Different graph types emphasize different aspects of your data. The graph type that you choose depends on the aspects of your data that you want to show. Some graph types show the same information displayed in different formats. When this is the case, then the graph type that you choose is a matter of personal preference.
The following table suggests graph types for different aspects of data that you want to emphasize in a graph.
Aspect of Data |
Example |
Graph Types |
---|---|---|
The difference between items over time or at the same point in time |
Which products are selling best in which stores? |
Clustered Bar or 3-D Bar |
Trends over time |
Is our market share increasing or decreasing? |
Absolute Line or Stacked Area |
Cyclical trends over time |
Have the sales of this product peaked in March consistently over the past three years? |
Radar graph |
Rate of data change |
How fast is our market share increasing? |
Absolute Line or Stacked Area |
Percentage or changes in percentage |
How much of our revenue comes from each product line? Is our big seller bringing in the same percentage of revenue as it did last year at this time? |
Pie or Percentage Bar, Line, or Area |
Relationship of parts to the whole |
Which products' sales are most closely related to our total sales? Which products' sales follow the trend of the total sales? Which ones do not? |
Pie, Percentage Bar or Line, or Stacked Bar, Line, or Area graph. |
Relationship of parts to the whole, with more detail for one of the parts |
Which product line accounts for the highest percentage of sales? Within that product line, which districts make up the most sales? |
Pie-Bar |
Changes in all parts of a whole |
Do the products that bring the most revenue to the entire company bring in the most revenue for each district? |
Multiple Pie or Stacked Bar, Line, or Area |
Relationships between two variables |
Do sales increase when we spend more on marketing? |
Scatter or Polar |
Relationships between three variables |
Do sales and profits increase proportionally when we spend more on marketing? |
Bubble |
Location of defects in a system |
Where are the highest percentage of defects occuring? |
Pareto |
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