Last updated: March 23, 2021
When you customize reports or analyze data in your analytics tools, you can select a style or type of chart to display your data. There are eight styles you can use, depending on the data in your report: bar, column, line, area, doughnut, pie, summary, and table.
Bar
Use a bar graph when you want to highlight how multiple metrics compare to each other. For example, you can compare how multiple ebooks performed against each other.
Column
Use a column graph when you want to highlight how multiple metrics compare to each other. For example, you can see how many contacts you generated from different marketing channels. If you have a large amount of data, a column chart may be a better option than a bar chart.
Line
Use a line graph when you want to show the growth of a metric over time. For example, use a line graph to display the growth of your contacts over time.
Area
Use an area graph when you want to show multiple data sets and their relative growth over time in comparison to each other. You can see how each data set grew individually, but also how they added to your metrics as a whole.
Donut
Use a donut chart to display a breakdown of a metric. For example, use a donut chart to see a breakdown of your total contacts by lifecycle stage.
Pie
Similar to donut charts, pie charts are used to display a breakdown of a metric. For example, use a piechart to see a breakdown of your total contacts by lifecycle stage.
Summary
This visual will give you a quick snapshot of your data by displaying exact metrics. For example, if you want to keep track of how many calls, emails, or meetings your sales reps have placed during a given time period, you can set up an engagements report using count of engagements and type.
Table
Use a table is to display your data when it is important to see exact numbers for multiple metrics together, and not just general trends. For example, use a table to see the number of deals by deal owner, along with the average days to close.
