Understand Different Chart Types in Reporting

1. Bar Chart (Horizontal Bar Chart)

   • Best for comparing multiple metrics side-by-side horizontally.

   • Example: Comparing downloads of multiple ebooks.

2. Column Chart (Vertical Bar Chart)

   • Similar to bar charts, but vertical orientation.

   • Ideal when comparing a large set of data, such as contacts generated from marketing channels.

3. Line Chart

   • Ideal for tracking growth or changes in a metric over time.

   • Example: Tracking monthly growth in contacts.

4. Area Chart

   • Shows relative growth of multiple metrics together over time.

   • Useful for visualizing how individual metrics contribute to overall growth.

5. Donut Chart

   • Shows a breakdown of data into categories, with a hole in the center.

   • Example: Lifecycle stage distribution of your contacts.

6. Pie Chart

   • Similar to donut, but without a hole, showing the distribution of categories clearly.

   • Limited to 25 segments.

   • Example: Contact distribution by source.

7. Summary

   • Provides a quick, numerical snapshot of a metric without complex visualization.

   • Example: Total number of sales calls or meetings during a period.

8. Table

   • Ideal when exact numbers are critical.

   • Example: Viewing deals by salesperson and average days to close clearly in rows and columns.

9. Combination Chart

   • Combines bar and line charts with two Y-axes.

   • Ideal for comparing two different metrics.

   • Example: Comparing website sessions with average session length.

10. Pivot Table

    • Summarizes, groups, and compares large datasets across multiple rows and columns.

    • Example: Comparing page views and deals by lifecycle stage.

11. Scatter Plot

    • Highlights relationships between two numeric variables, showing trends and clusters.

    • Example: Exploring the relationship between discounts offered and profit margins.

12. KPI

    • Ideal for reporting key performance indicators clearly.

    • Can show percentage changes over periods.

    • Example: Monthly contacts created compared year-over-year.

13. Gauge

    • Visually represents performance relative to a range or target.

    • Uses colored bands (e.g., green, yellow, red) to quickly show performance status.

    • Example: Showing if sales are performing above, below, or near targets.

Additional Tip:

• You can show data as percentages on bar, column, line, and area charts by adjusting the Chart Settings to use stacked percentage views.