Marking in Spotfire 3.1 has two significant improvements.  “Marking” is what happens when you click on or drag a box around items in a Spotfire visualization.  Marking can be configured to show you details about the data, to show the selected data in a different visualization, to retrieve related data On-Demand, to show related values in different plots, and more.  So improved marking controls in 3.1 just means better ways to interact with your data.

First, Lasso Marking is a way to select visualization items by drawing a freehand area where everything inside will become marked.  This is especially useful in the scatter plot and maps when you want to drill into collections of markers of interest, because they rarely fit neatly into the default rectangle-shaped marking areas.  Grab precise clusters of markers, hug fitted curves, and enjoy the control.

In the sequential example below, lasso marking shows how it is possible to drill into the data points along the coastline by giving you freehand control to describe the exact marking area with your mouse.

Axis Marking is a way to easily focus on any markers within a range of values with a quick swipe of the mouse.  Simply click and drag the mouse just outside the X or Y axis and you will see the marking area sweep across the plot for your selected values.

In the sequential example below, axis marking makes it possible to quickly focus on all the values above $2M.