diff --git a/demos/area-00.html b/demos/area-00.html
index 139efe819..a95612ad8 100644
--- a/demos/area-00.html
+++ b/demos/area-00.html
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@
     pixelRatio: window.devicePixelRatio
   });
 
-  chart.source(data, {
+  chart.source(data);
+  chart.scale({
     time: {
       range: [ 0, 1 ]
     },
diff --git a/src/chart/chart.js b/src/chart/chart.js
index 7010fe956..60931fa7f 100644
--- a/src/chart/chart.js
+++ b/src/chart/chart.js
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ class Chart extends Base {
     const colDefs = this.get('colDefs');
     if (colDefs) {
       const scaleController = this.get('scaleController');
-      scaleController.defs = colDefs;
+      Util.mix(scaleController.defs, colDefs);
     }
   }
 
@@ -374,7 +374,6 @@ class Chart extends Base {
       frontPlot: self.get('frontPlot'),
       backPlot: self.get('backPlot')
     }));
-    self.initColDefs();
     Chart.plugins.notify(self, 'init'); // TODO: beforeInit afterInit
   }
 
@@ -394,8 +393,20 @@ class Chart extends Base {
   source(data, colDefs) {
     this.set('data', data);
     if (colDefs) {
-      this.set('colDefs', colDefs);
+      this.scale(colDefs);
     }
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  scale(field, cfg) {
+    const colDefs = this.get('colDefs') || {};
+    if (Util.isObject(field)) {
+      Util.mix(colDefs, field);
+    } else {
+      colDefs[field] = cfg;
+    }
+
+    this.set('colDefs', colDefs);
     this.initColDefs();
     return this;
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/chart/chart-spec.js b/test/unit/chart/chart-spec.js
index af529d847..737936146 100644
--- a/test/unit/chart/chart-spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/chart/chart-spec.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const Chart = require('../../../src/chart/chart');
 const { Guide } = require('../../../src/plugin/index');
 require('../../../src/geom/shape/index');
 require('../../../src/geom/adjust/index');
+require('../../../src/component/guide');
 
 Chart.plugins.register(Guide);
 
@@ -127,8 +128,7 @@ describe('chart test', () => {
       a: 1,
       b: 3,
       c: '2'
-    },
-    {
+    }, {
       a: 2,
       b: 1,
       c: '1'
@@ -136,8 +136,7 @@ describe('chart test', () => {
       a: 2,
       b: 4,
       c: '2'
-    },
-    {
+    }, {
       a: 3,
       b: 5,
       c: '1'
@@ -153,6 +152,8 @@ describe('chart test', () => {
         width: 500,
         height: 500
       });
+
+      expect(chart.get('canvas')).to.not.be.empty;
     });
 
 
@@ -167,6 +168,29 @@ describe('chart test', () => {
       expect(chart.get('colDefs').a.min).equal(0);
     });
 
+    it('scale', function() {
+      chart.scale('a', {
+        max: 10
+      });
+      chart.scale({
+        b: {
+          nice: false
+        }
+      });
+      expect(chart.get('colDefs').a).eql({ max: 10 });
+      expect(chart.get('colDefs').b).eql({ nice: false });
+      expect(chart.get('scaleController').defs).eql({ a: { max: 10 }, b: { nice: false } });
+
+      chart.scale({
+        a: {
+          min: 0,
+          max: 4
+        }
+      });
+      expect(chart.get('colDefs').a).eql({ min: 0, max: 4 });
+      expect(chart.get('scaleController').defs).eql({ a: { min: 0, max: 4 }, b: { nice: false } });
+    });
+
     it('guide', function() {
       expect(chart.guide().text).not.equal(undefined);
       chart.guide().text({