Bar-Pie Combo Chart

Best Practices

Overview

The primary use of a bar chart is to show comparisons between categories of data. One axis shows items to compare while the other displays the value being measured; the longer the bar the greater its value. The primary goal of a bar chart is to showcase the relationship between the two axes. A grouped bar chart visualization is displayed if the data set has multiple data series within it.

The “combo” option allows you to show one or more data series as lines. You can use this option for mean values, median values, etc.

Chart is an interactive content type in the WCMS. Go to examples at the bottom of this page to see “live” charts.

Visualization

Illustration of visualization area of bar chart

Legend

Interacting with the labels in the legend will highlight or isolate the selected data series. Each data series can be toggled on and off individually, allowing users to view a wide variety of combinations.

Table

Sorting: Selecting the top row of a column sorts the entire table by the content within the selected column. Selecting the same column multiple times rotates the sorting feature between three states: Descending, Ascending and Off. Only a single column can be sorted at one time.

Source: When referencing information from outside of the current page, you should provide a source link. Source links should be short and descriptive; they should not be the full URL. Source links are always displayed directly above the table.

Usage

Bar charts are used to easily compare data among categories and between groups at a glance. They reveal patterns, trends, relationships and exceptions in data values that are not readily apparent from a table of values.

Use:

When comparing categories
When showing big changes in data

Don’t Use:

When showing small incremental changes

Other Guidance

Chart Title: Good titles are invaluable. Your chart title should be long enough so that your audience can make sense of the chart. A glance at the title should clearly convey what the chart contains. A good title requires a balance between a short title and one with enough descriptive information to describe the chart clearly.
Number of Series Bars: Too many series bars result in visual clutter and make the chart difficult to interpret. One to four bars with a maximum of six bars is recommended. The Chart Builder supports up to nine different colored bars in a bar chart. However, if you have more than six sets of quantitative values, consider breaking them into multiple charts.
Grid Lines: In most cases, both horizontal and vertical grid lines should be hidden to reduce chart clutter. Approximate values can be perceived without grid lines. When the difference in data values is close, horizontal grid lines can be shown to better support data value comparison.
Data Source: The data source makes your graphic more reputable. It also allows those who are interested to dig deeper.
Outliers in Series Bar Data: If the data set includes one or more extreme outliers, the visualization can be difficult to process. If the variation can be seen only on a single bar and the rest are flat, do one of the following: Modify the data set to remove / adjust the outlier issue, split the chart into multiple charts, or select a different chart type.

Chart Color Palettes

Go to Examples
See examples on this page that illustrate key options.

Example Bar-Pie Combo

Chart is an interactive content type. In the example below, try hovering over data points in the bar chart and the pie chart. Note how hovering over one filters the other.

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