Bar / Column Chart
Good to know
Description
Compare values across categories (horizontal or
vertical).
When to use:
When comparing absolute differences (e.g., sales
by region).
When not to use:
When comparing trends over time – use a line chart
for that.
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Line Chart
Good to know
Description
Show data trends over time.
When to use:
For time series (e.g., monthly revenue).
When not to use:
For purely categorical comparisons.
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Pie / Donut Chart
Good to know
Description
Show percentage parts of a whole.
When to use:
With few categories (2–5).
When not to use:
With too many categories – hard to read.
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Area Chart
Good to know
Description
Like a line chart but with filled areas.
When to use:
To emphasize volume or cumulative data.
When not to use:
With many categories – gets messy.
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Stacked Bar / Column Chart
Good to know
Description
Show totals and segment contributions in a single
bar.
When to use:
To show part-to-whole relationships within
categories.
When not to use:
When comparing individual segment sizes.
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Clustered Bar / Column Chart
Good to know
Description
Group bars side by side for each category.
When to use:
To compare multiple categories across the same
axis.
When not to use:
With too many series – can get cluttered.
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Map Visuals
Good to know
Description
Visualize geographic data.
When to use:
For data with geographic context (e.g., sales by
country).
When not to use:
For non-geographic data.
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Scatter Chart
Good to know
Description
Plot two quantitative variables to show correlation.
When to use:
To highlight relationships and outliers.
When not to use:
For categorical data.
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Funnel Chart
Good to know
Description
Show progress through defined steps (e.g., sales
funnel).
When to use:
For processes with clear stages.
When not to use:
For general comparisons.
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Card / KPI Visual
123
Good to know
Description
Highlight a single key metric (KPI).
When to use:
For important figures like revenue, profit, etc.
When not to use:
When comparing multiple KPIs.
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Table / Matrix
Good to know
Description
Show detailed data in a grid.
When to use:
When detail is needed (e.g., financial reports).
When not to use:
For high-level overviews – can be overwhelming.
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Treemap
Good to know
Description
Show part-to-whole relationships with nested
rectangles.
When to use:
To visualize proportions within hierarchies.
When not to use:
When exact comparisons are needed.
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Waterfall Chart
Good to know
Description
Show incremental changes step by step.
When to use:
For breakdowns (e.g., profit analysis).
When not to use:
For data without sequential steps.
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Decomposition Tree
Good to know
Description
Drill down to see contributions and root causes.
When to use:
For detailed drilldowns and root-cause analysis.
When not to use:
For simple overviews.
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Slicer
Good to know
Description
Interactive filter for dashboards.
When to use:
To let users dynamically filter data.
When not to use:
In static reports.
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Q&A Visual
Good to know
Description
Users can ask questions in natural language.
When to use:
For ad-hoc, exploratory analysis.
When not to use:
If users are unfamiliar with it.
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Smart Narrative
Good to know
Description
Automatically generated text insights.
When to use:
When you want automated commentary.
When not to use:
When you need customized explanations.
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