We provide 25 pre-built dashboards in our Chart Examples Dashboard Pack that can be loaded into your dashboards instance for you to use and help aid in your dashboard learning process. These dashboards contain a total of 118 of 128 unique charts and 2 of the 9 unique dashboard panels. You will see that is 17 different Chart Categories to choose from within Chart Designer. As you can see, that is a lot of options to choose from, so there must be a way to make it easier, or a process to follow. So, how do you know which is the BEST chart type for YOUR data? Well, we have created a process you can follow, and it will ALWAYS help you determine the best options.
A few simple questions can help you determine what chart type is best for your data.
What would you like your data to show?
- Project Planning
- A composition of something
- A comparison between two or more variables
- A relationship between two or more variables
- A statistical distribution from a few: data points OR variables
- Finance Charts
- Displaying Images
- Displaying a Small Amount of Data
- Still Uncertain?
Project Planning
- Projected Project Timeline?
- Gantt
- Scheduling
- Monthly Calendar
- Monthly Event Calendar
- Weekly Calendar
- Daily Calendar
- Tracking Goals
- Target Speedometer Chart
- Target Bullet Chart
- Target Thermometer Chart
- Target Metrics Chart
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
Displaying a Small Amount of Data – Still Uncertain?
A Composition of Something
- Does the composition stay the same over time (static)?
- Does it show a Percentage of the Total?
- Pie Chart
- Donut Chart
- Pyramid Chart
- Cone Chart
- Does it show a Subtraction from the Total?
- Pareto Chart
- Spark Column
- Does it show an Accumulation of the Total?
- Pareto Chart
- Stacked Column with Line
- Sparkline Chart
- Does it show a Percentage of the Total?
- Does the composition change over time (dynamic)?
- Does it have a few time periods?
- Stacked Bar Chart (as is)
- Ratio Bar Chart (compared to a percentage)
- Stacked Column Chart (as is)
- Ratio Column Chart (compared to a percentage)
- 3D Stacked Column Chart (as is)
- 3D Stacked Cylinder (as is)
- 3D Ratio Column (compared to a percentage)
- 3D Ratio Cylinder (compared to a percentage)
- Does it have many time periods?
- Stacked Area Chart (as is)
- Stacked Ratio Area Chart (compared to a percentage)
- 3D Stacked Area Chart (as is)
- 3D Stacked Ratio Area Chart (compared to a percentage)
- Does it have a few time periods?
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
Displaying a Small Amount of Data – Still Uncertain?
A Comparison between Two or More Variables
- Is the comparison between different items (static)?
- Does it have a few categories?
- Does it have a few items?
- Clustered Column Chart
- Column with Line Chart
- 3D Clustered Column
- 3D Cylinder Column
- Does it have many items?
- Clustered Bar Chart
- Does it have a few items?
- Does it have many categories?
- Tabular Chart
- Report Chart
- Scorecard Chart
- Metrics Chart
- Metrics Bar Chart
- Metrics Scorecard
- Metrics Stoplight
- Metrics Ticker
- Metrics Target Chart
- Metrics Bar Chart
- Treemap Metrics Chart
- Does it have a few categories?
- Does the comparison change over time (dynamic)?
- Does it have a few time periods?
- Does it have one or a few categories?
- Clustered Column Chart
- Column with Line Chart
- 3D Clustered Column
- 3D Cylinder Column
- Does it have many categories?
- Trend Line Chart
- Smooth Line Chart
- 3D Trend Line Chart
- Does it have one or a few categories?
- Does it have many time periods?
- Is it linear data?
- Trend Line Chart
- Smooth Line Chart
- 3D Trend Line Chart
- Is it cyclical data?
- Radar Chart
- Is it linear data?
- Does it have a few time periods?
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
Displaying a Small Amount of Data – Still Uncertain?
A Relationship between Two or More Variables
- Is the relationship between two variables?
- Scatter Line Chart
- Is the relationship between three, four, or five variables?
- 3D Bubble Chart
A Statistical Distribution from a Few: Data Points OR Variables?
- Is the distribution with a single variable with a few to many data points?
- Is there a few data points?
- Clustered Column Chart
- Column with Line Chart
- 3D Clustered Column
- 3D Cylinder Column
- Population Distribution
- Are there many data points?
- Clustered Bar Chart
- Trend Line Chart
- Smooth Line Chart
- 3D Trend Line Chart
- Is there a few data points?
- Is the distribution with multiple variables?
- Two variables?
- Scatter Line Chart
- Three variables?
- Area Chart
- Smooth Area
- 3D Area
- Map Distributions
- Image Plot
- GeoPlot
- US County Maps
- SVG Drawing
- Two variables?
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
Displaying a Small Amount of Data – Still Uncertain?
Finance Charts
- Finances over Time
- Candlestick Chart
- OHLC Bar Chart
Displaying Images
- Display a Single Image
- Infographic Chart
- Image Panel
- HTML Panel
- iFrame Panel
- Display Up to 5 Images
- Gallery Chart
- Slideshow Chart
- Word Cloud Chart
- Display more than 5 Images
- Cube
- Triangle Sphere
- Hexagon Sphere
- Globe
- Cylinder
- Jewel
- Cube Surround
- Triangle Surround
- Hexagon Surround
- Globe Surround
- Cylinder Surround
- Jewel Surround
- Thumbnail Surround
- Word Cloud Chart
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
Displaying a Small Amount of Data – Still Uncertain?
Displaying a Small Amount of Data
- One Line of Data
- Details Chart
- HTML Panel
- Small Paragraph
- Text Panel
- HTML Panel
- Tracking One Data Point
- Speedometer Chart
- Bullet Chart
- Thermometer Chart
- Metrics Chart
- Data Input
- Create a Form
Still Uncertain?
Some of these still have several charts to choose from. How do I choose the best one?
- It is a tabular or metrics? If so, they can display the same information, metrics charts are more visually appealing.
- Do you have other charts in the list on the dashboard already? If so, choose one that you have not yet used.
Project Planning – Finance Charts – Displaying Images
A comparison between two or more variables
A relationship between two or more variables
A statistical distribution from a few: data points OR variables
Previously Read: Chart Examples
Read Next: Structuring Your Data OR Dashboard Panels
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