Bar Chart
A Bar Chart is one of the most common visualization types used for comparing categories or groups of data. It represents values with rectangular bars, where the length of each bar is proportional to the data value. Bar charts are simple to create, intuitive to interpret, and highly effective for highlighting comparisons.
Several variations are available, such as stacked bar charts, grouped bar charts, horizontal bar charts, and 100% bar charts.
Best Situations to Use
Bar charts are best suited when you need to:
Compare small to medium datasets across categories.
Observe changes over time (e.g., monthly or quarterly trends).
Highlight differences in proportions across categories.
Perform quick analysis for business metrics like revenue change, sales performance, or customer distribution.
Examples:
Quarterly sales of an organization.
Percentage change in revenue year-over-year.
Comparing product category performance.
Variations
Bar charts can be customized into multiple formats to suit different needs:
Stacked Bar Charts – Combine multiple categories stacked vertically or horizontally. Useful for cumulative comparisons.
Grouped (Clustered) Bar Charts – Place bars side by side for easier comparison across multiple categories.
Overlaid Bar Charts – Display overlapping bars for quick contrast.
100% Stacked Bar Charts – Show relative contribution of each category as percentages.
Horizontal Bar Charts – Improve readability when category names are long or numerous.
Quick Enhancements:
Color Coding – Use color to highlight key insights.
Dual Axis Bars – Plot positive and negative values to highlight trends.
Gradient & Shape Bases – Apply rectangle, chevron, or gradient bases for aesthetic customization.
Properties
General
Component Name – Unique identifier (auto-generated).
Position (Left, Top) – Placement coordinates on the canvas.
Height / Width – Chart size configuration.
Initial Visibility – Show or hide chart on load.
Max Button – Allow maximizing the chart view.
Color From Drill – Inherit colors from drill-down results.
Base Type & Chart Type – Define whether chart is stacked, clustered, or overlaid.
Bar Size – Adjust spacing and appearance.
Actions – Enable chart interactions in preview.
Animation – Smooth transitions for better user experience.
Slider
Interactive slider to filter and analyze subsets of data dynamically.
Show/Hide slider.
Customize color, thickness, opacity, and range.
Enable text labels for values.
Threshold Settings
Add reference lines and fills to highlight business rules.
Threshold 1 & 2 – Set upper and lower limits.
Show Threshold Line – Enable visual indicators.
Fill Threshold – Highlight regions between thresholds.
Customize fill color, opacity, and labels.
Background & Styling
Gradient rotation, opacity, and multi-color customization.
Border (color, radius, thickness).
Shadows (color and intensity).
Stack borders for grouped/stacked bars.
Tooltip
Enable tooltips for hover insights.
Customize background, border, opacity, font size, and box width.
Highlighter option for emphasizing values.
Title & Subtitle
Show/hide title and subtitle.
Customize font, size, weight, family, color, alignment, and decoration.
Option to use dataset description as dynamic title.
Axes
X-Axis / Y-Axis Settings – Toggle axis lines, adjust font, size, style, decorations, and rotation.
Add descriptions, dataset labels, and tick marks.
Set min/max values, auto-scaling, zero-line markers, and custom markers.
Legend
Show/hide legend.
Customize font, size, weight, style, and decoration.
Option to hide on load.
Formatter
Units (e.g., percentage, revenue, count).
Precision (decimal places).
Currency formatting.
Number formatting (Indian / International).
Export Options
Enable context menu for right-click export.
Supported formats: Excel, CSV, JPEG, PNG, PPT, PDF, Print.
Customize export heading, sub-heading, and file name.
Global export type: Screenshot or Tabular.
Example Use Cases
Finance: Compare quarterly revenue and expense categories.
Sales: Track performance of top-selling products across regions.
HR Analytics: Compare employee headcount by department or location.
Marketing: Analyze customer engagement across campaign channels.
Sample Data
Download the given sample data and map it as mentioned below to plot your Bar chart:
Use the Year column as Category field and the other columns as Series to plot data as shown in the given examples below: