Types of Graphs and Charts

There are many types of graphs and charts that are commonly used for showing business reports. These are listed as follows.

1. Line graphs: A line graph is a way of representing two pieces of information, which is
usually related and vary with respect to each other. This is useful when comparisons are needed. e.g.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/line1.gif

2. Pie Charts: A pie chart is a type of a circle graph normally used in showcasing a
wholesome quantity; we have to show that how this whole quantity is broken into parts. The whole quantity depicts entire sample space and the pieces of pie in the circle graph are called sectors.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/pie1.gif

3. Bar Charts: This is a type of chart, which contains labeled horizontal or vertical bars
showing a piece of information and an axis. The numbers along the side of bar graph compose the axis. This is also called as a histogram; Bar Graph is useful when there is a numerical comparison.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/bar3.gif

4. Area Graphs: These graphs are used to show how something changes with respect to time. An area graph shows the contribution of each data series in the form of a picture.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/area1.gif

5. Waterfall Chart: This is a type of chart, which shows an increase or decrease in a initial value. This contains floating vertical columns that shows the increase or decrease in a initial value through a series of intermediate steps leading to a final value. An invisible column keeps the increase or decrease related to the heights of the previous columns.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/water2.gif

6. Polar Chart: A Polar Chart is a circular chart in which data is displayed in terms of values and angles. o This provides a mechanism to compare various qualitative and quantitative aspects of a situation graphically. o By using Polar Charts we can plot multiple data sets each with a single line with as many points as needed. o o These are normally used in Engineering and modeling Industries. A Polar Chart has two variables X and Y where X is plotted as an angle and Y is the radius. o In a Polar Chart the points are plotted in Polar coordinates rather than Cartesian coordinates. o In a Polar Chart the dataset having the maximum values covers the maximum area in the whole graph. o The X and Y-axes can be used to demonstrate real world quantities.

http://www.roseindia.net/chartgraphs/polar2.gif

Line Chart

Use it...

To display long data rows To interpolate between data points To extrapolate beyond known data values (forecast) To compare different graphs To find and compare trends (changes over time) To recognize correlations and covariations between variables If the X axis requires an interval scale To display interactions over two levels on the X axis When convention defines meaningful patterns (e.g. a zigzag line)

Line graphs may consist of line or curved segments:

Lines: Use straight lines to connect "real" data points Curves: Use curves to represent functional relations between data points or to interpolate data

Do not Use it...

If the X axis has non-numeric values

Variants

Graph with double-logarithmic or half-logarithmic scale divisions Graph with variance bars, stock charts (High/Low/Close) etc.

Pie Chart

Use it to...

convey approximate proportional relationships (relative amounts) at a point in time compare part of a whole at a given point in time Exploded: emphasize a small proportion of parts

Do not Use it ...

For exact comparisons of values, because estimating angles is difficult for people. For rank data: Use column/bar charts in this case; use multiple column/bar charts for grouped data If proportions vary greatly; do not use multiple pies to compare corresponding parts.

Caution!

Pie charts cannot represent values beyond 100%. Each pie chart is valid for one point in time only. Pie charts are only suited to presenting quite a few percentage values. Angles are harder to estimate for people than distances; perspective pie charts are even harder to interpret.

Frequency Polygon, Histograms

Variants

Polygon: Connects data points through straight lines or higher order graphs Histogram: Columns/bars touch; useful for larger sets of data points, typically used for frequency distributions Staircase Chart: Displays only the silhouette of the histogram; useful for even larger sets of data points, typically used for frequency distributions Step chart: Use it to illustrate trends among more than two members of nominal or ordinal scales; do not use it for two or more variables or levels of a single variable (hard to read) Pyramid histogram: Two mirror histograms; use it for comparisons