What is the right chart to use for any given data? The Financial Times Graphics team created a Visual Vocabulary to help make better chart choices based on the type of data as well as the type of analysis needed. Tableau guru and visualization expert, Andy Kriebel took it a step further and created live interactive examples of the charts here in Tableau and Jason Thomas Power BI expert-created beautiful charts in Power BI here following the guidelines in the visual library from Financial Times. Vitara team continued this exercise for Microstrategy and Vitaracharts. Please find some screenshots and a live link to showcase the visual capabilities of MicroStrategy supercharged with the power of Vitaracharts visuals.
The MicroStrategy Visual Vocabulary created by Vitara can be accessed live here.The charts are divided into the following segments:
1. Deviation: These charts emphasize a variation (+/-) from a fixed reference point. Typically that point is zero but it can also be a fixed value or an average of long term data. These charts can also be used to show sentiment (positive, negative or neutral)
2. Correlation: This category of charts shows the relationship between two or more variables.
3. Ranking: This category of charts needs to be used when the item's position in the ordered list is more important than the absolute or relative value
4. Distribution: These visuals show the values and how often they occur. The shape\skew of the distribution can be a memorable way to highlight the lack of uniformity or equality in the data.
5. Change Over Time: This category of graphs give emphasis to changing trends. These can be short inter-day movements or extended series traversing decades or centuries. Choosing the correct time period is important to showcase the right context to the end-user.
6. Part-to-Whole: This category of charts shows how a single entity can be broken into its component elements.
7. Magnitude: These charts show the size comparisons. These can be relative or absolute but generally, they show a counted number rather than a rate of occurrence.
8. Spatial: Used only when precise locations or geographic patterns are more important than any other type of graph.
9. Flow: This category shows the volumes and intensity of movement between two or more states or conditions. These might be logical sequences or geographic locations.
