How to Make an Area Chart

A simple Area Chart can be created when a Dimension is placed in the Columns deck and a Measure is placed in the Rows deck. This process is nearly identical to making a Line Chart.

Download and connect to the sample data source. We are making this chart using 1 dimension and 1 measure.

1. Execute a select * from bistudio_example within the query analyzer on the bistudio_example.xlsx file

2. Click the [Visual Analytics] icon in the Query Analyzer Grid Results toolbar.

3. Drag ShipDate from Dimensions to the Columns deck.

4. Drag Freight from Measures to the Rows deck.

5. Select [Area] in the Chart Properties drop-down.

6. Right click on ShipDate in the Columns deck and choose [Quarter (Q3 2005)] date grouping from the bottom half of the date options to ensure it's displayed as Continuous Data.

Stacked Area Chart

A Stacked Area Chart with colored areas per category can be created by having at least one Dimension in the Columns deck and two or more Measures in the Rows deck.

1. Execute a select * from bistudio_example within the query analyzer on the bistudio_example.xlsx file

2. Click the [Visual Analytics] icon in the Query Analyzer Grid Results toolbar.

3. Drag ShipDate from Dimensions to the Columns deck. Right click it and select [Quarter (Q3 2005)] date grouping from the lower half of the date options. 

4. Drag Freight, then Profit and finally Total Due from Measures to the Rows deck.

5. Select [Area] in the Chart Properties drop-down.

7. Select [Merged Axes] from Chart Properties Axes.

7. Select [Stacked] from Chart Properties Axes Display Type.

Unstacked Area Chart

An Unstacked Area Chart with colored areas per category can be created by having a Dimension in the Columns deck and multiple Measures in the Rows deck.

1. Execute a select * from bistudio_example within the query analyzer on the bistudio_example.xlsx file

2. Click the [Visual Analytics] icon in the Query Analyzer Grid Results toolbar.

3. Drag Total Due, Freight and Profit from Measures to the Rows deck.

4. Select [Area] in the Chart Properties drop-down.

5. Select [Merged Axes] and [Unstacked] from Chart Properties Axes.

6. Drag ShipDate from Dimensions to the Columns deck. Right click it and select [Quarter (Q3 2005)] date grouping from the lower half of the date options then click Discrete to ensure it displays as Discrete Data. 

The order in which measures are placed in the deck determines how the layers appear in an Unstacked Area Chart. Measures to the left will appear on top of layers to the right. Layers become translucent when they completely conceal layers for other measures underneath them.

For more on how to modify charts, such as showing Independent Axes and Dual Axes, see Chart Properties Axes.

Charts can quickly be swapped from Vertical to Horizontal and vice versa by selecting [Analysis > Swap Rows and Columns] or clicking its button in the Toolbar.

Show Labels

• Click  (Show Data Labels) on the Visual Analytics tool bar. The measure values appear on the chart view.
  

1. Open Label Deck.
   
2. In the Data Label Color area, change the foreground color to red and keep background to Automatic.
   

Other Actions

• You can customize the foreground and background color for all labels. For more information, see Label Appearance. 
• You can sort data by using various sort options available in the chart view or the Advanced dialog. For more information, see Sorting.
• You can use highlight actions to focus on the selected area. Visual Analytics makes the highlighted data points in the selected area and its data labels prominent while dimming others in the view. For more information, see Highlight Actions.
• You can filter records directly from the chart view without manually adding any fields to the Filters Deck. For more information, see Filters.
• You can export worksheets containing visualization to Image, HTML, and PDF formats. For more information, see Export Visualizations.