Area and % Area charts

Availability:

• Summary view - All modes except for Transaction.

• Focused view (when you select and focus on items in a dimension) - Period and Moving mode only.

Area and % (Percentage) Area charts are very similar.

An Area chart plots performance over time, displaying data as a shaded ‘area’ that falls below a set of points connected by straight lines. Area charts are good for visualizing comparisons, for example, using two color-coded shaded areas to display this year vs. last year’s sales, or the value of sales vs. orders.

A % Area chart is very similar to an Area chart, however, the shaded areas are based on percentages rather than amounts (the Y-axis displays the percentage from 0 to 100% rather than the total amount). % Area charts provide a different way to view the proportional areas. They also have the benefit of tooltips showing the values in percentage form, which display when you hover over the data points.

The following table describes what the Area chart looks like in each view. The % Area chart behaves in the same way as the Area chart but it provides a different way to view the proportional areas, as the Y-axis displays the percentage from 0 to 100% rather than the total amount.

	Summary view	Focused view
Contents	There is a blue area for the current period (or stream) and an orange area for the previous period (or other stream).	There is a colored area for each of the focused items.
X-axis	The X-axis displays the time units of your current period.
Y-axis	The Y-axis displays the total amount, which starts at zero.
Example

Example 1: Use an Area chart to visualize product profitability

In the Sales database, create an Area chart to visualize the profitability of four key product categories, this year to date.

1. Prepare the data in the grid: In Period mode, select the Product Class dimension, then select and focus on the four product classes. Select Measures > Profit, select Period > Year to date, then click the Summary button.

2. Click the Chart button in the top right toolbar above the grid.

3. Click the Line chart category button on the left of the chart and select the Area option.

   

   The chart displays the profitability of the four product classes for this year to date.

   
4. (Optional) Change your view of the chart:

   • Use Total: If you have a dimension selected and are in Period mode (as in the current example), you can select the Use total option to create a simplified Area chart. This option means that rather than charting all the focused items for each time unit, Phocas charts only the total. In the image below, the total value of the four product classes have been added together for each month, represented by a single blue shaded area.

     
   • Use cumulative: The Use cumulative option is only available in Summary view, in Period mode. Click the Summary button, then select the Use cumulative option to chart current vs. previous cumulative for each time unit, rather than simply current vs. previous.

     

Example 2: Create a % Area chart

1. Prepare the data in the grid.

2. Click the Chart button in the top right toolbar above the grid.

3. Click the Line chart category button and select the % Area option.

   

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Related pages

You can take the following actions with your chart:

Configure the chart options | Select and focus on a chart segment | Use the chart legend | Save the chart as a favorite | Add the chart to a dashboard | Export a chart as an image

See also the main page: Visualize your data in a chart