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For my last blog entry, we went over bar Charts and how they are used to show data, that entry can be found here. Continuing our coverage of the different charts available to showcase your data, today we will look at line charts.
Line charts are composed of an X and Y axis, commonly the X axis displays time, with the Y axis representing an amount. Putting these two elements together, we can create a chart that shows how data has changed throughout time. Within this chart, points of data are connected to create the lines for the line chart. This chart can also be used to compare multiple sets of data, displaying two separate lines that can be shown alongside each other.
So now that we know what a line chart is, how can we use line charts to visualize our data?
Above you’ll find a line chart that appears in one of our demo apps. This chart’s X axis displays time, and the Y axis provides a dollar amount. When our data is added, we are given points that are connected to show growth and loss of revenue throughout the year. This chart allows the audience to see the spikes or large growth months for this data. We can see that March and June were great months, where as the rest of the year was about the same.
How can we use this information in the real world? In a hypothetical scenario, a user could see this data and retroactively learn why March and June were such better months. What was done differently during these months, and how could we duplicate this success in the other months to raise them up? It could be that a promotion was run during this time, or maybe there was increased manager assistance. Whatever it was, this chart can provide the first clues to finding out and increasing profits.
Why would you want to use a line chart, instead of a bar chart, or a pie chart?
As we can see, we are missing a key element that the line chart provides, time comparison. In our bar chart, we have our amounts that can be compared, but we are not provided the change over time. We cannot easily see the spikes that a line chart would provide.
Our pie chart shows the time period of the year as a whole, and then the different months as segments of the whole. While, this does show that March and June are the biggest portions of the yearly sales, we’re unable to compare March to Feburary, or June to August easily. Additionally, a pie chart lacks the ‘linear’ aspect of the data, the order is gone.
When trying to decide if a line chart is the right visualization for your data, simply ask yourself what you are trying to show. Remember that line charts excell with two elements: amount and time.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this entry in our exploration of the different charts that Qlik provides. Please return next time when we take a look at pie charts.