Which chart is right for you? That depends on the data and purpose of your chart.
IF i want a... | of data like… | i should use A... |
---|---|---|
Comparison |
total revenue per month |
Bar — compare values across categories, like total revenue per month. Add a goal line to measure performance against a goal. Horizontal bar— just like a bar chart, but the bars display on their side (horizontal), rather than upright (vertical). |
revenue per month, per product |
Stacked bar — compare values across categories and see the % that each category contributes to the whole. |
|
Trend |
product sales by region; volume of stock trading vs. close price |
Line — see changes in value. Use two different Y-axes to compare data sets that have different value ranges. |
revenue by project type; project cost and project hours |
Line and bar — easily distinguish between line value and bar values; a quick way to visually compare data sets that have different value ranges, like project cost in the millions and project hours in the thousands. Learn how to create a line and bar chart and see examples. |
|
contribution per product to profit over time |
Area — see trends over time and how they relate to the whole in this chart that combines elements of line and pie charts. |
|
Ratio |
% each salesperson contributes to total sales |
Pie— show how parts relate to the whole. |
progress through a process, like a sales pipeline |
Funnel — see where my data is within a process, like a sales pipeline. Learn how to create a funnel chart and see examples. |
|
Relationship |
project cost vs. return on investment (ROI) |
Scatter — show correlations and relationships within your data. Learn how to create a scatter chart and see examples. |
prospective sales by estimated close date, $ amount, and probability of close |
Bubble — visualize three dimensions of data on a single chart. Select a field that determines the size of the bubble. Bubbles vary in size according to the values in this field. Learn how to create a bubble chart and see examples. |
|
Performance |
performance against a goal I set; total number of units sold |
Gauge — measure progress against a goal. Set the number that the gauge starts at, often 0, and the goal — the number that indicates the gauge has reached 100% and is full. Learn how to create a gauge chart and see examples. |
For more details, see Select a Chart Type.