Metric parameters, charts and overlays
Configure a metric, read charts and tables, and manage visual overlays without confusing them with strategy inputs.
Quant Hub research · Step 2 of 3
This guide starts on a Quant Hub metric detail that your account can query. You will identify its inputs and units, read the returned data, then add a visual layer if that metric declares overlay support. Metric access depends on the current catalog entry, plan, role and data context; a visible card alone does not grant a chart. See finding and understanding a metric if you have not chosen one yet.
Set the inputs
Open a metric you can access. Read its description, then choose Asset group and Symbol when present. The group narrows the symbol list. A multi-asset metric can use a managed basket instead of a single symbol. Other controls depend on that metric, such as period, benchmark or a weighting preset.
Only compatible options are enabled. Changing one input can change the available choices in another. Resolve required or out-of-range fields before running the metric. If symbol options cannot load, retry their loading state instead of inventing a ticker.
An initial result or a valid parameter change can load automatically. Wait for loading to finish and inspect the displayed context. Use Run metric or Refresh result where offered; Reset parameters returns the inputs to their defaults. A refresh is a data query, not a Backtest submission.
Try one controlled change: choose an accessible metric with a numeric time-series output. Record the displayed asset or basket, period, unit and current parameter values. Change one supported input, wait for its dependent options and the query to settle, then compare the context shown above the new chart with what you recorded. If the symbol is no longer valid after changing its group, select a compatible symbol before querying again. This prevents an old result from being mistaken for the new request.
Read the chart
Check axis labels, units and selected series. Use the legend to hide or show individual series. Some metrics offer mutually exclusive views, where switching changes which series are shown. A Latest value card appears only for metrics that define it; it is not a substitute for checking the history and context.
Use Scale to inspect available linear or logarithmic axes. Logarithmic views have data constraints; a missing or disabled choice is not permission to reinterpret non-positive values. Chart and Table provide visual and tabular readings of the same metric output, including matrix or distribution data where applicable.
For supported time-series charts, drag horizontally to choose a range. With chart focus, use Plus/Minus to zoom, Left/Right to pan and Home or 0 to reset. The visible range changes the view, not the metric’s historical definition. Reset zoom when you need the full returned range.
On a date-indexed chart, the X axis shows a three-letter month and year such as Jan '26 when the visible range spans at least 180 days. Zoom below 180 days to see dates such as 2026-01-15; a declared X tooltip row keeps the exact compact date. The Brush remains an overview of the full range. On charts indexed by elapsed days or weeks, the X axis favors round milestones but labels only observed indices: it may show 998 near 1000 when that is the actual point. A declared X tooltip row shows the exact index.
Switch to Table to check a point's exact value and timestamp. A line that looks flat can hide small changes at the chart's scale; a gap can mean missing data rather than zero. For a matrix or distribution, read its own axes and table instead of applying a time-series interpretation. Chart, table and Latest value are alternative views of the returned payload, not separate metric calculations.
Add an overlay
Open Overlays after numeric data has loaded. Available tools depend on the metric:
Choose a tool, enter compatible settings and select Add overlay. To revise it, use Edit, then Save changes; use Cancel to discard that draft. Remove overlay removes the visual layer. A duplicate or reached limit requires editing or removing an existing overlay. Only one visual resample can be active.
The overlay configuration allows at most five applied visual overlays, with at most one visual resample. An Average needs at least two source series selected, although an individual timestamp can have fewer finite values. The available tools and sources come from the open metric's metadata and returned numeric fields; a disabled tool is not unlocked by changing a chart color or zoom level.
An Average uses available finite values at each timestamp; missing data is not filled with zero. Resampling happens before moving-average and average overlays. A period choice can leave early points unavailable until enough observations exist.
Read the transformation: imagine four consecutive numeric values, 100, 110, 90 and 100. A two-point simple moving average has no complete first window, then yields 105, 100 and 95. Those are visual derived points over the selected series, not replacement source data. If a supported visual resample groups the source first, the moving average works on the grouped sequence, so its line can change even though the underlying query has not. Remove the overlay to compare against the original returned series; reset zoom to see its full range.
Understand what is saved
Applied parameters and compatible chart ranges are remembered while you remain in the current Quant Hub session. Reset parameters restores schema defaults; Reset zoom restores the full returned range. Leaving Quant Hub, refreshing the page or an access change clears these session preferences. A status message explains when the chart still represents earlier inputs during an update or after a failed query.
Overlays are visual settings stored on the current device when storage is available. They do not modify source metric data, Flow strategy settings or Backtest results. They are not guaranteed to follow you to another device. A storage warning means settings may last only for the current session; a restore warning means some previous overlays could not be restored.
Recover from an empty or failed view
- No data: check symbol, period and other inputs; a valid request can return an empty dataset.
- Load error: use the local retry or refresh action and wait for confirmation.
- Old result while updating: check the loading state before attributing it to newly selected parameters.
- Overlay unavailable: verify that the metric allows the tool and that numeric sources exist.
- Add overlay disabled: check required source count, moving-average period, duplicate configuration and the five-overlay limit. Edit an existing resample rather than adding a second one.
- Locked or Coming soon: consult access and availability; changing chart controls cannot unlock it.
Use the data table when the chart is difficult to read. Review the metric’s explanation and warnings before using a visual pattern to inform an experiment.