Area

A basic area chart is based on a Line chart but instead of using just a line, the area between the axis and line is filled with colour. They are a good choice to use when you want to emphasise change over time.

Area

An area chart is typically used to look at continuous values to detect trends over time. It can be used with or without a legend. Area charts use an X Axis (Dimension) and a Y Axis (Measure). A further dimension can also be added to the chart (Legend) that can be used to explain a split between the data. For example, if Gender was added to the Legend field, we could see how the employee number was split between Male and Female employees across each Job Role.

Example

The X Axis shows the Dimension (Job Role), and the Y Axis shows the Measure (Employee Count). The chart shows how the number of employees varies for each Job Role. Data labels have been added in the Attributes screen to make the chart easier to read.

Open

Example

This example uses the same data as shown in the previous screenshot, but a Legend has also been added, which shows how each Job Role is split between male and female employees.

Open

Stacked Area

This is used in the same circumstances as the area chart, but stacks/ aggregates the values to give a total number of employees for each job role.

Example

In this example, the male and female gender figures are stacked on top of each other to show how each gender contributes to the employee numbers for each job role. The Legend (Gender) creates the two stacked area charts, Job Role is used on the X Axis and Employee Count on the Y Axis.

100% Stacked Area

This is used in the same circumstances as the area chart, but where the proportions are the primary area of interest, rather than the absolute values.

Example

This example shows how each gender of employee contributes to the job role. The two areas of this chart add up to a total of 100%.

Spline Area

This is a combination of an area chart and a spline chart and is basically an area chart with a smooth curve instead of a jagged line. It is designed for visualising quantitative data, showing how the measure changes over time. Like an area chart it can be used with or without a legend.

Example

This example shows how each gender of employee contributes to the job role.

Step Area

This is used in the same circumstances as the Area or Spline Area charts. It is an Area Chart but with the points connected by horizontal and vertical lines. This type of chart is used when you want to highlight any irregularity of changes. Like an area chart it can be used with or without a legend. 

Example

This example shows how each gender of employee contributes to the job role. Gender is used in the Legend; this creates the two different area charts. Job Role is on the X Axis and determines how many steps are displayed and Employee Count is on the Y Axis and determines the height of the bars. Data labels have been added in the Attributes screen to make the chart easier to read.