What is a Clustered Column chart best for?
Comparing discrete categories across one measure or a few measures over the same axis (e.g., Sales by Product for 2024 and 2025).
When should you avoid Clustered Column?
When there are many categories (labels become unreadable) or when showing part-to-whole—use 100% stacked instead.
Clustered Bar vs Clustered Column—when choose Bar?
Choose Bar when category labels are long or you have many categories; horizontal layout improves readability.
What’s a Stacked Column chart best at?
Showing the composition of a total by category over an axis (time/segments) while also showing the total height.
When to use 100% Stacked Column/Bar?
When comparing relative percentages/composition across categories while ignoring absolute totals.
Line chart ideal use case?
Trends over time for continuous/ordered data; emphasizes direction and rate of change.
When to add a secondary axis on a Combo chart?
When two series have different units or magnitude; use sparingly and label clearly to avoid confusion.
Area vs Line chart—key difference in use?
Area adds filled emphasis on volume (cumulative feel). Use Line for clarity; Area for highlighting magnitude between line and baseline.
When is a Stacked Area chart appropriate?
To show how components evolve over time and how their cumulative total changes (focus on part-to-whole across time).
What is a Ribbon chart for?
Ranking changes of categories over time; it visually shows how leaders rise/fall across periods.
Waterfall chart—primary use?
Explaining a net change by breaking it into positive and negative contributions (e.g., Starting Balance → drivers → Ending Balance).
When to avoid Waterfall charts?
When contributions are too numerous or tiny, making the steps unreadable; aggregate drivers first.
Scatter chart best use?
Showing correlation/distribution between two quantitative measures; use bubble size/color for extra dimensions.
How to use Play Axis in Scatter?
Animate points across time to reveal trajectories/patterns; good for storytelling—ensure axis scales are consistent.
Treemap best for?
Space-filling comparison of hierarchical categories when exact values aren’t critical—great for quick proportion sense.
When to avoid Treemap?
When precise comparisons are needed or category names are long; use Bar/Column or Table instead.
Pie vs Donut—when are they acceptable?
For 2–4 categories with clear differences. Donut provides a center space for a total/KPI. Avoid with many slices.
Funnel chart use case?
Visualizing sequential stages with drop-off (e.g., Leads → Opportunities → Wins). Not for precise comparisons across unrelated stages.
Gauge chart best use?
Single KPI vs a target/goal where directionality and progress to threshold matters. Keep to one value.
KPI visual—when to use?
Headline metric with trend and status vs target; great for dashboards needing quick at-a-glance health.
Card vs Multi-row Card difference?
Card shows a single number; Multi-row Card lists several measures/fields as individual headlines.
Table visual—ideal scenario?
Precise numbers, detailed drill-down, or export needs. Use sparingly on dashboards—tables don’t summarize insights.
Matrix vs Table—when Matrix?
When you need pivot-style rows, columns, and subtotals/hierarchies (e.g., Region by Product by Year).
Heatmap effect in Matrix—how to use?
Apply conditional formatting color scale on values to reveal hotspots and patterns across two dimensions.
