Selecting a Chart Type

When creating a graph, it is important to select the appropriate type of graph to display your data. In Advanced Graph Assistant, these graph types are referred to as chart types. You may select from a wide variety of basic and advanced chart types to suit the type of data you want to display in the graph.

Chart type selection is made easy by enabling you to browse through a comprehensive array of colorful chart icons organized into eight main chart categories represented by tabs displayed horizontally, directly below the Chart type tab. Hovering over a chart category tab reveals the category name. These chart categories are bar, line, area, pie, X Y plots, 3D, stock, and special. When you select a chart category tab, all available chart types appear as selectable icons in the area below. Hovering over a chart type icon displays the associated name. A description of the selected chart type appears below the graph preview area when the Chart type tab is selected. The following image shows all available area chart category icons, which are displayed horizontally below the Chart type tab, and all available chart type icons within the selected area category.

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Selecting Chart Categories and Types

The following are descriptions of the categories of chart types you can select:

Bar charts. Bar charts plot numerical data by displaying rectangular blocks against a scale. The length of a bar corresponds to a value or amount. Viewers can develop a clear mental image of comparisons among data series by distinguishing the relative heights of the bars. Use a bar chart to display numerical data when you want to present distributions of data. You can create horizontal as well as vertical bar charts. For a complete list of available bar chart types, see Bar Chart Types.
Line charts. Line charts are useful for emphasizing the movement or trend of numerical data over time, since they allow a viewer to trace the evolution of a data point by working backwards or interpolating. Highs and lows, rapid or slow movement, or a tendency towards stability are all types of trends well suited to a line chart.
Line charts can also be plotted with two or more scales to suggest a comparison of the same value, or set of values, in different time periods. For a complete list of available line chart types, see Line Chart Types.
Area charts. There are two types of area charts. For a complete list of available area chart types, see
Area Chart Types.
- Area. Area charts are similar to line charts except that the area between the data line and zero line (or axis) is usually colored or textured. Area charts allow you to stack data on top of each other. Stacking enables you to highlight the relationship between data series, showing how some data series approach a second series.
- Radar. Radar charts are used to compare two or more data sets. You can use axes or polygons to represent values in a star or spider configuration. They are essentially analogous to a line chart, except that the scale wraps around. Radar charts work well with any data that are cyclical, such as the months of a year.
Pie charts. Pie charts emphasize where your data fits in relation to a larger whole. Keep in mind that pie charts work best when your data consists of several large sets. Too many variables divide the pie into small segments that are difficult to see. Use color or texture on individual segments to create visual contrast. For a complete list of available pie chart types, see Pie Chart Types.
X Y Plots charts. There are three different types of X Y Plots charts.
- Scatter. Scatter charts share many of the characteristics of basic line charts. Data can be plotted using variable scales on both axes. When you use a scatter chart, your data is plotted using a basic line pattern to visualize the density of individual data values around particular points or to demonstrate patterns in your data. A numeric X-axis, or sort field, always yields a scatter chart by default.
  It is important to note that scatter charts and line charts are distinguishable from one another only by virtue of their X-axis format. Line charts can appear without connecting lines (making them look like scatter charts) and scatter charts can appear with connecting lines (making them look like line charts).
- Polar. Polar charts share characteristics with scatter charts. Only one column field is allowed in the following order: X (degree) for the Column field and Y (distance from the center) for the Across/By field.
- Bubble. Bubble charts are used to display three dimensions, requiring only three column fields representing X, Y, and Z data values in that order. The size of the bubbles are proportional to the values they represent.
3D charts. 3D charts add visual depth to your graphing presentation. This enables your viewers to easily recognize trends based on two or more data sets. 3D charts also add impact to your presentation. For a complete list of available 3D chart types, see 3D Chart Types.
Stock charts. Stock charts are used to track the trend of a particular stock. Stock charts show the stock’s volume, opening and closing values as well as the stock’s high and low values over a specific time period. The data is represented by sets of bars and/or lines. For a complete list of available stock chart types, see Stock Chart Types.

