rename a Column Only for a Specific Chart?

Sometimes you may want to customize the column name only at the chart level instead of changing it globally for the entire dataset.

 

For example:

·      One chart may need Revenue

·      Another chart may need Total Sales Amount

 

In the next post, I will explain how to rename columns only for individual charts in Superset.

 

That’s it, you're good to go.

 

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How to Enable Pagination in Apache Superset Table Charts?

  

In this post, we explore how to enable pagination in table charts within Apache Superset dashboards to efficiently handle large datasets.

 

What is Pagination?

Pagination is a technique used to divide large amounts of data into smaller chunks called pages. Instead of loading thousands or millions of records at once, the application loads only a limited number of records per page.

 

For example:

Page	Records Displayed
Page 1	1 - 10
Page 2	11 - 20
Page 3	21 - 30

 

This improves:

·      Application performance

·      Dashboard loading speed

·      Database efficiency

·      User experience

·      Browser memory usage

 

Pagination is commonly used in:

·      BI dashboards

·      Table visualizations

·      E-commerce websites

·      Search results

·      Admin panels

·      Reporting systems

 

Why Pagination is Important?

Imagine a table containing:

 

·      10 million product records

·      50 columns

·      Multiple joins and aggregations

 

If the application tries to load everything at once:

 

·      Database query becomes expensive

·      Browser becomes slow

·      Dashboard may freeze

·      Network transfer increases

·      Memory usage becomes high

 

Pagination solves this problem by loading only the required subset of data.

Example 

SELECT *
FROM products
LIMIT 10 OFFSET 0;

   

Only 10 rows are fetched instead of millions.

 

Follow below step-by-step procedure to enable pagination.

 

Open table chart in  Superset.

 

Click on the checkbox ‘Server pagination’, set Server Page Length of your choice.

 

Click on ‘Update chart’ button.

 

You can be able to see that the table chart is rendered with Pagination support.

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