Following are descriptions of
some popular types of charts you can create using JSCHART format:
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Line charts. Line
charts are useful for emphasizing the movement or trend of numeric
data over time, since they allow a viewer to trace the evolution
of a particular point by working backwards or interpolating. Highs
and lows, rapid or slow movement, or a tendency toward stability
are all types of trends that are well suited to a line chart.
Line
charts can also be plotted with two or more scales to suggest a
comparison of the same value, or set of values, in different time
periods. The number of scales your chart has depends on the type
of chart you select. For details, see Controlling Chart Type Using LOOKGRAPH.
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Bar charts. A
bar or column chart plots numeric data by displaying rectangular
blocks against a scale. The length of a bar corresponds to a value
or amount. Viewers can develop a clear mental image of comparisons
among data series by distinguishing the relative heights of the
bars. Use a bar chart to display numeric data when you want to present
distributions of data. You can create horizontal as well as vertical
bar charts.
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Pie charts. A pie chart emphasizes where your data fits
in relation to a larger whole. Keep in mind that pie charts work
best when your data consists of several large sets. Too many variables
divide the pie into small segments that are difficult to see. Use
color or texture on individual segments to create visual contrast.
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Scatter charts. Scatter
charts show the relationship between two different numeric measures.
Scatter plots give you a sense of trends, concentrations, and outliers
that pinpoint where to focus further investigation efforts.
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Area charts. Area
charts are similar to line charts except that the area between the
data line and the zero line (or axis) is usually colored or textured.
Area charts allow you to stack data on top of each other. Stacking
allows you to highlight the relationship between data series, showing
how some data series approach or shadow a second series.
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3D charts. 3D
charts add dimension to your presentation. Dimensionality allows
your viewers to recognize trends based on two or more data sets.
3D charts also add impact to your presentation.
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Polar charts. A polar chart is a circular form of scatter
plot in which each point is defined by an angle and distance from
the center of the chart.
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Radar charts. A
radar chart is a circular form of line or area chart. Radar charts
work well with any data that are cyclical, such as the months of
a year.
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Stock charts. A
stock chart plots the trend or changes in financial instruments
over time.
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Bubble charts. A
bubble chart is an enhanced scatter plot in which the size of each
marker is proportional to the value of a third measure.
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Spectral charts. A spectral chart, also known as a heatmap,
is a table in which the color of each cell is dependent on the value
in the cell.
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Other charts. Many
additional chart types are available with the LOOKGRAPH parameter,
including waterfall charts (which are used for understanding how
an initial value is affected by a series of intermediate positive
or negative values).
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HTML5-specific charts. Some
chart types are only available with FORMAT JSCHART. Among these
are map charts (both choropleths that use color to differentiate
between value groups, and proportional symbol maps that use the
size of a bubble as the differentiator), tagclouds (which display
a word in a size proportional to its frequency), and treemaps (which
display hierarchical data as a set of nested rectangles).
For a complete list of the types of charts you can create and
the syntax for generating each type, see Controlling the Chart Type.