Chart cards add visual representations of your data to boards and worksheets in Anaplan. It's important to consider which type of chart best suits the data you want to display.

Charts can help you and your stakeholders see the meaning behind data.

Charts are a useful visual aid for identifying patterns or trends in your data. 

Use the tables on this page to help you choose the best chart type for your page. To learn more about the structure and uses of individual chart types, see the list of chart types at the end of this page.

You can display your data in a chart card on either a board or a worksheet. Learn to configure a chart card.

You can analyze data by looking at a comparison, a transition, a relationship, or the data composition. Each of these types of analysis illustrate different aspects of your data.

Analysis typeWhat it showsExample
ComparisonThe highest and lowest figures of the dataset, often across a time period.Year-on-year sales comparison. Or, to compare the performance of one area of an organization to another.
TransitionChanges in data over a period of time.How fluctuations in sales contribute to total revenue. Or, to see how changes in the value of raw materials impact retail prices.
RelationshipA correlation between two or more variables.A forecast of sales for next year based on the sales of the last two years. Or, to monitor the impact of a marketing campaign.
CompositionThe constituent parts of a data value.Analysis of the values contributing to the retail price of an item. Or, to check sales figures for individual areas within a region.

These kinds of analysis are usually best displayed as charts. However, it's important to choose the best kind of chart for your data. For example, the volume of data needed for a comparison, a transition, a relationship, or the data composition analysis would be difficult to display as text in tables.

The table below provides an overview of the best kinds of charts for different kinds of analysis. 


ComparisonTransitionRelationshipComposition
Analysis TypeRanking
Deviation
Time
Distribution
CorrelationPart to whole
Geospatial
Use it to identify...Larger/smaller
Greater than
Less than
Equal to
Plus/Minus X
Different to
Relative to
Variance
Change
Growth
Fluctuation
Increase/Decrease
Rise/Decline
Trend
Frequency
Range
Distribution
Concentration
Increases with
Changes with
Varies with
Relates to
Is caused by
Is affected by
Follows
Ratio
Count
Constituent parts
% of total
Share
Accounts for x%
Location
Region
AreaYesYes
Yes
BarYes


ColumnYes

Yes
CombinationYesYesYesYes
Donut


Yes
DotYes


Gantt

Yes
LineYesYesYes
MapYes

Yes
PercentageYes

Yes
Pie


Yes
Scatter/Bubble
YesYes
StackedYesYes
Yes