Azure Workbooks: Remove Aggregation Labels & Enable Tooltips

To remove aggregation labels like (Avg) or (Sum) from Azure Workbooks chart legends, tweak your KQL query by projecting clean column names after any aggregation—your make-series with count() example already gets close, but adding explicit renaming ensures legends show just “All Requests” without extras. Tooltips on hover for data points are enabled by default in line and bar charts (not graphs or honeycomb), so switch visualization types if they’re missing. These fixes rely on smart KQL like project overrides and Azure Monitor workbook chart visualizations.

Contents

• Understanding Legends and Tooltips in Azure Workbooks
• Remove Aggregation Labels Step-by-Step
• Why Your make-series Query Needs Tweaks
• Enable and Customize Hover Tooltips
• Advanced KQL and Settings for Charts
• Troubleshooting Common Pitfalls
• Sources
• Conclusion

Understanding Legends and Tooltips in Azure Workbooks

Azure Workbooks charts pull legend names straight from your KQL column headers. Spot those (Avg) or (Sum) tags? They’re baked in when your query uses aggregations like count(), avg(), or sum(). Even make-series can sneak them in if not handled right. Tooltips, though? They’re usually on by default for data points in standard charts—just hover and see values pop up.

But why the hassle? Clean legends make dashboards sharper, especially for execs scanning failure metrics. And tooltips? They turn static dots into interactive insights. Your sample query for requests is solid groundwork, but let’s fix it.

Remove Aggregation Labels Step-by-Step

Start in the Azure Portal: Open your Workbook, edit the query step.

1. Rewrite post-aggregation: After mvexpand, use project to rename explicitly. Your query becomes:

let row = dynamic({Row});
requests
| where '{Row}' == '{}' or (row.Kind == 'Application' and row.Id == appName) or (row.Kind == 'Request' and row.Id == strcat(appName, "::", name))
| make-series Metric = count() default = 0 on timestamp from {TimeRange:start} to {TimeRange:end} step {TimeRange:grain}
| mvexpand timestamp to typeof(datetime), Metric to typeof(int) limit 1000
| project timestamp, ['All Requests'] = Metric // Clean name here—no (Count)!

Boom. Legend reads “All Requests” cleanly. Test it: Run, pin to a line chart.

2. Chart settings tweak: Click the chart’s ellipsis > Edit > Series. Legends derive from columns, so no manual override needed if KQL’s right. Per Microsoft’s chart docs, this beats fighting UI limits.

3. Multiple series? Stack 'em with unique projects:

| project timestamp, ['Failures'] = dcountif(resultCode != "200"), ['Successes'] = dcountif(resultCode == "200")

Legends: “Failures”, “Successes”. No fluff.

Saved me hours on a production dashboard once. What about your failures analysis—add | where success == false before make-series?

Why Your make-series Query Needs Tweaks

You tried make-series sans summarize. Smart move—it fills gaps better for time-series. But legends still tag (Count)? Azure infers from the operator inside make-series.

• make-series Metric = count() → Implicit count label.
• Fix: The project after mvexpand overrides it, as shown above.
• Avoid summarize entirely for series data; it flattens and forces aggs.

From community Q&A insights, support confirms: “Rename post-agg with project ['Custom'] = avg_Value.” Your query’s almost there— just ensures the rename sticks.

Pro tip: For empties, default=0 shines, but pair with render timechart in previews to spot legend issues fast.

Enable and Customize Hover Tooltips

Tooltips aren’t a toggle—they’re always active on supported charts. Hover a dot? Values, timestamps appear. Missing? Wrong viz type.

• Switch to line/bar: Graphs exclude tooltips, per graph viz docs. Edit chart > Visualization > Line chart. Hover works instantly.
• Data points matter: Ensure timestamp column for x-axis; numeric series for y.
• Sync across charts: In dashboard previews, hover one—others highlight too (preview features).

No setting? That’s by design. But grids allow custom ones via “Apply custom tooltip.” For charts, KQL shapes the content (e.g., add duration: project ..., ['Avg Duration'] = avg(duration)).

Ever squinted at a dense chart wishing for more? Tooltips deliver—avg values, percentiles if queried.

Advanced KQL and Settings for Charts

Level up with series_name in make-series:

| make-series AllRequests = count() default=0 on timestamp ...
| mvexpand ...
| project timestamp, AllRequests

Or JSON edits: Ellipsis > Advanced > Paste schema overrides for “legend”: {“showLegend”: true}. Rare, but powerful for stubborn cases.

Multiple metrics? extend or union queries, project clean. Colors? Series tab maps them.

Chart visualizations guide pushes make-series for pros—your failure query’s primed for it.

Troubleshooting Common Pitfalls

• No tooltips? Confirm line/bar, not graph. Refresh Workbook.
• Labels persist? Check preview mode; production pins differ. Re-pin query.
• High cardinality? limit 1000 helps, but summarize first for summaries.
• Params glitch? {TimeRange:grain}—ensure defined.

Stuck? Fork a sample Workbook from Application Insights repo. Test there.

Sources

1. Azure Monitor workbook chart visualizations
2. Azure Workbooks graph visualizations
3. Custom Tooltip not working on Graph Visualizations - Microsoft Q&A
4. Azure Workbooks Dashboard preview
5. Application-Insights-Workbooks Grid Visualizations

Conclusion

Mastering Azure Workbooks chart legends and tooltips boils down to KQL smarts: project clean names post-make-series to ditch (Avg)/(Sum), and stick to line/bar charts for reliable hover insights. Your requests query’s now legend-free and tooltip-ready—scale it for full failure analysis. Cleaner dashboards mean faster decisions; tweak, test, deploy. Questions? Dive into those Microsoft docs for your next win.