Special charts. The Special chart type tab includes a variety of chart types:
- Gauge. A gauge chart indicates the current position of a single data value within a given spectrum.
- Thermometer Gauge. A thermometer gauge chart indicates the current position of a single data value within a given scale.
- Pareto. A pareto chart utilizes the X-axis to show group members, and the Y-axis to show the percent of the total of all groups that each group represents, which highlights the differences between groups of data.
- Funnel. A funnel chart is essentially a pie chart displaying only one group of data at a time from the first series to the last series at the bottom of the funnel.
- Spectral Map. A spectral map chart contains a row or column matrix of markers that are colored according to the data values.

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Procedure: How to Select a Chart Type

Click the Chart type tab.

Select a chart category tab (positioned horizontally below the Chart type tab).
Icons for all available chart types within a chart category are displayed in the area below the chart category tabs.

Tip: Hovering over a chart category tab reveals the chart category name.

Select a chart type icon.
The graph preview area displays a graphic example of the selected chart type along with a corresponding chart definition.

Tip: Hovering over a chart type icon displays the associated chart type name.

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Reference: Bar Chart Types

The following table lists the available bar chart types:

Available Bar Chart Types
Vertical Clustered Bar	Horizontal Clustered Bar
Vertical Stacked Bar	Horizontal Stacked Bar
Vertical Dual-Axis Clustered Bar	Horizontal Dual-Axis Clustered Bar
Vertical Dual-Axis Stacked Bar	Horizontal Dual-Axis Stacked Bar
Vertical Bi-Polar Clustered Bar	Horizontal Bi-Polar Clustered Bar
Vertical Bi-Polar Stacked Bar	Horizontal Bi-Polar Clustered Bar
Vertical Percent Bar	Horizontal Percent Bar
Vertical Histogram	Horizontal Histogram
Vertical Waterfall	Horizontal Waterfall
Multi-3Y Bar	Multi-5Y Bar
Multi-4Y Bar	Error Bar

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Reference: Line Chart Types

The following table lists the available line chart types:

Available Line Chart Types
Vertical Absolute Line	Horizontal Absolute Line
Vertical Stacked Line	Horizontal Stacked Line
Vertical Dual-Axis Absolute Line	Horizontal Dual-Axis Absolute Line
Vertical Dual-Axis Stacked Line	Horizontal Dual-Axis Stacked Line
Vertical Bi-Polar Absolute Line	Horizontal Bi-Polar Absolute Line
Vertical Bi-Polar Stacked Line	Horizontal Bi-Polar Clustered Line
Vertical Percent Line	Horizontal Percent Line
Radar Line

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Reference: Area Chart Types

The following table lists the available area chart types:

Available Area Chart Types
Vertical Absolute Area	Horizontal Absolute Area
Vertical Stacked Area	Horizontal Stacked Area
Vertical Bi-Polar Absolute Area	Horizontal Bi-Polar Absolute Area
Vertical Bi-Polar Stacked Area	Horizontal Bi-Polar Clustered Area
Vertical Percent Area	Horizontal Percent Area
Radar Area

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Reference: Pie Chart Types

The following table lists the available pie chart types:

Available Pie Chart Types
Multi Pie	Multi Ring Pie
Multi Proportional Pie	Multi Proportional Ring Pie
Single Pie	Single Ring Pie
Pie-Bar	Ring Pie-Bar

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Reference: X Y Plots Chart Types

The following table lists the available X Y plots chart types:

Available Pie Chart Types
Scatter	Polar
Bubble

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Reference: 3D Chart Types

The following table lists the available 3D chart types:

Available 3D Chart Types
3D Bar	3D Pyramid
3D Octagon	3D Cylinder
3D Floating Cubes	3D Floating Pyramids
3D Connected Series Area	3D Connected Series Ribbon
3D Connected Group Area	3D Connected Group Ribbon
3D Cone	3D Sphere
3D Surface	3D Surface with Sides
3D Smooth Surface	3D Smooth Surface with Sides
3D Honeycomb Surface

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Reference: Stock Chart Types

The following table lists the available stock chart types:

Available Stock Chart Types
Stock High Low	Stock High Low Volume
Stock High Low Open-Close	Stock High Low Open-Close Volume
Stock Candlestick High Low Open Close	Stock Candlestick High Low Open Close Volume

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Reference: Special Chart Types

The following table lists the available special chart types:

Available Pie Chart Types
Gauge	Thermometer Gauge
Pareto	Funnel
Spectral