In this article
1. Bar Graph
Bar Graphs are simple to see and understand.
- Bar graphs are an extremely effective visual to use in presentations and reports.
- A standard bar chart compares individual data points with each other.
- Use bar graphs when the number of rows and columns graphed from the table is limited. A large number of data points on a bar graph will make the bars very thin and difficult to distinguish.
Default smart graph settings
Dimension | Description |
Bar Limit |
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Legend limit |
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2. Horizontal Bar Graph
Horizontal bar graphs are like standard bar Graphs but turned on their side. You may choose to use horizontal bar charts when there are many bars, or the label names of the groups are relatively long.
Horizontal bar charts tend to "exaggerate" differences as the bars are elongated.
Ranking the table's order before graphing to show the size of groups in descending order can be helpful.
Horizontal bar graphs are also a good choice if you need to fill a vertical space on a dashboard.
Default smart graph settings
Dimension | Description |
Bar Limit |
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Legend limit |
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3. Stacked Bar Graph
A stacked bar chart is a variant of the bar chart. In a stacked bar chart (vertical bars or columns), each bar displays a total amount, broken down into sub-amounts.
100% Stack Bar Graphs
Stacked bar graphs are recommended when you want to see proportions that add up to 100%. Each bar is the same height or length, and the sections are shown as percentages of the bar.
Stacked bar charts make it easier to see the relative differences between quantities in each group.
Simple Stacked Bar Graphs
You can also use stacked bar graphs when there are too many groups to chart for a standard bar graph. Bars are positioned on top of each other, making for thicker bars. The total value of the bar is all the segment values added together. Ideal for comparing total amounts across each group/segmented bar.
Default smart graph settings
Dimension | Description |
Horizontal/across (x-axis) |
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Legend: Vertical/down (y-axis) |
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4. Horizontal Stacked Bar Graph
Stacked horizontal bar graphs have similar use to stacked bar graphs. They are good for showing how the proportions of elements that add up to 100% differ across groups.
In a horizontal stacked bar chart, parts of the data are adjacent; each bar displays a total amount, broken down into sub-amounts.
The advantage of stacked horizontal bar graphs over standard stacked bar graphs is that they can cope better with longer labels. Stacked horizontal bar charts tend to "exaggerate" differences as the bars are elongated.
Default smart graph settings
Dimension | Description |
Horizontal/across (x-axis) |
|
Legend: Vertical/down (y-axis) |
|
Where to from here?
Learn more about Visualizing.