Chart Types Guide
AlgForce AI supports multiple chart types and automatically selects the best ones for your data. This guide explains when to use each chart type and how to request specific charts using natural language.
Bar Chart
When to use: Best for comparing values across categories where order doesn't matter.
- Sales by region or country
- Revenue by product category
- Headcount by department
- Survey responses by option
- Vertical bar (column chart)
- Horizontal bar
- Grouped bar (multiple series)
- Stacked bar (100%)
Line Chart
When to use: Best for showing trends and changes over time.
- Monthly revenue trend
- Weekly active users
- Stock price history
- KPI performance over quarters
- Single line
- Multi-line (multiple metrics)
- Area line (filled)
- Stepped line
Pie & Donut Chart
When to use: Best for showing proportional parts of a whole (use sparingly — max 6 segments).
- Market share by competitor
- Budget allocation by department
- Traffic sources (organic, paid, direct)
- Revenue by product line
- Standard pie
- Donut (with center metric)
- Semi-donut
Scatter Plot
When to use: Best for revealing correlations or clusters between two numerical variables.
- Marketing spend vs. revenue
- Price vs. demand
- Experience vs. salary
- Engagement vs. conversion rate
- Basic scatter
- Bubble chart (3 variables — size as 3rd dimension)
Area Chart
When to use: Best for showing volume or cumulative quantities over time.
- Cumulative revenue growth
- Stacked channel traffic
- Headcount growth over time
- Standard area
- Stacked area
- 100% stacked area
Heat Map
When to use: Best for visualizing intensity or patterns across two categorical dimensions.
- Sales by day of week and hour
- Performance ratings by department and month
- Geographic intensity maps
- Grid heat map
- Geographic heat map
Requesting Specific Charts with Natural Language
Use the chat interface to request any chart type after your initial dashboard is generated: