Dashboard chart types: which chart to use for what
Mammoth dashboards have 44 chart types, listed here by the category chip they sit under in the chart picker (Add → Chart, scope All 44). "What it needs" is the fields you set in the chart's Data section; see Choose the chart's fields. To add one, see Add a chart.
Charts to compare categories
Compare a number across categories: regions, products, teams. Under Common, Marimekko, Pareto and Radar are left out.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Bar | Comparing a number across categories with vertical bars | A category (By) and a Measure |
| Bar (H) | The same with horizontal bars. Suits long names and rankings | A category and a measure |
| Ranking (dots) | Ranked values as a dot on a stem, with less ink than bars | A category and a measure |
| Diverging | Positive and negative values either side of zero | A category and a measure with +/- values |
| Grouped bar | Side-by-side bars per category, for a second breakdown or several measures | A category and one or more measures |
| Stacked bar | Bars split into segments by a second field | A category, a Split by field and a measure |
| 100% stacked | The mix within each category, with every bar at 100% | A category, a Split by field and a measure |
| Marimekko | Bar width shows each category's size, segments show its mix | A category, a Split by field and a measure |
| Pareto | Sorted bars with a cumulative % line, for the 80/20 read | A category and a measure |
| Radar | One measure across several categories on spokes | A category and a measure |
Charts to show a trend over time
Show how a number changes over time. Under Common, Bump and Candlestick are left out.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Line | Change over time | A date (or category) and a measure |
| Area | Change over time with the volume filled in | A date and a measure |
| Stacked area | How each part's contribution changes over time | A date, a Split by field and a measure |
| Bump (ranking over time) | How ranks change from period to period | A date, a category and a measure |
| Slope | Change between two points (before and after) for each category | A category and two measures |
| Combo | Bars and a line together, on two axes if needed | A date or category and two or more measures |
| Sparkline | A tiny trend line with no axes | A date and a measure |
| Candlestick | Open, high, low and close for each period | A date and four measures |
Charts to show parts of a whole
Show how a total splits into its parts. Under Common, Sunburst, Waterfall and Funnel are left out.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Donut | Share of a total, as a ring | A category and a measure |
| Composition | Share of a total, as one segmented bar | A category and a measure |
| Treemap | Share of a total, as rectangles sized by value | A category and a measure |
| Pictograph | Counts drawn as repeated icons ("people", "homes") | A category and a measure |
| Sunburst | A two-level share of a total, as rings | Two categories and a measure |
| Waterfall | How positive and negative steps build to a total | A category and a measure |
| Funnel | Drop-off through ordered stages | A stage field and a measure |
Charts for a single headline number
One headline number. The same five types appear under Common and All 44. Only Bullet has a By field.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| KPI | One number with a label and its change | A measure |
| Big number | One large headline number, with an optional change caption | A measure |
| Gauge | One number against a scale, with optional red/amber/green zones | A measure (set the Max value) |
| Bullet | One number against a target | A category and a measure (set the Target) |
| Icon stat | One number with an icon | A measure |
For a row of KPI cards across the top of a page, see KPI cards.
Charts to show distribution, relationships and flow
How values spread out, and how two things relate or flow. Under Common, Beeswarm, Dumbbell, Sankey and Network are left out.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Scatter | The relationship between two measures | Two measures (X and Y) |
| Bubble | A scatter with a third measure as bubble size | Three measures |
| Histogram | How values spread across ranges (bins) | One measure (no By) |
| Box plot | Median, quartiles and outliers per group | A category and a measure |
| Beeswarm (every point) | Every value as a dot, grouped | A category and a measure |
| Dumbbell | The gap between two values per category | A category and two measures |
| Heatmap | A measure across two categories, as shaded cells | Two categories (Rows and Columns) and a measure |
| Sankey | Flow from one category to another | Two categories and a measure |
| Network | Links between the values of two categories | Two categories |
Calendar and Gantt charts
Dates laid out as a calendar or a schedule. These two only appear under All 44, behind the Time chip, or through search.
| Chart | Best for | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar heatmap | A daily measure laid out as a calendar grid | A date and a measure |
| Gantt | Spans between a start and an end date for each item | Two date fields and a category |
Map chart of countries or US states
The Map chart shades regions by a measure, for countries of the world or US states. Find it under All 44 → Map chip, or search "map". It isn't in the Common set.
What it needs: A location field and a measure. A text field counts as a location field when most of its values are country names or US state names.
- Common spellings work, such as USA, US, America, UK, Britain, UAE and Russian Federation.
- Mammoth uses the world map or the US map, whichever fits your values better.
- Cities and postcodes don't count. Without a location field, the tile shows "Needs a location field".
Two options control how the map looks. Set them in the chart's edit panel.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Projection | Equal Earth (default), Mercator, Albers USA | "How the globe is flattened onto the map. Equal Earth keeps country sizes honest; Mercator is the familiar web-map look; Albers USA zooms to the United States." |
| Binning | Continuous (default), Quantile, Equal | How values map to colour: a smooth ramp, buckets with the same number of regions in each (quantile), or bands of equal width. |
Color scale sets the base colour; darker regions are higher values. Number format works as on other charts.
Tables and text blocks
Under All 44, the Table and Text chips add a table or a text block (a note, caveat, source and more). See Tables and Text blocks.
Related
- Add a chart to a dashboard: the picker, search and switching type.
- Set up a chart: set the fields each type needs.
- Chart options: options per chart type.
- Custom charts: a chart the library doesn't have.
Something wrong? support@mammoth.io