Column Chart | At least one dimension (e.g., Department, Location, Role). At least one measure (e.g., Headcount, Hours Worked, Overtime Costs).
| To compare categories side by side. Best for showing differences in values across distinct groups. Useful when you want to emphasize magnitudes rather than trends over time.
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Stacked Column Chart | One dimension for grouping (e.g., Location, Department). Multiple measures or one measure broken down by a second dimension (e.g., Employee Type, Gender, Shift Type).
| To see how sub-groups contribute to a total within each main category. Best for analyzing composition while still comparing totals across categories. Great for workforce diversity or breakdown analysis.
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Line Chart | At least one date or time-based dimension (e.g., Week, Month, Quarter). One or more measures (e.g., Average Hours Worked, Attrition Rate, Leave Requests).
| To analyze trends, patterns, or seasonality over time. Best for showing movement and direction rather than absolute values. Ideal for tracking KPIs that fluctuate regularly.
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KPI (Key Performance Indicator) | One or more single-value measures (e.g., Total Headcount, Average Cost per Employee, % Overtime). Optional comparison to a previous period or target.
| To track performance against targets or thresholds. Alerts can be configured per KPI. Best for quick, high-level snapshots of critical business metrics. Works well as a headline figure in a dashboard.
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Pivot Table | Multiple dimensions (rows and columns). One or more measures for aggregation.
| To create flexible, Excel-like summaries of data. Best for users who want detailed tabular data with the ability to expand or drill down.
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Donut Chart | One dimension (categories). One measure (value to distribute).
| To show proportions or parts of a whole (like a pie chart.
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Area Chart | Time-based dimension (e.g., Date, Week). One or more measures.
| Similar to a line chart but emphasizes magnitude (area shading). Great for cumulative values or highlighting growth over time.
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Stacked Area Chart | Time-based dimension. One measure broken down by a secondary category.
| To show the contribution of subcategories to a total over time. Highlights both trend and composition.
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Line + Stacked Column Chart | One time dimension. A measure for the columns, and another measure for the line.
| To compare a primary measure (stacked) with a secondary metric (line) on the same chart. Useful for linking related KPIs.
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Scatter Plot | Two continuous measures (x-axis and y-axis). Optional: one dimension for grouping/colouring.
| To explore relationships or correlations between two metrics. Great for outlier detection.
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Bubble Chart | Two measures (x and y axes). One measure for bubble size. Optional: one dimension for grouping.
| Like scatter plots but with a third variable represented by bubble size.
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Waterfall Chart | One dimension (categories in sequence). One measure with increases/decreases.
| To show how incremental positive and negative values lead to a total. Perfect for financial and workforce cost analysis.
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Heatmap | Two categorical dimensions (rows and columns). One measure for intensity (color).
| To quickly spot patterns, clusters, or problem areas.
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Treemap | One hierarchical dimension (e.g., Department → Team). One measure (size of blocks).
| To show proportions of categories within a hierarchy. Good for space-efficient comparisons.
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Funnel Chart | One sequential dimension (e.g., process stage). One measure.
| To show stages in a process and where drop-offs occur.
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Geo Bubble Chart | Geographic dimension (e.g., location, region). One measure for bubble size.
| To visualize data by geography, with size emphasis.
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Geo Heatmap | Geographic dimension (country, state, territory). One measure (size/color fills regions).
| To identify density or concentration across regions.
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Geo Area Chart | Geographic dimension (country, state, territory). One measure (size/color fills regions).
| To fill regions with color intensity, showing totals.
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Sankey Diagram | Two or more dimensions in sequence. One measure for flow volume.
| To show flow or movement between categories.
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Radar Chart | One categorical dimension. Multiple measures for comparison across categories.
| To compare multiple variables for the same group. Great for performance or skill profiles.
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Candlestick Chart | Time-based dimension. Four measures: Open, High, Low, Close values.
| Traditionally used for stock/financial analysis. Could be repurposed for workforce metrics with ranges.
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Pareto Chart | One categorical dimension. One measure, with cumulative percentage line.
| To apply the 80/20 rule — identify the “vital few” contributors.
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