About chart types

The trick with charts is to use the right chart type to display your data. One chart type can make your data instantly understandable while another can completely confound it.

Column:

The column chart type displays the selected data as vertical stripes of different colors or patterns. The categories are organized along the x-axis (horizontally) and the values are measured along the y-axis (vertically). Column charts are often used to compare data or to emphasize how data changed over time.

Three options are available for the column chart:

• The Clustered Column type forms separate bands for each kind of data and groups the bands side-by-side by category.
• The Stacked Column type forms bands for each kind of data and piles the bands on top of one another to form one column per category.
• The 100% Stacked Column type is similar to the Stacked columns type, except each band is expressed as a percentage and each column totals 100%. The Stacked columns and Percent columns illustrate the contribution of each band to the whole category.

Bar:

The bar chart type displays the selected data as horizontal stripes of different colors or patterns. In contrast with the column chart type, the values are organized along the x-axis (horizontally) and the categories are measured along the y-axis (vertically). Bar charts are often used to compare data while reducing the emphasis on the passage of time.

Three options are available for the bar chart:

• The Clustered Bar type forms separate bands for each kind of data and groups the bands side-by-side by category.
• The Stacked Bar type forms bands for each kind of data and lines up the bands end to end to form one column per category.
• The 100% Stacked Bar type is similar to the Stacked bar type, except each band is expressed as a percentage and each column totals 100%. The Stacked bar and Percent bar charts illustrate the contribution of each band to the whole category.

Line:

The line chart displays the selected data as lines of different colors or patterns connecting points at equal intervals. The categories are organized along the x-axis (horizontally) and the values are measured along the y-axis (vertically). The vertices represent the values for each category and the angles formed by the lines connecting the vertices emphasize the trends.

Three options are available for the line chart:

• The Line type creates a line for each kind of data where each vertex represents the actual value for each category.
• The Stacked Line type creates a line for each kind of data where each vertex represents the value of each category added to the value of the vertex beneath it. Therefore, the topmost vertex in each category reflects the sum total of all the data in that category.
• The 100% Stacked Line type is similar to the Stacked line type, except each line is expressed as a percentage and each category totals 100%. The Stacked line and Percent line types illustrate the contribution of each line to the whole category.

Area:

The area chart displays the selected data as polygons of different colors or patterns connecting points at equal intervals. It is similar to the line chart, except the area below the line is shaded to form a polygon. The categories are organized along the x-axis (horizontally) and the values are measured along the y-axis (vertically). The points represent the values for each category and the angles formed by the lines connecting the points emphasize the trends.

Three options are available for the area chart:

• The Area type creates a polygon for each kind of data where the points represent the actual value for each category.
• The Stacked Area type creates a polygon for each kind of data where each point represents the value of each category added to the value of the point beneath it. Therefore, the topmost point in each category reflects the sum total of all the data in that category.
• The 100% Stacked Area type is similar to the Stacked Area type, except each polygon is expressed as a percentage and each category totals 100%. The Stacked Area and 100% Stacked Area types illustrate the contribution of each polygon to the whole category.

Pie:

The pie chart is a circular graphic which displays the data as wedges representing their portion of the whole. It can only show the portions or ratios of one kind of data at a time.

Two options are available for the pie chart:

• The Pie type creates a circle divided into slices proportional to the whole.
• The Exploded Pie type creates a circle broken into slices proportional to the whole.

Scatter:

The scatter chart is a graph of points comparing two sets of data. One set is plotted along the x-axis and the other along the y-axis. It is used to uncover a possible correlation between the data sets.

The appearance of a discernable pattern or clustering of the points indicates a correlation between the data sets. An indicator of a high correlation between the data sets is that you are able to draw a straight line through the points. The more points that cluster about the implied line, the stronger the possibility of a correlation. If the points appear randomly distributed over the chart, it is unlikely that a correlation exists.

It is important to note, however, that although a scatter chart may indicate a correlation between the data sets it does not mean that one data set is causing an affect on the other. The correlation can be the result of a third factor affecting both sets or can be simply a coincidence.